How much have you spent on computers?

In My Humble Opinion
1

and when? What doe it look like in current dollars? (optional question)

For me.

2001 used laptop $900
1999 emachine 900
1998 laptop 1400
1995 386 1800
1991 286 1500
1987 or so 8088 1900
1984 or so Franklin 1200
1981 Atari 700?
1981 Timex Sinclair 300

Total $10,600

2001 dollars (est) $14,500

All of these dates and figures are estimate based on my best recollections. If they seem off, let me know.

During the same time I spent approximately $27,000 on automobiles or about $38,000 in 2001 dollars.

2

God.

I started buying my own computers after graduating from college.

Old Mac: $400 (I think)
Pentium 200 based PC: $2500
Custom-built system: $1500

Upgrades for Mac (it’s a hobby, sue me): ca. $400
Upgrades for p200: ca. $800
Upgrades for new system: ca $600?

Hard to quantify some of these purchases, since I swap parts between all three at will. I mean, do monitors and speakers count?

Total: About $6200 over the last 4 years, or about 3 times the yearly rate in the OP. Gawd, I’m a dork. Is there a ten step plan for me?

This isn’t counting software or internet costs, of course.

3

Let’s see:

1982: Commodore Vic 20, some software. $500 (My parents actually sprang for this one, but I think it counts)
1984: Franklin Ace 1000: around $2000
1986: Epson QX-16, $700 (I was working at a computer store at the time, and got it at cost)
1988: Kaypro 286, $2500
1991-1997: Upgrades, bits and pieces gleaned from employer’s old inventory sales, etc: probably around $2500
1998: Brand spankin’ new laptop: $3300

So altogether that comes to $11,500.

4

I will only post the ones that I use … as opposed to the ones that I collect.

1982ish - Commodore 64 w/monitor and DD $1700 (just a guess…it was purchased by my folks. I was 10)

1995 - P200 system - $2500

1997 - P2-300 System - $2100

(various component upgrades from there)
32MB RAM - $75
Voodoo 2s - $600
Motherboards - $300
Modem - $50
P3-450 CPU - $300
Hard Drive - $250
64MB RAM - $80
128MB RAM - $150
50x CD-ROM - $70
GeForce2 Video - $230
Voodoo 5 Video - $300
256MB RAM - $160
Athlon 1.2Ghz - $420
Hard Drive - $270
LAN Setup - $200
24" Case - $110
19" Monitor - $380
Sound Card - $80
Speakers - $150
Printer - $220
Joysticks - $150
Optical Mice(2) - $120
CD Burner - $140

TOTAL for component upgrades: $ 4805.00
(I am sure I am missing some)

Software… that is scary. I would have to say, oh, 2500 or so **at least**. So, not including the C64 at the top, and educated guesstimate of 11905.00. This would be conservative as well, since the component prices are not including taxes.

Man, thats depressing…

5

Geez, I don’t remember how much I spent beyond four or five years ago. But just to take a guess into my hazy memory…

I got a Mac Quadra 660AV with monitor and laserprinter for about $3000 total back in 1991. Toss in a CD-ROM drive for $200, a memory upgrade for $300, and a discount scanner for $100, and that’s a total of $3600.

More recently, I got a new iMac DV+ for $1300, plus $130 for a memory upgrade and $400 for a Sony Media Converter box (it lets me import/export analog video so I can do video editing). Total: $1830.

So that’s $5430 in around ten years, at least in terms of hardware. Compared to the other folks’ listings, I think I’m doing pretty well.

[sub](What’s that again about PCs being cheaper than Macs? :))[/sub]

6

I almost shudder to think. In the last year and a half, I have purchased:

New PC: $1,980
Palm Pilot: $250
Used Laptop: $300
Ethernet network kit: $80
Scanner: $150
Software: uhmmm . . . $300 or so
UPS: $350
Back-up System: $200
WORMs: $50 or so
Replacement CD Drive (for a computer I gave away!): $50
Replacement 3.25" Drive (for the same computer!): $20

$3,610, give or take. Oof.

7

Hmmmmm…

Current PC
computer - $1500
monitor 400
scanner 60
camera & acc 400
desk 120
TOTAL $2480

Used Laptop & new batt $ 575
Last PC
computer - $1400
monitor 300
scanner 300
TOTAL $2000

Old 386 (built from scratch) $1500

First PC $1500
8088 XT w/dual 5-1/4" floppies!

Odds & ends $1000

GRAND TOTAL $9055

Enjoyed every dollar’s worth.

8

Ohboy…just the computers themselves, or…peripherals and everything?

Just the computers:

1991 • Mac SE, used, 2.5 MB RAM, $1500

1995 • Mac 7100, 40 MB RAM, 500 MB HD, 15" Trin monitor, 14" RGB (2nd) monitor, $3500

1999 • PowerBook G3 300, 128 MB RAM, 8 GB HD, $2400

sum(just the computers) = $7400
…
Other toys that went with them (not counting software):

1991 • used DaynaFile 5.25" floppy drive SCSI external $40

1992 • Applied Engineering 40 MHz '030 accel card for SE

  • 16 MB RAM (4 x 4) = $1400

1992 • Floptical external SCSI drive $450

1992 • 2400 baud external modem $110

1995 • UMAX 3-pass RGB flatbed SCSI scanner bundled with full Photoshop 3.0 $650

1995 • SyQuest 200MB 5.25" SCSI drive $275

1995 • 28.8 external modem, $160

1995 • APC UPS 200 $290

1996 • ADB graphics tablet, brand name mercifully forgotten, $250

1996 • Jaz drive SCSI external $490

1996 • 32 MB more RAM (72 pin) $200

1996 • used Apple 4x external SCSI CD $99

1997 • Ricoh CD-R SCSI external 4x2x2 $475

1997 • used Apple RGB 8*24 Nubus card $15

1997 • 64 MB more RAM (72 pin) $180

1998 • ixmicro RoadRocket PC card $256

1999 • PowerPrint serial kit $90

1999 • irez Vidcap PC card $100

2000 • Toshiba 18 GB laptop IDE HD $395

2000 • 64 MB more RAM (PowerBook module) $250

2001 • Blue Chip 500MHz accelerator for PowerBook $699

2001 • MCE CD-R Expansion Bay drive $325

2001 • MCE “byod” Expansion Bay hard drive kit $150

…I guess you could say I work to support my computer! :slight_smile:

9

How did my conscience manage to start posting at SDMB?

10

I shudder to think…
I think the 286 was about $2500 back in 1990. Then we got a secondhand 386 in 1996 for about $150, but it blew up after three days, and cost the same again to upgrade to a 486 DX 266 ($150). In 1997, we were given a low end Pentium chip/motherboard, but lost a hard drive… I think I spent about $250 on a new hard drive and CD-ROM then, only to have them both burn out, along with the video card… so the computer probably got about $300 worth of additional upgrades that year, and a printer for $350. In the last 3 years, our personal computers have had numerous upgrades each, to the tune of about $1000, I guess. Latest purchase: $325 for a 32x10x4 burner
Total: about $4775.

The reason I shuddered at the start was because I was thinking about the collection… no idea how much we’ve spent on them (thousands would be a good place to start guessing), but does it count that we bought a $XX0,000 house because it had a suitable backyard in which to build a $X0,000 shed to house the computer collection? On the up side, the collection is probably worth more than it cost to collect, but the costs still run into the tens of thousands of dollars.