Where to Find Cheap Vintage Computers

[@fatproduce]

This exact subject has been on my mind lately. I've been worried at how much harder it has been to find beige era pcs. My ultimate is my old Packard Bell Legend that came with the red and blue 3D glasses.

[@GamingRetro]

It has definitely gotten more difficult to find them locally... though the recycling centers are still a good bet I think. There are plenty of options on eBay but many of them are starting to get a bit too pricey for me.

[@tipstricksss1453]

@@GamingRetro Same here. I have a set price and most aren't worth it you could spend a lot on one and end up with a junkbox parts. Crappy Pentium 4 computers are now demanding retro prices its getting ridiculous.

[@ScanLinesAU]

I've found the most effective way to be knowing an ewaste facility. That's where I have gotten all of mine from. I got 5 recently, though only 2 were any good. Nice video

[@tipstricksss1453]

You could put the other 3 on ebay 🤣

[@alicesavage69420]

Facebook Marketplace is how I found a CRT VGA monitor in my town for five bucks! As well as an insanely good deal on an Apple IIe with accessories, that took a four hour drive to get. It takes a lot of luck and patience, and if you live in a rural area it'll take some long drives, but you can find great deals using these methods!

[@UncleMikeRetro]

Nice video! Great voice and video editing. I agree with your thoughts for the average person who doesn't have access to a real salvage yard or scrap yard/e-waste center. I am blessed with a local salvager myself 😁

[@GamingRetro]

Thanks, I appreciate that! Yeah, it may even be worth the drive to a larger city every once in a while.

[@anthonydedeeeeeeeee7524]

4th Is also asking community post-wise, which is pretty easy and you never have to spend a dime. Do a post on your towns fb page saying "hey i need a computer", and ppl will actually give you a bulk of just that, and sometimes they throw in crt's and small iphones too.

[@uglykid4429]

Everyone should check electronic recycling plants

[@AM-mk3zc]

Thanks to your videos now i have passion for vintage pc components.... 😋😋

[@GamingRetro]

Awesome to hear! And thanks for watching :)

[@AM-mk3zc]

@@GamingRetro greetings from italy 😎

[@DarDarBinks1986]

I'll have to keep this in mind for building sleeper rigs. I don't need a whole PC, just the case.

[@Kara_Kay_Eschel]

Was going to mention this. Sleepers and cases for some kind of servers.

[@kami4542]

Nice vid ! ;) The best thing I'd say is to get friends with that same passion and trade, ask for help etc. (there are also forums but it's becoming like ebay price wise IMHO) some folks are really nice and can really help getting the hardware you're looking for, sometimes for free ! Seeking a job lot on auction is also a good alternative in my opinion, especially when you're experienced and know what you want, a veteran I'd say :p

[@GamingRetro]

Yes, these are worth trying as well! Thanks

[@HorsepowerGarageVideos]

I got a really good deal on ebay a few months ago, 2005 dell optiplex with a samsung ssd and a fresh install of XP sp3 for $60 shipped.

[@GamingRetro]

That's great! Probably cost almost that much to ship.

[@HorsepowerGarageVideos]

@@GamingRetro I also just offset that good deal by paying a premium for a beige Antec 1030 but it was the only one I could find in good condition and complete. 😅

[@tipstricksss1453]

When I was stateside I saw plenty in the thrift stores and yard sales going cheap and I mean 5 bucks and below not that long ago. Here in the UK we have car boot fairs and weekend markets but are nowhere near as good to what stuff you could find stateside. Recycling centers over here wont give you anything not even if you offer them money. Computer Aid International scarps lots of nice valuable computers and some are rare. I tried to tell them that they could be making good money from them but they wasn't interested and neither would they let me buy any from them. Makes no sense.

[@bengraham5699]

several countries have laws that make it illegal to sell Electronics from Recycling centers. Especially Europe. The Politicians just suck

[@wowitsshit9734]

I gave up a long time ago. It would've cost me a crapload to make a celeron 266 slot 1, on that abit bh-6 board (was planning to turn of caches for DOS games) to make it slow. and then for windows 95 the windows games, I was gonna go with that s3 card can't remember the one that can do s3 rendering for those s3 games and pair it with a voodoo 1 for early glide games. That would've been my perfect retro pc. oh with a nice sound card can't remember which one i settled on now.

[@supergeek0177]

In Australia its quite hard to buy towers online due to the extremely high cost of shipping unfortunately - I have resorted to laptop searches instead.

[@SuperMoleRetro]

I want to point out, if you are not a hands on person, you will most likely have to fix these old machines. They can range from simple, no soldering repairs, to hopeless case...good for parts machines. Be prepared...even if you buy a working machine, it may not work for long and need repairs. I did find 3 single board 1970's computers at a single estate auction once along with lots of all old PC parts. I assume no one else knew what they were and the rest was just junk.

[@tipstricksss1453]

Exactly my point. They are not worth it. You could spend 100 or more on an old PC and one month later the motherboard fails beyond repair. Its ok tho because according to some people they will last for years because they are "vintage" a lot of the over priced crappy PC's I've seen were never that good back in the day.

[@millennaissanceman3135]

Thank you for the video! Very appreciated!

[@marnixvansintaldegonde1934]

On eBay, nice case, get one while you can :)

[@MultiWirth]

well i had old hardware but didn´t take care of it and it got thrown away, went broken etc. Now i´m looking for a decent pentium III machine with agp, pci and isa. Quite hard to find anything for a reasonable price.

[@Twintania]

i was recently trying to find a amd 5x86 120mhz 486 computer and searching 486 wasnt showing anything but when i searched for the cpu (AMD 5x86) i finally found 1 computer i didnt see earlier when searching "486 computer"

[@GamingRetro]

Yep! Searching for K6-2 or K6-3 systems often turns up some systems you'd likely otherwise miss -- and these are good options if you are looking for something from the original pentium or pentium II era.

[@bengraham5699]

nice

[@proxxima038]

my experience is that you can have enough old computers just for free. Just talk to people about your hobby. There are so many people having an old computer in the attic. Oh you like it? Just take it...

[@purpasmart_4831]

All the beige boxes are extinct in my area...

[@stpworld]

I have a vintage dell xps m200c from the 90s I kept it I have another pentium 1 I want to rebuild but I cant get it to launch iwn95 or 98 Im sure I will figure it out though.

[@jellydiablo8573]

I'm looking for a Dell optiplex from 2002 running Windows XP

[@Monosekist]

How and where are people finding Macintosh SEs for $100? That seems like an impossible dream to me.

[@gametechsul1144]

em meu pais esqueca!

[@tunkunrunk]

I still have my IBM 300PL computer, taking dust. I need to restore it, but its motherboard is around $100 on eBay, that's too much!

[@jackalenterprisesofohio]

You wanta loan? Its at 5% interest I will also take stamps, Clocks, Landline phones, and Vyinal Records.

[@lordterra1377]

A $100 for a brand new old stock board would be a good deal. But if that's used with nothing else hardware wise I would also pass.

[@tunkunrunk]

@@jackalenterprisesofohio I have a philips cordless landline phone that I have no use

[@marnixvansintaldegonde1934]

NEW ECS MEDIUM TOWER CASE

[@GothicDude-mu5qf]

I tell ya, if i's NEC branded 9 times out of 10 it's gonna be way over priced.

[@jjohnson71958]

try ebay or craigslist