Most Amiga gear is kind of pricey at the moment, glad I stocked up 8+ years ago. Seems like once common 68k mac and xt-486 pc machines are getting to pricey these days as well. I guess the popularity of the hobby is rising as the stock gets recycled into ipods.
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Your "Must-have" computers
- Thread starter linuxlove
- Start date
Abbub
Experienced Member
Unknown_K:
That's true. It seems like vintage computing across the board is becoming a bit more popular and a bit more spendy. I picked up my 68030 Amiga upgrade about 10 years ago. I don't think I'd be willing to spend the money that they're going for today.
That's true. It seems like vintage computing across the board is becoming a bit more popular and a bit more spendy. I picked up my 68030 Amiga upgrade about 10 years ago. I don't think I'd be willing to spend the money that they're going for today.
billdeg
Technician
I think the definition of must-have is when you're willing to pay the full retail price for it. As in you must have your head examined if you pay $3000 for an Altair.
But seriously folks
If someone said, hey would you like a Honeywell Kitchen Computer, I might must have that.
Bill
But seriously folks
If someone said, hey would you like a Honeywell Kitchen Computer, I might must have that.
Bill
Actually I have quite a few items I would never have paid going rates for, you just find some deals over the years and jump on them. Should have snagged another A2000 years ago when they were cheaper, I want to build a video toaster but the costs are a bit much these days.
The problem with long term collecting is you tend to start looking for older machines and those are harder to find and cost more. Newer stuff is cheaper but mostly boring. There was a time you could get IBM 5150/5160/5170 machines by the boatload for free, not they cost $100+ and you are stuck with machines that need a bunch of work. And with shipping prices rising like crazy even if you find a machine you like for a decent price you might not have the cash for the shipping. And as stated before recycling has taken quite a few machines and some others are failing to the elements. I have been collecting laptops for the last couple years, the older ones I want (386 and earlier) and hard to find plus everything is proprietary.
The problem with long term collecting is you tend to start looking for older machines and those are harder to find and cost more. Newer stuff is cheaper but mostly boring. There was a time you could get IBM 5150/5160/5170 machines by the boatload for free, not they cost $100+ and you are stuck with machines that need a bunch of work. And with shipping prices rising like crazy even if you find a machine you like for a decent price you might not have the cash for the shipping. And as stated before recycling has taken quite a few machines and some others are failing to the elements. I have been collecting laptops for the last couple years, the older ones I want (386 and earlier) and hard to find plus everything is proprietary.
bettablue
Veteran Member
I found one that I'm trying to close a deal on. It's pretty dirty and in need of a good cleaning, but it does come with the original AT keyboard. The only thing missing is a monitor. The owner is balking at having to pack it up for shipping, so I'm still trying to work that out with him. It is a very clean design. There are no bells and whistles all over the case and the only thing on the front are a key/lock, power indicators, and two floppy drives; 1 - 5 1/4" and 1 - 3 1/2". I think the owner more than likely replaced one of the original 5 1/4" drives to upgrade to the 3 1/2" format. The power switch is on the right side of the case at the rear. I agree with you. I don't want a clone. I want the real deal IBM too.
I have also just obtained a nice Apple lle that was won in a Utah school district auction site for only $12.50. The actual auction closed at $5.00, but there were a couple of fees that came with it. The computer still works and includes the original dual floppy drive deck and monochrome display. It still works!
These computers are the exact same models I leaned programming on while in college. I was trained in computer repair on these too, so between these two models, I have some fond memories.
I agree with Unknown_K too, that in most cases, once you have the vintage computer, some of the thrill is gone, but in my case, there is a history. I use old 1980's vintage model M keyboards on my new PC too. It really is amazing how well computers were built in the early days. They certainly aren't manufactured to the same standards now. Indeed, there are more of the vintage computers around than I though there were and in most cases, these old systems are still functioning. I remember working in a computer repair shop in the late 80's and early 90's. Most of the work brought in to our shop wasn't for actual repairs. People brought them in to have upgrades done on them; adding a bigger drive, of exchanging the old floppy with a newer high capacity model and such. Now, when you go to a computer shop, you see more and more with viruses, bad memory ships, over heated processors, bad hard drives and the list goes on. A small percentage of computers are getting upgrades, and these are all new machines whos'e owners just bought and want to add more memory or video card.
(Ah, the old cliche) They just don't make them like they used to.
I have also just obtained a nice Apple lle that was won in a Utah school district auction site for only $12.50. The actual auction closed at $5.00, but there were a couple of fees that came with it. The computer still works and includes the original dual floppy drive deck and monochrome display. It still works!
These computers are the exact same models I leaned programming on while in college. I was trained in computer repair on these too, so between these two models, I have some fond memories.
I agree with Unknown_K too, that in most cases, once you have the vintage computer, some of the thrill is gone, but in my case, there is a history. I use old 1980's vintage model M keyboards on my new PC too. It really is amazing how well computers were built in the early days. They certainly aren't manufactured to the same standards now. Indeed, there are more of the vintage computers around than I though there were and in most cases, these old systems are still functioning. I remember working in a computer repair shop in the late 80's and early 90's. Most of the work brought in to our shop wasn't for actual repairs. People brought them in to have upgrades done on them; adding a bigger drive, of exchanging the old floppy with a newer high capacity model and such. Now, when you go to a computer shop, you see more and more with viruses, bad memory ships, over heated processors, bad hard drives and the list goes on. A small percentage of computers are getting upgrades, and these are all new machines whos'e owners just bought and want to add more memory or video card.
(Ah, the old cliche) They just don't make them like they used to.
Abbub
Experienced Member
nah. once you have the vintage computer, the thrill becomes collecting all of the must-have apps and games for it. :D
lol eek a never ending battle that is! That's what kept me from collecting consoles over the years (although recently I did start getting a few to check them out when the price was acceptable ($30 for a working boxed GameCube with x day warranty and 2 games) or $30-40 for an original xbox to mod with xbmc and have a nice media player/emulator system for the kids or watching archived movies (i.e. save me the money of rebuying scratched up dvds after the girls get their hands on them).
What's the acronym ECS regarding the Amiga systems? I remember when we at our city funded animation lab only had 2 Amiga 500s and a bunch of Amiga 1000s for the kids to use (the 500 we used to do digitized photo editing and was much more powerful). Eventually the community college animation class offered up their Amiga 2000s and we were able to upgrade. It was amazing and fun memory. Then we maxed out the memory on most of the cards with what we could find/afford. The 3000 I thought had some compatibility issues though and couldn't do as much as a 2000 (probably a 1.x rom switcher issue) so I'd probably still recommend the 2000. Plus it has more room to work with inside. I agree getting a Bridgeboard up and running and you have one sweet and capable vintage system. Not to mention the obligatory goofing around that one has with Say and the speech emulator chip.
What's the acronym ECS regarding the Amiga systems? I remember when we at our city funded animation lab only had 2 Amiga 500s and a bunch of Amiga 1000s for the kids to use (the 500 we used to do digitized photo editing and was much more powerful). Eventually the community college animation class offered up their Amiga 2000s and we were able to upgrade. It was amazing and fun memory. Then we maxed out the memory on most of the cards with what we could find/afford. The 3000 I thought had some compatibility issues though and couldn't do as much as a 2000 (probably a 1.x rom switcher issue) so I'd probably still recommend the 2000. Plus it has more room to work with inside. I agree getting a Bridgeboard up and running and you have one sweet and capable vintage system. Not to mention the obligatory goofing around that one has with Say and the speech emulator chip.
Abbub
Experienced Member
Amiga Chipsets:
OCS - Original Chip Set
ECS - Enhanced Chip Set
AGA - Advanced Graphics Architecture
In a nutshell, the AGA is the best, in terms of what it can do, but the number of games and apps that support it are small, compared to the others. The ECS has extended graphic capabilities over the OCS in terms of screen modes, blitter capabilities, etc, and they can handle more Fast RAM. There's a lot more to it than that, and there are 'half-and-half' installations. For instance, ECS on the A3000 has a Super Agnus which can address 2 MB of Fast RAM, while my A2000 has a Fatter Agnus, which can handle 1 MB of Fast RAM.
Amigas are kind of...voodoo.
OCS - Original Chip Set
ECS - Enhanced Chip Set
AGA - Advanced Graphics Architecture
In a nutshell, the AGA is the best, in terms of what it can do, but the number of games and apps that support it are small, compared to the others. The ECS has extended graphic capabilities over the OCS in terms of screen modes, blitter capabilities, etc, and they can handle more Fast RAM. There's a lot more to it than that, and there are 'half-and-half' installations. For instance, ECS on the A3000 has a Super Agnus which can address 2 MB of Fast RAM, while my A2000 has a Fatter Agnus, which can handle 1 MB of Fast RAM.
Amigas are kind of...voodoo.
Shadow Lord
Veteran Member
condition? Pictures? Does it work? Does it come w/ manuals and original packaging? More info will help in giving you a better idea on its worth...
Mr.Amiga500
Experienced Member
Oh bloody hell yes. (...actually it's more of an obsessive-compulsive mania that drags you down into the pit of insanity)
With most other computers, the "thrill" ends when you've finally got all the best software - but the Amiga has an optional extra step: the thrill of optimizing, configuring, remapping and patching the software. (and this step can waste many extra years of your life... beyond the original wasted years)
Example Amiga 500 screenshots (OCS/ECS):
There are no manuals or original packaging. My dad bought it new and used it until he upgraded. I don't believe it ever broke down but the monitor is long gone.
I've attached some pictures. I don't know if it works because there is no monitor. I'd do more investigation if it's worth the time & effort. Can anyone give a range? (i.e. "In working condition, $XXX, if not, then only $XXX)
I've attached some pictures. I don't know if it works because there is no monitor. I'd do more investigation if it's worth the time & effort. Can anyone give a range? (i.e. "In working condition, $XXX, if not, then only $XXX)
Attachments
Mr.Amiga500
Experienced Member
The AT keyboard itself is probably worth around $100. (if cleaned up a bit)
Shadow Lord
Veteran Member
Looks like an XT keyboard to me but I am no expert. If it is XT then in the condition it is in about $30. Even if you clean it up I doubt you will get a $100. Heck I paid less than that for an INDUSTRIAL 1985 model M brand new. Plus, model Ms can be had for much cheaper then $100. As for the computer if it boots and works then you can probably get $100-200 for it locally if you find someone who is collecting. If you have to ship then subtract the cost of shipping out of the price. Most guys on this board won't pay that much and will probably not pay for shipping either. These are my VERY quick guesses based on crazy ebay prices haveve been following for a few weeks. If you look at the >$100 ATs on ebay most have been staying on forever. I.E. nobody is snapping up $700 AT. But again I am no expert.
linuxlove
Veteran Member
At this point, I'd do anything that's legal to get a working IBM AT.
tezza
Veteran Member
IBM ATs in good condition are somewhat sought-after. Problem is the weight! They are heavy beasts, and shipping them anywhere is not cheap.
Tez
Tez
Shadow Lord
Veteran Member
Tez,
Agreed. But what is good condition? To me NIB, NOS, or Minty is worth a collectible price i.e. a premium. Anything else, e.g. one that has been sitting in a moist, damp, garage for unspecified number of years, is worth the usability which unfortunately is less than the shipping price these days IMHO.
kishy
Veteran Member
Am I missing something? The exact AT and keyboard in those pictures has been stated by a member of geekhack dot org to be newly-owned-by and soon-to-be-in transit to him?
But in reality, the keyboard can fetch more than the computer itself. Those suckers, in good condition, can go for over $100.
And with the PC (as opposed to terminal) Model Fs, the LEDs means AT, no LEDs means PC or XT.
But in reality, the keyboard can fetch more than the computer itself. Those suckers, in good condition, can go for over $100.
And with the PC (as opposed to terminal) Model Fs, the LEDs means AT, no LEDs means PC or XT.
Mr.Amiga500
Experienced Member
I already said it's an AT keyboard. There is no doubt about it. First, there is a clear visual difference between AT and XT keyboards. Second, the label on the keyboard says "Personal Computer AT". And third, I'm typing this on that exact model keyboard.
IBM AT keyboards regularly go for more than Model M keyboards. The real keyboard fanatics know that the IBM AT Model F is better than the Model M. A new-in-box IBM AT keyboard goes for $450. Used IBM AT keyboards regularly go for $70-$120.
(I'm sure Kishy - being a keyboard fanatic himself - can confirm :D)
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Shadow Lord
Veteran Member
Like I said I am no expert. If AT keyboards go for that much then I gave away mine for a huge discount. Frankly, I prefer an Omnikey over any IBM keyboard having owned the XT, AT, and the model M. It just feels better to type on.