When it's new 😀

😐

🙁

For me it was good old fashioned pen, paper, and planning ahead - lots of planning ahead. This allowed me to get vintage PC hardware/software at reasonable prices. It also helped that I started doing this in the early 2000s, when local yard sales and swap meets were filled with dirt cheap "outdated" computers - and very few cared about their future value.

(And I say "was" because I no longer do this, I already have what I want)

I just wait for thrift shops to have stuff at a low price, that way I don't have to worry about spending too much! Takes forever, but it works!

Kinda.

Last old PC part (besides MIDI gear) I bought was a Voodoo 3 2000 for 75 cents and that was 2 years ago.

By selling things I have. And just trolling thrift stores, garage sales, and craigslist. Getting something from craigslist, fixing it up, and reselling is has been the major fuel to getting other items I want.

JayCeeBee64's post is correct. Buying random parts without a plan will get expensive quickly nowadays. There was a time when Win9x-era parts were plentiful and very cheap, but those days are gone.

I actually experienced the mid to late 90's computer boom and remember it fondly. Some of my parts from that time were originally purchased by me. Most of my parts were purchased between 2005 and 2013.

Decide what parts you want, decide what you're willing to pay for them, watch eBay like a hawk, and be patient. Check listings several times a day. You can still find good deals out there. For example, just recently I was able to snag two Quadro FX 3000 cards for $15 each on eBay, shipped. They're comparable to FX 5900 Ultra cards but don't get as much attention from retro enthusiasts.

Prices for old parts started rising sharply about two or three years ago. If I wasn't already involved in this hobby, I would find today's prices a serious barrier to entry.

Also, you should check out Phil's videos on YouTube. He has many videos that specifically address retro computing on a budget.

WinXP-era stuff is still relatively plentiful and cheap. Expect prices to start rising in about another four years as supply starts to dry up. My prediction: The GTX 750 Ti will become the go-to card for WinXP systems in the same way that the GF4 series is for Win9x systems.

Edit: Quadro FX 2000 cards are also decent for legacy systems.

Edit edit: Another prediction: The GTX 650 & 750 (non-Ti) and Radeon 7770 will become the sleeper-cheaper cards for WinXP systems in the same way that Quadro FX 2000/3000 cards are for Win9x systems. Radeon 5770 and 6770 are also quite nice and very cheap.

Edit edit edit: Fastest and "most powerful" isn't necessarily the best.

KT7AGuy wrote:

Decide what parts you want, decide what you're willing to pay for them, watch eBay like a hawk, and be patient. Check listings several times a day. You can still find good deals out there. For example, just recently I was able to snag two Quadro FX 3000 cards for $15 each on eBay, shipped. They're comparable to FX 5900 Ultra cards but don't get as much attention from retro enthusiasts.

This. You just have to be patient with eBay and eventually you may find what you want at a reasonable price. 😀

I try to keep each project under $100

luckybob wrote:

By selling things I have. And just trolling thrift stores, garage sales, and craigslist. Getting something from craigslist, fixing it up, and reselling is has been the major fuel to getting other items I want.

That's a solid plan right there. I've been doing this for a while now.

But there's an easier way too:

1. Get a job
2. Get a s**t load of money
3. Buy what you want
4. ???
5. Profit

Selling my kidneys, kids, etc. and buy them overpriced on ebay!!!