VOGONS


First post, by Meatball

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I noticed when I read comments around the forum, a lot of people are getting fabulous deals on their purchases. Everyone is finding hardware cheap... couple of euros for Vortex 2... $10 for a Voodoo2... I exaggerate, but the comments do usually include "I found it cheap." Now I'm glad for all those people with the patience and knowledge to get the best deal. Accusing people of lying is not what this thread is about. I find that it takes more time and work then I'm willing to put in, so: *********I pay "dumb" prices for hardware all the time.************

Are you paying "stupid" prices for hardware?
Are you biding your time waiting for an ignorant soul?
Are you working the flea markets?
Are you looking for broken junk and fixing it to run like new?
Are you looking back and saying "Man... these prices were a fraction of what there were just 6 months ago. I'm not paying that!"? Do you break eventually?

What is your bag?

Mine is I want it now, and I don't care if the price is $5 more (insert common part here) or $50 more (insert rare part here) more than what I "should" pay. I pay whatever the market is going for; usually more because I want the best condition I can find; more so with boxes and paperwork.

Do you have a line that you won't cross?

Mine is I am not paying any of the "dumb" prices for new graphics cards... and they are dumb. I'm perfectly happy with my RTX 2080 Ti FTW3 (which I bought used before they became priced like new again). I am VERY sad for those who are caught between a rock and a hard place, though.

Reply 1 of 143, by Plasma

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I am willing to pay "reasonable" prices. What is reasonable has increased substantially over the past couple decades as old parts go from "garbage" to "vintage" status. Sometimes I have to look at ebay sold prices (not completed) for a reality check.

Fortunately I already have everything I need and most of what I want, at least for hardware.

Reply 3 of 143, by ThinkpadIL

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In my case I simply have a budget for those things. What fits my budget I do buy and what doesn't fit, I don't buy.

Regarding prices, I guess it's a matter of experience which you gain after couple of months of browsing eBay listings. When you have some, you simply feel if it's too high, fair or bargain price.

Reply 4 of 143, by debs3759

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I definitely overpay for some items, but I usually look at ebay sold items to make sure I don't overpay for common stuff. If I'm looking for a specific old motherboard, for example, and only want the best, I'm not scared to overpay for something uncommon. I'm a completionist and collector, and only want the best for testing purposes 😀

See my graphics card database at www.gpuzoo.com
Constantly being worked on. Feel free to message me with any corrections or details of cards you would like me to research and add.

Reply 7 of 143, by ThinkpadIL

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mothergoose729 wrote on 2022-01-18, 00:22:

I don't want to think about how much I payed for my matching voodoo 2 cards 😒.

Then think about how much would you pay if you would decide to buy Curta mechanical calculator ... Prices start from 1,000 $ 😁

Reply 8 of 143, by Grem Five

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I got into this about 5 years ago (not that long ago) because it was a fairly cheap hobby, well that disappeared in the last couple of years so good thing I had already gotten plenty to tinker with for years to come.

Reply 9 of 143, by debs3759

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Grem Five wrote on 2022-01-18, 00:54:

I got into this about 5 years ago (not that long ago) because it was a fairly cheap hobby, well that disappeared in the last couple of years so good thing I had already gotten plenty to tinker with for years to come.

I started collecting about 15 or 20 years ago (I forget exactly). Have 500-600 graphics cards, 150+ motherboards, 1000s of CPUs, and still buying. I'll never get round to testing them all, so tell myself that my addiction is an investment 😀

See my graphics card database at www.gpuzoo.com
Constantly being worked on. Feel free to message me with any corrections or details of cards you would like me to research and add.

Reply 10 of 143, by jheronimus

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Well, yeah, nothing is free: you either spend your money or your time. So I think it's perfectly natural that some people just want to get their retro fix here and now.

"Deal hunting" does add something to the hobby, though. It's a great rush — finding something valuable for next to nothing, even better if there's a story to tell.

MR BIOS catalog
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Reply 11 of 143, by TrashPanda

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I'm nearly at the point that dropping 800-1000 AUD for a Voodoo5 5500 might be worth it just to have it off my list, I have pretty much everything else I wanted except that GPU.

If the V5 55000 remakes were cheaper Id buy one of them but they are even more expensive.

Overall what I consider a reasonable price has changed as pricing has shifted with scarcity and the crazy economy in recent years mostly to blame. Some parts I wanted have become downright impossible to source locally and are rare on eBay so I have had to reluctantly spend more than I wanted, I dont regret it as they were a one time purchase. (unless I see another for a good price 🤣)

The best deal I have gotten was snagging a Voodoo 4 4500 for the price of a Voodoo 3 2000, not sure the seller knew what the prices are for the V4 but 120 AUD is pretty low.

debs3759 wrote on 2022-01-18, 01:31:
Grem Five wrote on 2022-01-18, 00:54:

I got into this about 5 years ago (not that long ago) because it was a fairly cheap hobby, well that disappeared in the last couple of years so good thing I had already gotten plenty to tinker with for years to come.

I started collecting about 15 or 20 years ago (I forget exactly). Have 500-600 graphics cards, 150+ motherboards, 1000s of CPUs, and still buying. I'll never get round to testing them all, so tell myself that my addiction is an investment 😀

600 GPUs 😮 sweet baby Jesus, the fun I could have testing all of them.

Last edited by TrashPanda on 2022-01-18, 02:13. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 12 of 143, by Horun

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TrashPanda wrote on 2022-01-18, 02:10:

I'm nearly at the point that dropping 800-1000 AUD for a Voodoo5 5500 might be worth it just to have it off my list, I have pretty much everything else I wanted except that GPU.

debs3759 wrote on 2022-01-18, 01:31:
Grem Five wrote on 2022-01-18, 00:54:

I got into this about 5 years ago (not that long ago) because it was a fairly cheap hobby, well that disappeared in the last couple of years so good thing I had already gotten plenty to tinker with for years to come.

I started collecting about 15 or 20 years ago (I forget exactly). Have 500-600 graphics cards, 150+ motherboards, 1000s of CPUs, and still buying. I'll never get round to testing them all, so tell myself that my addiction is an investment 😀

600 GPUs 😮 sweet baby Jesus, the fun I could have testing all of them.

Ouch !
debs3759: if they are not tested then maybe only half of those parts or less actually work and could be worthless... yes I would say an addiction to buying 😀

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 13 of 143, by debs3759

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Horun wrote on 2022-01-18, 02:56:
TrashPanda wrote on 2022-01-18, 02:10:

I'm nearly at the point that dropping 800-1000 AUD for a Voodoo5 5500 might be worth it just to have it off my list, I have pretty much everything else I wanted except that GPU.

debs3759 wrote on 2022-01-18, 01:31:

I started collecting about 15 or 20 years ago (I forget exactly). Have 500-600 graphics cards, 150+ motherboards, 1000s of CPUs, and still buying. I'll never get round to testing them all, so tell myself that my addiction is an investment 😀

600 GPUs 😮 sweet baby Jesus, the fun I could have testing all of them.

Ouch !
debs3759: if they are not tested then maybe only half of those parts or less actually work and could be worthless... yes I would say an addiction to buying 😀

Everything in my collection seemed like a good idea at the time of buying 😀 I'll probably test all the cheaper cards to the point of loading an OS before reselling, just won't do thorough testing or benchmarking on most of them 😀 I'd hate to end up scrapping potentially good hardware in 10 years time, when I find my pension is not enough to live off 😀

See my graphics card database at www.gpuzoo.com
Constantly being worked on. Feel free to message me with any corrections or details of cards you would like me to research and add.

Reply 14 of 143, by debs3759

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TrashPanda wrote on 2022-01-18, 02:10:
debs3759 wrote on 2022-01-18, 01:31:
Grem Five wrote on 2022-01-18, 00:54:

I got into this about 5 years ago (not that long ago) because it was a fairly cheap hobby, well that disappeared in the last couple of years so good thing I had already gotten plenty to tinker with for years to come.

I started collecting about 15 or 20 years ago (I forget exactly). Have 500-600 graphics cards, 150+ motherboards, 1000s of CPUs, and still buying. I'll never get round to testing them all, so tell myself that my addiction is an investment 😀

600 GPUs 😮 sweet baby Jesus, the fun I could have testing all of them.

The real fun is finding the space to test everything. I live in a 1 bedroom bungalow, and it looks more like a computer warehouse 😀

See my graphics card database at www.gpuzoo.com
Constantly being worked on. Feel free to message me with any corrections or details of cards you would like me to research and add.

Reply 15 of 143, by TrashPanda

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debs3759 wrote on 2022-01-18, 03:12:
TrashPanda wrote on 2022-01-18, 02:10:
debs3759 wrote on 2022-01-18, 01:31:

I started collecting about 15 or 20 years ago (I forget exactly). Have 500-600 graphics cards, 150+ motherboards, 1000s of CPUs, and still buying. I'll never get round to testing them all, so tell myself that my addiction is an investment 😀

600 GPUs 😮 sweet baby Jesus, the fun I could have testing all of them.

The real fun is finding the space to test everything. I live in a 1 bedroom bungalow, and it looks more like a computer warehouse 😀

You uhh sleep with your GPUs huh 🤣

Not hat I should be making jokes ...I have a display wall of GPUs in my bedroom.

Reply 17 of 143, by andre_6

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In the past I always tried hard to find the absolute best deals possible because I just had to if I wanted to be able to afford getting the items. But recently I needlessly missed a deal that doesn't come often because I was still subconsciously stuck in that old attitude, which is no longer necessary now as I thankfully can afford more than I did. I wasn't resolved at first to pay what wasn't an unreasonable price for something I'd really like to have and I lost the deal. If it didn't come to fruition then the item didn't have my name on it, no problem. But I think it's important too to be aware of old habits in this context when they lost their pertinence and no longer serve you, buying for little or big amounts.

Reply 18 of 143, by cyclone3d

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I only "overpay" for things I have been looking for for a long time that very rarely, if ever, pop up for sale.

I still won't spend crazy money for anything though.

I've been able to get most of the things on my want list for pretty cheap or for very reasonable prices.

Actually scored a complete boxed Gravis Ultrasound about 18 months ago for $35... Heh.

Pretty sure the most expensive retro thing I bought was a dual socket xeon luggable that I haven't had the time to do benches on before I upgrade th internals to a really a really overpowered XP machine.

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Reply 19 of 143, by debs3759

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TrashPanda wrote on 2022-01-18, 03:17:
debs3759 wrote on 2022-01-18, 03:12:
TrashPanda wrote on 2022-01-18, 02:10:

600 GPUs 😮 sweet baby Jesus, the fun I could have testing all of them.

The real fun is finding the space to test everything. I live in a 1 bedroom bungalow, and it looks more like a computer warehouse 😀

You uhh sleep with your GPUs huh 🤣

Not hat I should be making jokes ...I have a display wall of GPUs in my bedroom.

Pretty much 😀 I've been reorganising recently, putting everything into individual boxes and on shelves, so I no long trip over stuff 😀

See my graphics card database at www.gpuzoo.com
Constantly being worked on. Feel free to message me with any corrections or details of cards you would like me to research and add.