Is this a good deal?

Posted by Hipposplatamus@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 26 comments

I've been thinking of getting this, but I'm not sure if it's a good deal or not. I love vintage computers, but I'm not the most knowledgeable about prices and have never been able to afford something like this.

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Emergency-Resolve807@reddit

I think its a pretty good deal, where i live, i want an IBM AT, but any listings on facebook, gumtree or eBay are far too exotic or nonexistent.

If it were me, i would consult the seller about any issues, then purchase.

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thenebular@reddit

You'll want to see the inside of the 5150 before handing any money over.

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obadiaowl@reddit

So im a retro computer dealer and my favorites to play with are 5150 PC and 5160 XT if it boots into dos thats not a bad deal i get about that for a fully functional one. it honestly doesn’t hurt to msg the seller with an offer $350 is a good fair offer. if you buy it and have any questions or need the missing keyboard key just hit me up.

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rayui@reddit

That looks like a 5150 with matching keyboard, monitor and what appears to be a Citizen thermal printer and a Commodore cassette deck.

The 5150 is clearly functional and the crt looks in decent condition, too.

Re crt: There is maybe some blooming there but it's hard to tell from the photo. You also can't see if there's any burn-in; on a tube this old it is very possible.

Re 5150: You'll need to watch out for RIFA caps in the power supplies, they'll absolutely be on their last legs. The 5150 didn't come with a battery so you'll be safe from that, and although this machine predates the capacitor plague, it could still be subject to electrolytic damage. As it can clearly execute code, I would think even if it was suffering from cap damage, you could halt any further damage pretty easily with a clean and a recap.

My verdict: nothing beats free but this looks like a good deal to me. But if you're seriously considering it, see if you can get a few hi res photos of the crt and the inside of the machine

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ValkyroftheMall@reddit

Two things to add; While they didn't ship with batteries, a lot of them had clock cards added which do have those awful varta barrel batteries.

Additionally, tantalum caps were used over electrolytic caps and while they don't leak, they sometimes become "confused" and explode.

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rayui@reddit

Thanks for the clarification! Didn't know about the tantalums!

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Stunning-Produce8581@reddit

I agree. It depends also on where you live. But it looks like a fair deal.

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Hipposplatamus@reddit (OP)

Just an update: there are other pictures that show it functioning, but nothing of the insides. I'll see if I can post them.

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2raysdiver@reddit

Well, it won't run Baldur's Gate, even the first one. :-)

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kkaos84@reddit

But will it run Crysis?!

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Splodge89@reddit

Probably not. But it’ll definitely play doom.

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Hungry-Resource-5152@reddit

That's a rip off! Offer $4.25

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Flybot76@reddit

What do they go for on ebay?

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chronos7000@reddit

The cassette recorder is wrong, those Commodore ones have an edgecard connector and the 5150 wants a DIN plug. They're hiding the big plug behind the body of the unit. This is not too much worry as the only software to ever be released for the cassette subsystem of the 5150 was the test media, the number of 5150s that left the factory without at least one diskette drive is crashingly small.

The system is showing the BASIC interface that loads if there is no boot media present, so it does work for a given value of work, it's highly likely the diskette drives will require a service. That printer as well might not be compatible with a 5150, but on this I am not sure.

A Model F that's missing a key will continuously send that key, not like a Model M that doesn't care, so you will need to get that sorted before you can really use it.

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MikeThrowAway47@reddit

That cassette player is for Commodore computers. Not sure if it will work with that IBM

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BigBlackHungGuy@reddit

Looks good to me. Add a picomem for more fun.

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grateparm@reddit

It's less than what you'd pay on eBay. And unless you're very diligent and patient, less than Facebook marketplace or Craigslist posts.

I'd say it's not bad. The original PC with MDA is more of a show piece than practical, but it is THE show piece.

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pmodizzle@reddit

It’s not terrible if all works. The keyboards go for like 125-150, 5151 monitor around 100-150, probably 150-200 for the computer itself. Those 5150s can be a project

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BigCryptographer2034@reddit

Way too expensive in my opinion

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exjwpornaddict@reddit

Are you wanting an ibp pc specifically? Could you find some 286 or 486 cheaper?

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cazzipropri@reddit

It's a good price if you can get it to boot to DOS without major repairs. Hard to say without testing it.

The keyboard alone is worth good money but it's probably hard to find the missing key.

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cristobaldelicia@reddit

Dies each component work? Will the papertape reader still take ink and the appropriate paper still available? Data Tape recorder work? Overall the price isn't too bad, but are they encumbering you with junk that won't work? I prefer to buy items singly, (is that a word?) and confirm the drives are in working order. The question with entire packages like this, could they sell the pieces separately? or did they need to package it with a lot of stuff to justify the price? You don't want to return the entire setup. It's much easier to get money back if it's just the tape machine malfunctioning, or even the PC itself.

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