Kingston 2001172 MCA Memory Expansion Card No RAM IBM PS/2 Micro Channel

Kingston 2001172 MCA Memory Expansion Card No RAM IBM PS/2 Micro Channel

The Kingston 2001172 is a vintage Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) memory expansion card designed for IBM PS/2 desktop systems. It provides additional SIMM memory slots to expand system RAM in MCA-bus PS/2 machines. This example has no RAM modules installed and is being sold AS-IS for parts, repair, or collection.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: Kingston Technology
• Part Number: 2001172
• PCB Revision: REV 5.5
• Bus Interface: MCA (Micro Channel Architecture)
• Memory Slots: 4 SIMM sockets (all empty — no RAM installed)
• Form Factor: Full-length MCA expansion card with blue retainer brackets
• PCB Rating: UL 94V-0
• Compatible With: IBM PS/2 Micro Channel Architecture systems
• Card only — no RAM modules, no cables, no accessories

Applications

MCA (Micro Channel Architecture) was IBM's proprietary 32-bit expansion bus, introduced in 1987 with the IBM PS/2 line as a replacement for the older ISA bus. Unlike ISA, MCA was fully 32-bit, supported bus mastering, and featured automatic card configuration — years ahead of Plug and Play. Memory expansion cards like the Kingston 2001172 allowed PS/2 system owners to push their machines beyond the base RAM configuration, supporting more demanding software of the late 1980s and early 1990s. MCA was used across the IBM PS/2 model range — including the Model 50, 55, 60, 70, 80, and 95 — as well as in IBM PS/2 servers and some IBM workstations. Because IBM never licensed MCA widely, it remained proprietary and was eventually supplanted by EISA and later PCI. Today, Kingston MCA memory cards like this one are sought by vintage IBM collectors, PS/2 enthusiasts, and restorers of period-correct IBM PS/2 systems.