website/content/museum/digital-equipment-corporation-4000-axp.md

---
title: Digital Equipment Corporation 4000 AXP
categories:
- Computers
types:
- Professional Computer
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1992'
cpus:
- '1'
params:
  name: 4000 AXP
  company: /companies/digital-equipment-corporation
  company_name: Digital Equipment Corporation
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: 4000 AXP
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Digital Equipment Corporation
  - label: TYPE
    value: Professional Computer
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: November 1992
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: None
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: No dedicated keyboard but a VT-100 compatible serial video terminal
  - label: CPU
    value: 1 or 2 DECchip 21064 (64 bit load/store) RISC Alpha architecture, super-scalar, super-pipilined, 3.3V 0.75 micrometer CMOS technology
  - label: SPEED
    value: 190 MHz
  - label: RAM
    value: Up to 2 GB
  - label: ROM
    value: Unknown
  - label: TEXT MODES
    value: Depends on Terminal used
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: None
  - label: COLORS
    value: None
  - label: SOUND
    value: None
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: |-
      2 asynchronous serial line (modem and console)\
      Either 4 DSSI + 2 SCSI + 2 Ethernet, or 4 FAST-SCSI 2 + 2 SCSI + 1 Ethernet
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: CD-ROM (caddy), DDS1 4mm DAT tape drive
  - label: OS
    value: OpenVMS AXP or DEC OSF/1 AXP
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: Universal line front-end unit (FEE), PSC + DC5 + DC3, along with a large number of fans
  - label: PRICE
    value: $77,000 to $100,000
  tabs:
  - photos
  photos:
  - title: FRONT SIDE
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: DIAGNOSTICS PANEL
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: CD AND TAPE DRIVE
    subtitle: ''
    text: The tape drive used in the 4000AXP was a DDS1 4mm DAT tape
    image: null
  - title: 'BACK SIDE #1'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: 'BACK SIDE #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: 'CPU BOARD #1'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: 'CPU BOARD #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  comments:
  - author: rod (canada)
    date: Wednesday 27th June 2018
    text: Looks more like a dehumidifier or an air conditioner than a computer.
  - author: ryan (San Jose, California, USA)
    date: Saturday 7th July 2007
    text: I found and purchased one of these at a office going-out-of-business sale in 1996. I have never been able to boot it, some thing must be corrupted?
  - author: Merjia (Aus)
    date: Sunday 22nd October 2006
    text: |-
      Wow, 1992 and up to 2gb of ram?\
      nice
  - author: Ian (UK)
    date: Tuesday 6th January 2004
    text: VMS is freely available with the Hobbyist licence. See http://www.openvmshobbyist.org/
  - author: amorphka (hungary)
    date: Thursday 24th July 2003
    text: And what is your experience? I'd like to start one of these (especially a DEC 4000 AXP model 710) but there is no free OS running on this type because of Futurebus+ :( Can You recommend me something?
  - author: Ian (UK)
    date: Thursday 5th June 2003
    text: I run one of these with VMS V7.3-1 !
  oc_id: 895
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230602205013/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=895
    date: '2023-06-02'
---

In the early 90s the DEC 4000 model 710 AXP was a member of the DEC 4000 AXP family aka "cobra" (including the model 610, 620, 710, 720) which was based on the Digital's Alpha AXP architecture and the IEEE's Futurebus+ profile B standard.

This family was the output of an initiation in Digital to built the industry's most cost-effective and highest-performance departmental server computing system. To achive this goal Digital changed over from VAX CISC to Alpha AXP RISC architecture, and from Q-bus I/O system to Futurebus+. The DECchip 21064/21064A microprocessors were some the first microprocessors implementing the Alpha AXP architecture.

The True64 Unix v5.1 has buried the old Alpha systems. It was the last release which supported those old system buses, like TurboChannel in DEC 3000 series and Futurebus+ in DEC 4000 series.

Thanks to **Kiss Laszlo** from Hungary for information and pictures.

<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>