I don't collect things that aren't cool. Here are a few of my favourites:

-ULSI Math-Co DX2 66MHz clock doubled 387 (never available for sale)
-Matching IBM 5175 PGA display and PGA adapter (display needs service)
-ACARD SCSIDE SCSI to IDE converter
-Orchid RAMquest 8/16 32MB expanded memory board for XT and AT computers
-IBM 486DLC3-75 upgrade CPU for 386DX systems (works at 100MHz with heatsink installed)
-Evergreen 486DLC2-66 upgrade CPU for 80286 systems
-Plextor 32CSI 32X caddy loading CD-ROM drive
-Roland MPU-401/AT
-ATi Mach64 ISA w/4MB
-ET4000W32i ISA w/2MB

In my collection I have:
-Sound Blaster Prototype aka 'killer card'
-two boxed CMS/GameBlasters
-Boxed Adlib
-several sealed, boxed sound blasters such as AWE64, SB16 Pro, CT1320, and 'Discovery' 8x CDROM pack (big box including CDROM drive, SB16, an software/games bundle)
-several sealed, boxed processors including 486DX2 overdrive, 486DX4 overdrive, Pentium Overdrive for socket 3, Pentium 2 overdrive for Pentium Pro (socket 8 ), Slot 1 Celeron 300 (the original with no cache), a few other less interesting socket 7/slot 1 processors.

It's funny how what's "cool" to one person is "mundane" to someone else 😀

Stiletto wrote:

It's funny how what's "cool" to one person is "mundane" to someone else 😀

I actually see very little so far that could be classified as "common" or "mundane". Some of the actual parts or games might be common when unboxed, but things like boxes and instruction manuals don't tend to survive well over time and having those things can turn an otherwise common part or game into a rarity and definitely enhances the cool factor.

Anonymous Coward wrote:

I don't collect things that aren't cool.

🤣

I'm more indiscriminate, I want to see everything preserved to the greatest degree possible.

It's not the darling of my collection, but probably the objectively coolest system I own is a Silicon Graphics Jurassic Classic Crimson, which looks just like the big red deskside computer that sat next to Dennis Nedry in the Jurassic Park control room. It's not operable at the moment due to a bum power supply (and god knows what else), but I hope to someday get it up and running and throw an old copy of Softimage on it.

As for PC hardware, my coolest bit of kit is probably a Forte VFX1 virtual reality helmet, complete in box with all the accessories and working like new. I made a YouTube video about it and got hours of personal enjoyment out of the thing, but once you got past the novelty of it, it was really just a laggy game controller with a low-resolution screen. Hoping the Oculus Rift finally gets it right.

Used to have a lot in my collection before the fire but now the only two things that are of any seroius interest for some is a v4 4500agp and a rare MSI 915gm speedster f4 for pentium mobiles. The only other items are mainly laptops right now, a Inspiron 9300 with a rare PM 780 and a 6800 Go Ultra. Go two late model Powerbook G4s both 1.67ghz. Starting to miss my SS7 collection grr.

I am actually quite fond of my sega virtua fighter for pc still sealed in a big showcase box 😀

DonutKing wrote:

In my collection I have: -Sound Blaster Prototype aka 'killer card' -two boxed CMS/GameBlasters -Boxed Adlib -several sealed, bo […]
Show full quote

In my collection I have:
-Sound Blaster Prototype aka 'killer card'
-two boxed CMS/GameBlasters
-Boxed Adlib
-several sealed, boxed sound blasters such as AWE64, SB16 Pro, CT1320, and 'Discovery' 8x CDROM pack (big box including CDROM drive, SB16, an software/games bundle)
-several sealed, boxed processors including 486DX2 overdrive, 486DX4 overdrive, Pentium Overdrive for socket 3, Pentium 2 overdrive for Pentium Pro (socket 8 ), Slot 1 Celeron 300 (the original with no cache), a few other less interesting socket 7/slot 1 processors.

Great collection you have there! 😁

In my case, the items I like the most in my fairly small collection are

- The Splatterhouse handheld LCD game
- A sealed copy of F-19 Stealth Fighter for IBM PC
- Sealed VR shades (Simuleyes 3D)
- Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus and Heart of China for PC complete in box
- A Gravis Ultrasound Classic rev 3.7 (anything Gravis is difficult to find here)

DID's Total Air War. The game is very rare that I bought two of them, because I'm paranoid like Batman.

I kept the CPU from my first computer. It's an 8088. To me it's cool.

1. Roland LAPC - I + MCB-1
2. Roland CM-500
3. Roland MT-32 (I know it's common nowadays, but it's still special for me)
4. My 486DX2-66 System
5. SBAWE32 CT2760 + WaveBlaster Board
6. My Unlocked PII 400 Based System
7. CH Products Complete HOTAS + Pedals
8. My Boxed Games Collection
9. My DOS/Win95 based PC connected to my 37" LCD TV for big screen DOS gaming
10. My......hey the list keeps growing!

Front bezel from my first bought-new PC: a Micron P200 MME, along with the AN430TX motherboard and CPU.. A Voodoo 1 bought when it came out, and same for Voodoo 5. And have them all up and running on rigs right now so not museum pieces..

An *exhaustive* collection of combat flight sims, and real life racing simulations.

Don't think I have anything that's jaw-dropping... except looking above me now I see I have both F-22 Air Dominance Fighter, Red Sea Ops add-on, and Total Air War, so maybe I under estimate my collection...

No Roland Sound Canvas, 286's/386's, dual Xenons or anything.. just working retro rigs...

sliderider wrote:

Are you sure that was the first? I seem to recall that IBM had a CAD card out before then that did some 3D acceleration functions in hardware.

Depends on how you define "CAD card" - IBM had the "Professional Graphics Controller", an early ISA video card that was a monster - took two slots, contained three separate circuit boards, and essentially had a full IBM PC onboard (it was powered by the same Intel 8088 CPU as the original IBM PC, and had 320 KB of RAM.) It came out in 1984, and could be used in the PC-XT and PC-AT. (Which means you could install it in a system that had the same computing power as the card!)

Although it certainly wasn't a conventional 3D accelerator as we would now call it, as a full 8088 computer, you could send code to it to execute to return graphics, including some code routines to turn generated 2D graphics into 3D.

I guess everything I have here. Bonus points to anyone who can guess what's in the box the arrow is pointing to. (Brand new, in box btw)

Oh my god is that the music feature card by IBM?

tincup wrote:

I see I have both F-22 Air Defense Force,

No you dont, you have F-22 Air Dominance Fighter

Cyrix 5x86 120GP x2 x3 (stepping 1 revision 3)
Cyrix 5x86 133GP x4 (stepping 0 revision 5)

both currently in systems.

Davros wrote:

tincup wrote:

I see I have both F-22 Air Defense Force,

No you dont, you have F-22 Air Dominance Fighter

Proofreaders always welcome.