I really can't be of any help with finding parts in the UK, but you should be able to clock the P233MMX down quit a bit via jumper settings on the motherboard.

2x multiplier with a 60Mhz bus speed will get you down to 120Mhz. If your board has a 50Mhz setting, you can go down to 100Mhz.

And see here for info regarding cache disabling. You can get down to 486 or 386 speed by doing that.
Going below a Pentium

Yes, there are jumpers that ought to get me down to 2x60 MHz, and I may just do that and drop the memory down to 16MB since even 32MB has caused some setup programs to get upset. I also like solutions where I get new toys though 😜

I haven't picked up any more "retro" parts since the 00's, so not often at all.

I tend to keep an eye out for people that have certain types if parts. If im looking and my other places dryup I start sending out PMs/emails.

Were i live mostly everthing left are life office systems and dell school systems.

Make friends with system admins and techs. If they know you are looking for stuff they will keep an eye out

ODwilly wrote:

Make friends with system admins and techs. If they know you are looking for stuff they will keep an eye out

Unless they are like me.. and then they will hoard all the old stuff themselves 😈

I'm surprised someone hasn't already answered "In the bedroom about once a week." 😉

I work in IT, so I sometimes get parts through customers wanting to get rid of old stuff or co-workers bringing old computers in "for recycling". I also happen to work with a guy who used to have a computer shop back in the late 90s and early 2000s and he's still got a bunch of old stuff in storage. One day he brought a van full of stuff he was getting rid of and let me pick through it. He tells me he has more at his house, but I have to wait til he gets around to going through it again.

The rest I've gotten on ebay. I paid a total of about $75 for my 486/66 system. I found the motherboard with cpu and 4MB for $38 on ebay (the person selling it didn't know what it was beyond "computer board"). I bought another 4MB and an ISA controller card for $25 from a guy I know on here (he is an ebay seller). I bought an ATX to AT adapter for about 8 bucks and got the system set up in a beige ATX case. It's not perfect or authentic looking, but it works. Oh, the VLB graphics card? Funny story, a couple of summers ago I was visiting my mom (she lives in another state) and went through my old bedroom and FOUND one of my old VLB graphics cards in a drawer! The 1GB hdd came out of a P133 system my friend I mentioned above gave me. That P133 system I upgraded to a Pentium Overdrive 200MMX (bought for $20 on ebay). Basically, a lot of patience and searching through ebay for good deals. It took a couple of years to get these two systems completely configured. The cool thing is you can usually get a system put together and usable even if the hardware is not exactly what you want. Then as you get the hardware you want, you can slowly upgrade. Like the P133 system I mentioned. It took close to a year to find the POD200MMX for that great price, but in the meanwhile it was running at 133Mhz.

There is a little bit of hardware (mostly video cards, HDDS, CD-ROM and floppy drives) that I held onto after buying back in the day, and even more I WISH I held onto! 🙁

When I was actively collecting, (around 2006 - 2010), there's only one place I go - eBay. I've got good stuff from there, especially all the boxed games and many of my dream hardware - MT-32, SC-55, AWE32, 486DX2-66, PII Slot-1 CPUs & Mobos, etc.

After I have built and satisfied with them, I have reduced my shopping spree. Actually I don't buy any vintage stuff anymore. I got tired of things piling up and clogging all free space in the rooms. And all the wires and so on... Right now, I'm happy with Dosbox and 86Box. 86Box (fork of PCem, but I prefer 86Box) takes care of all my vintage gaming needs, complete with BIOS management, mix and match the sound cards, graphics cards, motherboards and CPUs, etc.

I still keep my trusty 486DX2-66, PII 400, P4 3.6 machines in addition to my modern systems.

And anyway, after eBay started using the controversial Global Shipping Program, they charge the non-existent import charges in my country, arrives late, and usually the packaging is tempered by Pitney Bowes - they repack and make it even lighter with abysmal re-packaging. I got disgusted with them and stopped buying from anyone who uses GSP to ship it. I know it take away the burden of shipping by the sellers, but Pitney Bowes totally destroyed my buying experience.

I got pretty much all my desktops from flea markets and recycling. I've only bought a few smaller items online that were impossible to find otherwise (Roland Midi gear etc.). Other than that, I'd suggest checking out your local Facebook groups that sell vintage and retro games and hardware. I was surprised to see how low some of the more expensive stuff there goes as many collectors don't seem to want to spend more than 10-20 euros on any given item even though the prices on eBay 2-3 times higher. If I'd known this I'd have joined sooner!

I got all my retro PC hardware with a Time Machine. A real one 😎

( 😊 Sorry, just kidding 😊 )

In reality, I kept quite a bit of my old PC hardware. I was lucky to buy most of what I have when it was new and plentiful on store shelves; I only discarded what was hopelessly broken or useless. What I didn't have I got locally (either from relatives/friends or others selling/giving away their old stuff) or from eBay (but only if I actually needed something and it was priced right).

I no longer bother with retro PC hardware though, all my projects are finally finished. I only keep enough to maintain them.

Got a 486 and a P3 off gumtree about 5 years ago (I'm London based)
Nether were advertised correctly, the 486 was advertised as only as few years old! but the creative cd-rom told me otherwise, it was advertised for £2 I think, less then £5 anyway

The P3 was advertised as working although it was missing ram and video card, that was bit more maybe under £20
You just have to keep an eye out for people that don't really know what they are selling and making a few quid on clearing out what they consider junk, it is a waiting game though

I still depend on eBay - now and then, there's a nice deal on retro stuff. I in general don't pay more than 50 bucks for working or interesting PC system (286-486), but yet, I've got a bunch of good ones. It takes time, but after all, eBay bidding is all fun and thrill 😀

I'm mostly in the same position as Malik, but now I'm hunting vintage audio gears for my retro PCs.