The first computer that I made on my own had a Pentium 120mhz CPU, and would have been around the mid 90's. I vaguely remember the motherboard being something cheap, like Huston Technology, and I think I had a 1.2GB Fujitsu hard drive. I'm pretty sure the video card I had was a S3 ViRGE. I know I definitely had a external US Robotics 56K modem. I attended a USR launch conference for USR's 56k modem, and USR handed out free 56k modems to all that attended. Just recollecting my first computer build brings me back a flood of memories....
Weekend Open Forum: What CPU powered your first computer?
- Thread starter Shawn Knight
- Start date
docbill
Posts: 10 +5
I purchased my first computer with money I earned delivery news papers. And it was:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer#Color_Computer_1_.281980.E2.80.931983.29
It featured MC6809E CPU and Microsoft Color Basic, for the low low price of $399 USD + TAX.
I then saved up more of my paper route money and sold my video game console to spend another $400 for 32 KB of ram. A short time later, I found and article that told me how to run an extra wire to the memory bus, and it became a 64 KB of RAM.
Later I purchased the Color Computer III and OS-9. But in the end I am far more nostalgic for that original color computer than the later edition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRS-80_Color_Computer#Color_Computer_1_.281980.E2.80.931983.29
It featured MC6809E CPU and Microsoft Color Basic, for the low low price of $399 USD + TAX.
I then saved up more of my paper route money and sold my video game console to spend another $400 for 32 KB of ram. A short time later, I found and article that told me how to run an extra wire to the memory bus, and it became a 64 KB of RAM.
Later I purchased the Color Computer III and OS-9. But in the end I am far more nostalgic for that original color computer than the later edition.
AMD Duron 800Mhz was what I had in my first computer, in which I purchased from my roommate. This was paired with an ATI Radeon 7000. It couldn't play the latest games, but it allowed me to do my homework my Freshman year in school. After 6 months, I upgraded it to a Athlon XP 2400+ CPU.
Our first family computer was a Gateway 2000 which had a Pentium 120Mhz. Lots of games were played on that machine from Doom and Wolfenstein to Star Wars Rebel Assault 2.
After Y2K, we bought a new Gateway machine with a AMD Athlon 600Mhz Slot A and a 3DFX Voodoo 3 graphics card. This machine was very capable and handled many great games like FF7 PC, Mechwarrior and Jedi Outcast. I still have this machine in storage and it was running when it was taken offline.
Our first family computer was a Gateway 2000 which had a Pentium 120Mhz. Lots of games were played on that machine from Doom and Wolfenstein to Star Wars Rebel Assault 2.
After Y2K, we bought a new Gateway machine with a AMD Athlon 600Mhz Slot A and a 3DFX Voodoo 3 graphics card. This machine was very capable and handled many great games like FF7 PC, Mechwarrior and Jedi Outcast. I still have this machine in storage and it was running when it was taken offline.
Commodore 64 running an 8-bit MOS Technology 6510 CPU
First PC was, I believe, a 16 MHz AMD 286 clone
First PC was, I believe, a 16 MHz AMD 286 clone
HugsNotDrugs
Posts: 31 +16
Intel 386 SX 33mhz
2 MB RAM
80 MB hard drive
Trident 512kb video card (ISA bus, yuk)
PC Speaker
Windows 3.1
Dos 5.0
Display-out was horrible owing to the ISA bus on which the video card was attached. The video output was so anemic you could watch the display being refreshed from top to bottom. The refresh process took about a second. The upside was a 13" color high resolution SVGA (1024x768 interlaced) display. I think the dot pitch was 0.27. Quite advanced for the time.
Telephony was handled by a 2400 baud modem also attached to the ISA bus. For reference, an 8 MB file would take more than four hours to download.
2 MB RAM
80 MB hard drive
Trident 512kb video card (ISA bus, yuk)
PC Speaker
Windows 3.1
Dos 5.0
Display-out was horrible owing to the ISA bus on which the video card was attached. The video output was so anemic you could watch the display being refreshed from top to bottom. The refresh process took about a second. The upside was a 13" color high resolution SVGA (1024x768 interlaced) display. I think the dot pitch was 0.27. Quite advanced for the time.
Telephony was handled by a 2400 baud modem also attached to the ISA bus. For reference, an 8 MB file would take more than four hours to download.
Boilerhog146
Posts: 642 +223
In the late 60'searly 70's,as a kid me and the older brother got a console for Christmas.connected it to the black&white tv.talk about your burn in.
EDITED for accuracy!
Though my first foray into a pc was in 1998.an IBM Aptiva E3N with the K6 2/300 in the picture.64 meg (2x32meg)ram 6gig quantum bigfoot hd bought a 32 mb ATI Radeon all in wonder .at a pawn shop for 90 bucks.regular 299.00 .little brother got a federal gov .job. Then scored an windows XP volume license.I can remember the 25 digit key off the tongue.anytime.installed it so often on so many pc .lol
EDITED for accuracy!
Though my first foray into a pc was in 1998.an IBM Aptiva E3N with the K6 2/300 in the picture.64 meg (2x32meg)ram 6gig quantum bigfoot hd bought a 32 mb ATI Radeon all in wonder .at a pawn shop for 90 bucks.regular 299.00 .little brother got a federal gov .job. Then scored an windows XP volume license.I can remember the 25 digit key off the tongue.anytime.installed it so often on so many pc .lol
Last edited:
cliffordcooley
Posts: 13,141 +6,441
Did you mean mid 80's? I knew 60's was not accurate because of my own experience.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ColecoVision
Boilerhog146
Posts: 642 +223
Thought for sure it was a coleco unit.maybe an early atari.now I got some searching to do.lol
jogged my memory .had several systems as kids.I remember the 3games by switch which just changed the orientation of the lines on the screen.we later got the black&white tv .burnt in so bad.parents finally got a color tv.
I joined the Canadian forces out of highschool in June 82.so that can't be it.lol.
Edited after search.
your right it must have been the atari pong .I was 9 years old in 72. thought it was earlier though.after some searching found some pics .had the original coleco Telstar .as well.little brother had the vision .I was partying too hard.what a kick in the BRAIN. Stop that!
must resist the urge to click.lol.
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BraydenanAussie
Posts: 10 +1
First PC: Intel i3 540
Second PC: i5 760
Third PC: i3 2100
Current PC: i5 7500
Second PC: i5 760
Third PC: i3 2100
Current PC: i5 7500
sauri
Posts: 42 +21
The very first was KR580VM80, Soviet clone of Intel 8080, in the build-it-yourself Radio-86RK computer (1991).
The first PC was 386dx/40 (1993).
Then it was like this: P-166 (1995), PII-400 (1997), Powermac G3 400 B&W (switched to macs in 1999), Powermac G4 867 DP (2002), Mac Pro 8-core 3.2 (2008), i7 5820k (switched back to PC in 2014).
The first PC was 386dx/40 (1993).
Then it was like this: P-166 (1995), PII-400 (1997), Powermac G3 400 B&W (switched to macs in 1999), Powermac G4 867 DP (2002), Mac Pro 8-core 3.2 (2008), i7 5820k (switched back to PC in 2014).
Kitsune Aoi
Posts: 7 +0
My very first computer of my own was a Coleco Adam system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco_Adam
Before that the family had a Commodore 64.
In the spring of 1995 the parents got a 486 DX2 66 for the family.
Around 1996/97 I bought a bunch of junk/cheap pc parts at a computer store that did PC upgrades and built a Pentium 90 as my first custom built PC as a Teenager.
Before that the family had a Commodore 64.
In the spring of 1995 the parents got a 486 DX2 66 for the family.
Around 1996/97 I bought a bunch of junk/cheap pc parts at a computer store that did PC upgrades and built a Pentium 90 as my first custom built PC as a Teenager.
GreenNova343
Posts: 454 +336
Ah the great K6 and the XP3200+ - this path sounds so familiar to me (I'm sure I had both a 450 and a 533 K6-2) that I'm surprised not to see the i5-2500K in your 3rd machine
The perils of buying a PC when a) you're married & b) your wife isn't a gamer (& tends to limit the amount of time you can game). AMD always managed to meet our non-gaming needs at a cheaper price than Intel systems, & any performance issues vs. Intel systems could always be viewed as "acceptable losses" (kind of hard to be envious of 100+FPS when your monitor doesn't refresh past 60Hz at its highest 1600x900 resolution).
Intel Pentium IV. Still got the machine but haven't powered it up in 5 years time.
Amet Monegro
Posts: 76 +25
The CPU of the pict
AMD K6-2 from 450MHz to 550MHz OC
AMD K6-2 from 450MHz to 550MHz OC
Boilerhog146
Posts: 642 +223
The one in the pic is a 266/300 mhz.
even after I found a 500 mhz to put in my ibm oem board.after playing with all the dip switches would only run at 450 mhz.bios locked.still have all the parts.
A MOS 6502 (Commodore 64)!
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