Computers! What computers do you have?

[Melooon]

Iv been feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of computers Iv collected over the years so I decided to make a list, maybe you'd like to share your list too 

• Steam Deck OLED - 2023
• Macbook Pro 14" M1 Pro - 2021
• Dell G15 - 2021
• Rasberry Pi 2 - 2014
• Macbook Pro 13" Mid-2013
• Dell Precision T3600 - 2012
• Mac Mini i5 - 2012
• Macbook White - 2010
• x2 Macbook - 2008
• x2 Macbook - 2006
• iMac G4 Lampshade 700mhz - 2002
• Powerbook G4 800mhz Titanium - 2002
• PowerMac G4 Quicksilver 733mhz - 2001
• MS DOS Custom Built Pentium-1 Socket-7 Tower - 1997
• Powerbook 3400c - 1997
• Powerbook 1400? - 1996
• Powerbook 145B - 1993
• Macintosh SE - 1988
• ZX Spectrum - 1982
• Atari 800 - 1979

Blue are ones I generally have, Light green are ones I actively use weekly or are needed for projects, Dark green are less actively needed but still setup for use. Red ones are known to be non function and in need of repair.
What ones would you keep? And what ones do you think I should sell? 

[AY38910]

Green: working and on frequent use
Yellow: working and on occasional use
Orange: condition unknown
Red: not working
Also including tablets.

Acer Aspire One, dualboot Windows XP/Linux version 6.0.14-oz-pae, distro: Debian?
Gaming laptop of unknown model, Windows 10 (probably Asus?)
HP laptop of unknown model, Windows 11? Or 10? Not sure, it's borrowed from work and not used by me but by a roommate
Lenovo Tab M10 Plus 3rd Gen, Android 12
Macintosh of unknown model, Mac OS version unknown
Mac Mini, Mac OS version unknown
Worter tablet of unknown model, Android version unknown (or is it "worker"?)
1980s-90s Macintosh of unknown model, Mac OS(?) version unknown
IBM PC XT, MS-DOS version unknown (suspected 4.0 or 6.22)
PC tower of unknown model, Windows 2000
Alcatel OneTouch, Android version unknown
ZX Spectrum 128K

EDIT: Might get a Thinkpad when the Acer gives up...

Arati 800 - 1979

*Atari

[Pixelverse48]

HP 17-cp3058nr OS: Windows 11 24H2
22" iMac Slim Unibody (2017) OS: macOS 13.4 Ventura and Windows 10 via Boot Camp

Green means use mainly and working
Yellow means use less often but still working

[ThunderPerfectWitchcraft]

I would keep those that you use, and try to sell away the other ones. Note that can be a bad deal, as no one can tell how the prices for retro hardware may develop - but personally, I'm not willing to speculate about such stuff.

I use my hardware usually as long as possible:

Spoiler

Rasberry Pi 3 (Only used for retro gaming from time to time)
Asus Travel Mate (Used ~2-4 times per month, in nearly daily use up until last December)
Custom built PC, built probably somewhere around 2006. Used occasionally for watching movies, as it became my living room machine last year.
Custom built PC, made last year after buying the used hardware from a friend. The heart components are from 2017, the case and the power supply are from 2024.

The 2006 PC sometimes shows problems when booting, but essentially, they are all working well.

[close]

[BlazingCobaltX]

How did you come to amass such a collection? Was it because you really liked these computers or because you wanted to resell them someday? I think doing a bit of Marie Kondo would help here. Get rid of some obvious suspects and then see if you could do with less.

My collection:

• My custom-built desktop: I did a lot of research and realised that building a PC was just the more economical option compared to buying a prebuilt PC or laptop with the same specs. This thing can do pretty much everything I want it to. Before I started my fulltime job I did virtually everything on this. Now, it kind of just sits there and is only used for audio recordings, video editing, and the occasional videogame.
• Lenovo Ideapad Flex 5: Bought this for my master's degree and stopped using it mostly once I built my desktop. Recently I've been using it more as I prefer to browse the internet in the living room rather than my bedroom, where I do remote working from.
• HP laptop of unspecified model: My previous work had Thinkpads but this new place gave me a HP. Generally I don't have good experiences with this brand. With this laptop I can already tell it may be too weak to do heavy statistical programming on.

I have been eyeing Rasberry Pi's for network-wide adblocking, as YouTube on TV has been getting insane recently. My sister just bought a new laptop so her 2010s Thinkpad may become available to tinker with. I've thought about setting up a home server, but I still have to sit and really consider the pros and cons of that.

[candycanearter07]

I have 3 Thinkpads, and a loaned surface tablet that I use occasionally if I need to run any windows applications. Also 2 working raspberry pi's (model 3 and 4) and a model 1 thats broken

[Corrupted Unicorn]

  Acer (model unknown). Office laptop and the oldest computer I currently own. Still works, but has a slow start and can't handle big programs like Photoshop or Unity, but had a built-in CD reader  . Currently the laptop I use when I'm in my personal getaway spot, and the one I'm typing this from right now 

  Asus ROG Strix, also known as the Portable Monster Gaming Machine (as coined by my BF) Gaming laptop, the one that carried me through game dev school, but wasn't quite the same afterwards.  Missing E key, fans get REALLY loud after 15 minutes of use nowadays, never actually did much actual gaming. Currently resting.

  The Unicorn Machine, custom built desktop (not by me tho). Tailored to my graphic/audiovisual creating needs, also plays modern games like a beast to boot. I don't actually play a lot of modern games, but it's nice to have. Jailbroken from Windows Updates 

[Melooon]

I have made matters worse by getting another PowerMac  However the tides have also turned, my IBM monitor exploded (it made a loud pop and now wont turn on), it was a big part of what made the DOS computer interesting to me; I think I might strip the DOS system for parts to make it more compact but get rid of the case (its not a retro case) ~ I will open the monitor though and review the damage first.

As for the two G4 PowerMacs, both are broken and seem to have dead power supplies, I will try to repair them, but one will 100% be sold, and if they cant be fixed I'll sell both for parts.

I think I'll also sell the Powerbook 1400 since I really don't need two 90s models and someone else could enjoy having that! The spectrum is a nice display item, but I might look out for someone who would actually use it.

Note that can be a bad deal, as no one can tell how the prices for retro hardware may develop - but personally, I'm not willing to speculate about such stuff.

I'm really not very interested in making money off them; I just like old hardware and I'd like to see it preserved and enjoyed rather than end up in e-waste.

There are some things that intrest me about them:

• Powerbook 145B - is one of the first true laptops ever made
• Macintosh SE - Its the classic mac in a box!
• PowerMac G4 MDD - is the last classic MacOS system ever made

All three of those computers say "Assembled in Ireland" on them, and when I look out my window I can see the Apple assembly plant across the city that built them! My own relationship with Apple's influence here is complicated; on one hand I see it as a kind of corporate colonial entity - but on the other hand I know how it helped change the fortunes of people here, from a time in the 1960s when my dad would have gone to school with dirt floors and no shoes, to a time when every house has hi-speed wifi and a guaranteed quality of life. Despite all the flaws of technology, global trade and corporate culture; these computers are symbols of prosperity and optimism, and the belief that we can cooperate to create tools that rase people up and make the world better.

So its a complex mix of emotion and practicality that makes me want to hang onto them 

How did you come to amass such a collection? Was it because you really liked these computers or because you wanted to resell them someday? I think doing a bit of Marie Kondo would help here. Get rid of some obvious suspects and then see if you could do with less.

The vast majority of them are hand-downs from family members! The Atari was my grandads first computer; same with most of the Macs - a bunch came from an old computer store that was closing and throwing things out, and then the newer ones are things I've gathered myself! Its reached a point where people just give me computers as a means of disposing them 


I've been enjoying hearing about everyones collections 

[ThunderPerfectWitchcraft]

I have made matters worse by getting another PowerMac 

 

I'm really not very interested in making money off them; I just like old hardware and I'd like to see it preserved and enjoyed rather than end up in e-waste.

I can absolutely understand the urge to keep hardware, especially historically interesting one, from the trashcan. Over the last year, a few friends and me sometimes visited a association dedicated to keeping old gaming hardware (arcade machines, pinball machines, etc) running. They hold public events where parts of their collection can be played for free. Maybe there is a retro computer club somewhere in your area?

PowerMac G4 MDD - is the last classic MacOS system ever made

And one of the most Frutiger Aero objects I've seen a photograph of in a while!

All three of those computers say "Assembled in Ireland" on them, and when I look out my window I can see the Apple assembly plant across the city that built them! My own relationship with Apple's influence here is complicated; on one hand I see it as a kind of corporate colonial entity - but on the other hand I know how it helped change the fortunes of people here, from a time in the 1960s when my dad would have gone to school with dirt floors and no shoes, to a time when every house has hi-speed wifi and a guaranteed quality of life. Despite all the flaws of technology, global trade and corporate culture; these computers are symbols of prosperity and optimism, and the belief that we can cooperate to create tools that rase people up and make the world better.

I can understand the nostalgic sentiment. In my view, much of the social progress we had since the 60s is a result of labor disputes, that went well for a while mainly due to the competition of the capitalist and the socialist systems - here in Germany, we had (and - to some extent - still have) a very similar phenomenon with cars. While technological developments are surely histories railways, but the outcome is mostly dependent from how the courses are set. And on top of this, no technology is inherently neutral - and after I was sort of enthusiastic regarding computers and the internet (seeing them as a sort of accidental present to the people that came into existence as a byproduct of military research), I began to wonder over the last few years if there is not a certain individualization - and, as such, a tendency to social isolation - encoded into their very concept. If so, it would not devaluate them - but I think we should be aware, and search for ways to overcome this aspect.

----

Also, crazy that your grandfather used a computer - I'm only slightly older than you are, and all of my grandparents were digitally illiterate.

[Melooon]

If so, it would not devaluate them - but I think we should be aware, and search for ways to overcome this aspect. []
Also, crazy that your grandfather used a computer - I'm only slightly older than you are, and all of my grandparents were digitally illiterate.

My grandad studied as a wireless radio engineer in The Bahamas in the 1950s and really loved his gadgets. He actually got PONG in the early 70s too, and might have been the first family in Ireland to have a home console! My mum wrote a really beautiful talk last year where she described the influence of computers on her art, and the conflicts of military and general inhumanity in technology - its definitely a topic worth keeping in mind, and I'll admit I prob over romanticise the consumer angle of home computers in my mind!

And one of the most Frutiger Aero objects I've seen a photograph of in a while!

Ooo I hadn't considered that! That makes me feel very hip and culturally on point, I'll have to do something with this 

[shapezncolourz]

id love to have a few computers in my collection, but i only have two </3

my custom build desktop, which i got for £150 on facebook marketplace. its dual-booting windows 10 pro and linux mint 22(? cant remember LOL) cinnamon, and i dont know too much about hardware but its got 16gb of ram and a Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3330 CPU @ 3.00GHz, 3201 Mhz, 4 Core(s), Logical Processor(s) processor... i have no idea if thats good for a processor though

and as well as that, i also have a fusion5 t90b laptop (not sure on the specifics - i keep seeing a pro plus model but that isnt mine; as mine only has 64gb of storage and cant run windows 11) running the same linux os as my desktop. unfortunately i think it may be dead, its had a few issues for a few years due to being cheap - it has no vents meaning it frequently overheats, especially when in use whilst charging (this has made it bluescreen before, i hadnt had a bluescreen before and it gave a really generic error code so i thought i had bricked the whole thing  ), theres an issue where the trackpad will just Not Respond for a random period of time, it used to be that if i lifted it at a certain angle then i could hear something rolling around inside, and the latest issue - the nail in the coffin - the charger now no longer connects unless i press REAL hard and hold it there for however long it takes to charge. rest in peace laptop, you were crummy but you got me interested in tech as a whole </3

i dislike modern apple, but my dream computers are a g3 imac and ibook - y'know, the ones with the colourful plastic. i think itd be fun to try use them in the modern day :3 ive seen a bunch of cool-looking vintage/retro computers about, but i dont know an awful lot about them </3

as well as that, id really like to get into computing and specifically hardware, so that i can build a pc myself at some point! i just cant seem to wrap my head around it though...