Nothing in particular. I'd like to build a decent 486DX-4 PC so I'm keeping my eyes open if a socket3 board pops up on an acceptable price, but I'm not explicitly looking for it. I have everything else I intend to use. A WD90C31 graphics card, an Am486DX2-80 CPU, CT1600 sound card. But the DX2 is already newer than 1992 and I don't mind if the board is also a more modern one.

darry wrote on 2022-01-27, 06:32:

AppleSauce wrote on 2022-01-27, 05:57:

darry wrote on 2022-01-27, 03:06:

According to recent sold prices on a certain auction site, 200-300 $US (card only) seems to be the going rate for GUSes these l […]
Show full quote

According to recent sold prices on a certain auction site, 200-300 $US (card only) seems to be the going rate for GUSes these last few months whereas Adlib Gold cards (apparently new in box) are more around 2000-3000 $US . So GUSes are significantly more affordable indeed, but still too much for me. I'd go to about 100 $US for one (and these do sometimes pop up), but I'm not actively shopping.

Maybe I'll get lucky, like the time about 2-3 years ago when I found a working 10 $CAN PCI Voodoo 3 3000 in a pawnshop or the time I found a 5ish $CAN Rendition Verite V2200 at Value Village .

Personally, I don't care much for the new in box aspect, as long as the card works.

I care even less about the Adlib Gold (except for the potential positive monetary aspect of finding one cheap to sell to someone who does care). I did own one back in the day, tested it and found no practical use for it at the time . If one happened to fall into my hand locally for cheap, I would definitely give it a go (especially if the surround module was included), but I doubt it would be a keeper for me, except maybe as an investment .

I actually still own almost all my GUS and GUS PnP cards from back in the day and have added one or two along the way (last one in early 2000s). Some of those are well packed somewhere in the depths of my storage locker, so I don't actually know for sure how many I have, 🤣 . That said, more importantly, I did actually use and enjoy the GUS(es) for many years back in the day, so I have an attachment to them. Additionally, they actually have a significant unique ability (sample RAM and hardware mixing with interpolation).

I mean if you look around online they can pop up for better prices , I got mine from Hong Kong of all places for 100aud shipped. It was on a classified site for like 2 years and nobody wanted it for some reason even though it was unused and boxed. There was one on yahoo auctions ages ago for like 70 and I think there was one on allegro poland for like 200 Aud. All were the same primax soundstorm gravis card.

That sounds interesting . How good is the sound quality on those Primax variants ?

I mean it sounds reasonably nice and crisp to me , but its the only gravis card I have so I couldn't really tell you how it sounds vs other cards. I'm sure someone here on vogons must have done a test between the different variants.

Some stuff I still want should be not to hard to find, but seems too hard to get around here.
- good looking case for my turbo XT clone (now stored in a shoebox)
- some specific Genius serial mouse with DE connector (as I used to have with IBM model 30)
- Tulip pc compact 2 EGA CRT
- some XT to 286 upgrade board (affordable)
- a working 386SX computer (but I have a dead board that should be fixable)
- some full AT motherboard (for lolz, have got a case)

Some stuff too new for this thread:
- IBM aptiva 17" CRT (for my 2136)
- Pentium Pro to match my other one, my ppro system now runs single core

I'd like to find a 333MHz Pentium II Overdrive but I don't think this is going to happen because I'm not paying ebay prices for it and since I'm not much of a CPU collector I probably don't have anything to trade for it.

"16-BIT SW ONLY" i386 CPU. Well, it doesn't have to be marked as such so long it does actually have the multiplication bug. Also a B0-step i386, or better yet A-step one, if any still exist. B0/A-step with MUL bug, all-in-one, if possible 😀 Also, A0-step i486 would be nice.
I'm not a collector, I could live with temporary loan of those if need be. Frankly at this point I'd even settle for ability to run some code on a system that somebody else owns, I've pretty much lost hope of ever finding these chips and at a price I could accept.

PC wise, I'd like to plug a few gaps in my collection, though I'm presently not actively looking. Want to do a 486 DX4 build, as well as a 386 DX build.

So to add on from that, I guess the things I'm most looking for are AT cases that are not overpriced, not damaged and not too yellowed. I do keep checking from time to time, when I have some spare cash.

Non-PCs, there's a few computers & consoles I'd love to have and do look at prices occasionally:

MSX 2 Computer
Oric 1 or Oric Atmos Computer
Acorn Archimedes Computer
Apple II Computer (quite rare/expensive in the UK, they weren't popular here)
Colecovision
Philips Videopac/Magnavox Odyssey 2
Atari 5200
Atari 7800

1 console I am currently actively looking for and hopefully will buy next month - an NEC PC Engine / Core Grafx.

There is already a very similar thread:

Great collectors of Vogons! What's missing in your collections? :P

OK I guess it's my turn to contribute.

Sort of kind of have a hankering for an Amiga 500. Had untold opportunities to own it. Was put off by it's abundance of proprietary chips. But Atari STs are similar. But for me the Atari excels in ways the earlier Amiga doesn't.

It would be awful nice to have the proper software for my Northstar Dimension multiuser system. I'm not holding my breath. It ran something called Netware-86, and while there are other versions of Netware that can run on 16 bit systems, the D*'s hardware isn't exactly pc compatible. It has an 80186 at it's core and hosts plug in motherboards which themselves provide some level of pc compatibility. Mine has 2 such boards. I had contemplated porting MINIX to it, and somehow developing an interface to the pc boards. Maybe in 30 years I'll be done.

I'm on the lookout for socketed 286 boards (PGA, PLCC and CLCC) with no battery leakage. Without the eBay premium prices 😀

An EGA or CGA monitor. Preferably EGA, but haven’t seen one for sale locally in over 5 years.

kixs wrote on 2022-01-27, 14:26:

There is already a very similar thread:

Great collectors of Vogons! What's missing in your collections? :P

Yes, but anything can happen in the multiverse.

And no sooner does 1 appear (albeit in questionable condition):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224812272485

chris2021 wrote on 2022-01-29, 17:42:

And no sooner does 1 appear (albeit in questionable condition):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224812272485

That's a nice case, really like the look of it.

It's a beast, the largest tower I've personally seen. The multiuser systems from back then are very crude looking inside. Typically an open frame power supply. Mine is a little on the rough side, paint peeling, etc.

chris2021 wrote on 2022-01-29, 19:18:

It's a beast, the largest tower I've personally seen. The multiuser systems from back then are very crude looking inside. Typically an open frame power supply. Mine is a little on the rough side, paint peeling, etc.

Sounds like it could do with a new enamel paint job !

I'm not sure what to paint it with. The enamels I have are very glossy, too glossy. There's a way of dulling such paint. Not the first item on my bucket list.

If we're talking pie-in-the-sky unobtainium items, I'd really like to have and play with an iAPX432 system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_iAPX_432 😁

been looking for one for years - none to be found anywhere. I think Intel had kill squads that went around the whole world destroying every single piece of that hardware after the project failed.😀

chris2021 wrote on 2022-01-29, 19:45:

I'm not sure what to paint it with. The enamels I have are very glossy, too glossy. There's a way of dulling such paint. Not the first item on my bucket list.

Paint it then go over it with a fine grit sanding disc, if you do it right it should give a nice matte finish, could even buy a spray can of clear matte lacquer and give it a blast after lightly sanding the enamel.

stamasd wrote on 2022-01-29, 19:58:

If we're talking pie-in-the-sky unobtainium items, I'd really like to have and play with an iAPX432 system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_iAPX_432 😁

been looking for one for years - none to be found anywhere. I think Intel had kill squads that went around the whole world destroying every single piece of that hardware after the project failed.😀

That would make a great conversation piece for the cave !

Along with all the other mostly useless but cool junk.

TrashPanda wrote on 2022-01-29, 20:01:

That would make a great conversation piece for the cave !

Along with all the other mostly useless but cool junk.

Just for the fun of it. But judging from not finding ANY of the hardware anywhere I looked for the past 10-15 years, not even a loose CPU - if there are any left anywhere, they must cost more than a new car. A really nice car.