My collection \ VOGONS

My collection

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First post, by CrFr

Posted on 2019-08-21, 18:06

CrFr Offline

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Hello,

I haven't introduced myself yet. And what would be better way to do that, than to show my collection 😀

All these machines have been part of my life since they were new. None of them are fleamarket finds, all bought brand new to our household. They had been stored away for years, until recently I got enough room to set them up again.

Let's start with my least favorite system, the IBM ThinkCentre 8183. I don't even have OS installed on this at the moment. Still wondering should I go with Windows 98 or 2000.
- Pentium 4 3.2GHz
- 2GB Ram
- 512GB SSD 😀
- Geforce FX 5500
- Aureal Vortex 2
- DVD
- 20" 1600x1200 IBM Thinkvision L201p
- And a keyboard that is capable of dialing the stargate 🤣 I guess it is hebrew. Original keyboard and mouse went to bin at some point, because they had become quite worn and gross.

Then the most used and upgraded system, IBM Aptiva 2134-361. Currently, the setup is:
- Pentium 166 MHz
- 256kB L2 cache module
- 128MB Ram
- 8GB SSD + 40GB HDD
- LG DVD drive
- Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold
- SMC Etherpower II network
- Creative Labs Graphics Blaster EXXTREME 4MB
- Roland Sound Canvas SC-88VL
- IBM T84 18" 1280x1024 TFT. Original monitor was lost at some point.
- Win 95 OSR2

Last but not least, my favorite machine. IBM PS/2 P70. This is the first computer I have ever used. I think it was year 89 or 90, when my father got this as his work computer. It was capable gaming machine too, if you don't mind the PC speaker sounds only. This year I bought OPL3LPT to upgrade the sound. Also bought Cyrix 486DRx2 to upgrade the original 386 20MHz processor to better handle the extra load from that OPL. This and the Aptiva are machines that I will never let go, no matter what.
- Cyrix 486DRx2 25/50 (thank you kixs for this)
- 6MB Ram
- 60MB ESDI hard drive
- OPL3LPT and Inifinity speakers from IBM
- IBM DOS 5.0 in finnish

Reply 1 of 6, by CrFr

Posted on 2019-08-21, 18:40

CrFr Offline

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Almost forgot the ThinkPad T22! I had a feeling I had something between the Aptiva and Pentium 4 😀 Couldn't find the charger to start it, but I think the specs were:
- Pentium III 900MHz
- 512MB RAM
- 64GB SSD
- Wireless card
- 1024X768 display
- S3 Savage IX graphics
- Interchangeable DVD and floppy drives
- Dead battery, of course
- Dual boot 98/2000

I think this was one of the last ThinkPads to have sound blaster/DOS compatible sound card. It's in incredibly nice condition, given the age and amount of use it saw.

Reply 2 of 6, by dr_st

Posted on 2019-08-21, 19:32

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Nice collection you have there. 😎

CrFr wrote:
Let's start with my least favorite system, the IBM ThinkCentre 8183. I don't even have OS installed on this at the moment. Still wondering should I go with Windows 98 or 2000.

I'd go with XP, but it depends on what you want to do with it. Yes, it's Hebrew on the keyboard. The L201p is quite a nice monitor, and not as common as its predecessor L200p with the thick bezel.

CrFr wrote:
Almost forgot the ThinkPad T22! I had a feeling I had something between the Aptiva and Pentium 4

Lovely system and in great condition. You are right - it is the last T-series with DOS Sound Blaster compatibility. I have a similar-gen system - A21m, which recently succumbed to the Blink-of-Death syndrome of Thinkpads of that era. It should be fixable by resoldering a chip, but I haven't had the time to tinker with that system yet. Oh, and you can still get working batteries for those systems on eBay and the like.

https://cloakedthargoid.wordpress.com/ - Random content on hardware, software, games and toys

Reply 3 of 6, by CrFr

Posted on 2019-08-21, 20:19

CrFr Offline

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dr_st wrote:
Nice collection you have there. 😎

Thanks!

dr_st wrote:
I'd go with XP, but it depends on what you want to do with it. Yes, it's Hebrew on the keyboard. The L201p is quite a nice monitor, and not as common as its predecessor L200p with the thick bezel.

I've become a bit allergic to XP, because of my employer's stubbornness hanging on to it until it was dead and not supported anymore. Back then (maybe 2009ish or so), I got very nice new HP Z800 workstation, and those stupid dickheads forced me to use 32-bit XP on it. You can just imagine my disappointment of unboxing brand new high end hardware with ancient OS 😵 So the choice is between 98, 2000 or even Vista, but never again XP.

dr_st wrote:
Lovely system and in great condition. You are right - it is the last T-series with DOS Sound Blaster compatibility. I have a similar-gen system - A21m, which recently succumbed to the Blink-of-Death syndrome of Thinkpads of that era. It should be fixable by resoldering a chip, but I haven't had the time to tinker with that system yet. Oh, and you can still get working batteries for those systems on eBay and the like.

Battery is not really an issue. I don't feel the need to use it anywhere else than on a desk. Actually, I've been thinking about extracting the cells from the battery, and just using the empty case, for safety. It might be difficult to open the case without breaking it, so I haven't done that yet.

Reply 4 of 6, by oeuvre

Posted on 2019-08-22, 12:50

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Aptivas and NetVistas are some of the best retro PCs. I love their aesthetic.

HP Z420 Workstation Intel Xeon E5-1620, 32GB, RADEON HD7850 2GB, SSD + HD, XP/7

Reply 5 of 6, by CrFr

Posted on 2019-10-02, 19:53

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Update to the collection. Replaced that anemic ThinkCentre with an Intellistation M Pro 😀 Broke my own promise not to buy any "new" retro computers and only keep what I have originally bought new, but for 20 euros this was too good to pass. On the other hand, I'm not sure if P4 counts as retro yet, so...

It is IBM Intellistation M Pro 6219-38G

It has:
- Pentium 4 2.8 GHz
- Intel E7205 chipset
- 4GB of DDR266 ECC RAM
- 146.8GB 15k rpm Ultra320 SCSI hard drive
- AMD Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB
- DVD drive
- IBM T120 20.1" 1600x1200 monitor
- Digigram VX222 sound card
- Windows XP, which I said earlier I hate, but that was preinstalled with all the updates and drivers, and I'm too lazy to do all that again so I'll keep it for now

That monitor is totally awesome. Almost mint condition, stand can be lowered all the way to desk level, good contrast and colors, and viewing angles are excellent. 1600x1200 TFTs in general are my favorite displays, I just love the resolution and aspect ratio. Also, that sound card from a brand I had never heard of before, kicks ass. Audio quality is great. What was most surprising to me, that hard drive is very silent. I can't even hear any spinning noise outside the case, only some seeking noise now and then. I expected it to be totally unbearable.