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by Jerry Whorebach 03/08/2010, 2:15pm PST |
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Commodore 64 (1992) Got it second-hand for a birthday present. Don't remember any of the specs (save for the lack of a hard disk), but it came with a fantastic assortment of games (MULE, Planetfall, etc.) on 5.25" discs in huge cardboard sleeves. Seemed about as archaic as vinyl records to eight-year-old me, and twice as cool. This was the first and last time I ever learned a programming language (BASIC) - why bother when you can just download all the programs you want?
Pentium 133 (1996) Family internet machine, which I upgraded at every opportunity. 32MB RAM, 2MB video card, 4MB PowerVR 3D accelerator (which I still maintain was excellent technology), 1.6GB HDD. Had a 33.6K modem, but the phone lines on the island where I lived only supported 28.8. In retrospect, it's hard to believe my parents let me keep the phone tied up for hours at a stretch downloading shareware at 2-3 kilobytes a second. IMHO incoming calls are overrated compared to Duke Nukem 3D.
Celeron 466 (1999) The first time I built a computer from scratch. My budget was extremely tight, so every component had to be selected for maximum performance and compatibility with FUCKING VIDEO GAMES. Asus motherboard, 128MB RAM, 8.4GB HDD, 16-bit SoundBlaster AWE64 (for legacy!), and the just-released 3dfx Voodoo 3 3000 that only one store in the city had. Incredibly cheap case, overloaded with fans - already loud, became deafening years later when the fans started to burn out and I had to run it with the case open. Survived nine years, twelve homes (that I can remember), and three PSUs.
Compaq Whogivesafuck (2008) Bought the day my Celeron died. I was hoping computers would just be an iPod with ports for monitor and keyboard by the time I had to get a new one, but I guess this is good too. The kid at Staples tried to sell me a $100 warranty on a $300 computer. He said it could cost me $200 down the road just to replace the motherboard. I laughed in his face. |
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