Computer engineer here (well I have a computer engineering degree and have worked on several computer engineering projects at least). The only point of fucking with an i486 in 2025 for reasons besides “vintage computing” or playing MS-DOS games is that it’s probably the most powerful cpu that can still run on a cheap 4 layer circuit board. This cpu is also simple enough that a i486 chipset can be DIY’ed without ball grid array components. Electronic devices with 4 layer circuit boards are less susceptible to getting ruined by tariffs because they can be manufactured for a reasonable price in places besides just China. Ball grid array components require specialized equipment in order to put them on circuit boards. The easier surface mount (quad flat package) chips required to build a viable and performant i486 motherboard are simple enough that all you need is a cheap soldering iron and a steady hand to solder them onto a circuit board.

What I’m getting at is that prior to them dropping i486 support in Linux, it was possible to use cheapo microchips from Mouser, connect them to i486 cpu and singlehandedly DIY a modern-Linux capable computer, in theory at least.

With Linux dropping support for i486, the bar is now much higher. It’s still possible to completely DIY an ever more powerful, non-i486 based Linux-capable computer yourself if you REALLY know what you’re doing (and people HAVE done it).

I wanted to build one just for fun and maybe to use it like super high performance arduino but now there’s a lot less of a point so meh.