Early 2000s ā checking out the PC lineup at your local shop, reading every spec sheet and dreaming....
Posted by Beige_Box_Enthusiast@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 35 comments
teknosophy_com@reddit
So glorious. All of them were repairable, and none had desperate AI diamonds crawling all over them.
LifeguardNovel6805@reddit
Something is off here. I was building PC's a LOT during this time, and I never saw those panels/screens in the front. These are modern sleepers, right? Please tell me that I didn't miss those parts back then. Also, please tell me what they are and where I can get them.
(I did, however, have custom case badges printed for my computers, like the Doom one, though I did them with the logo of the Linux distro I was into at the time. The RedHat and SuSE logos made for some cool badges.)
Firewire_1394@reddit
I was thinking the EXACT same thing lol. Then I started looking for AI generated tells and it has to be 100% AI.
Most of those cases look like prosumer model cases from vendors like HP or IBM but also not really either. Actual blank cases you bought back then for normal builds don't look like that and generally didn't have molded floppy drive fronts.
Case badging is way off on the majority of cases, ya the 3dfx and doom badges are cool, that's just not where they go location wise.
ADATA LEGEND 900 Pro ? On a computer with a fan going at 8.8K rpm? wtlivingf
I like how the middle left PC has DVD RW listed twice right next to each other.
The middle LCD has to be fake, it could be made up of 2 LCD panels with like a pico powering it, but the 6 LED indicator lights on the left side just serve no purpose. It's just AI weirdness.
MWink64@reddit
I think some of these have simple explanations.
Somebody stuck an NVMe HS to a 3.5" bay cover.
It looks to me like every segment on the display is lit up. It wouldn't surprise me if the last two digits of the fan RPM value can't be a non-zero value.
This actually was common on IDE DVD burners. One indicates the drive supports DVD+RW discs, and the other is for DVD+RW DL. Back in the day, not every drive supported dual-layer discs, or even + and -.
difluoroethane@reddit
The screen in the middle I'm not sure about since I never saw one like that back then, but it does look like it could have been from back then. The screen on the right is an Aero Cool V12XT (https://www.quietpc.com/ae-v12xt?product=2421) screen that I used to have. Late 2000's if I remember correctly when it came out. So newer vintage, not really from the late 90's early 2000's. That said, there were plenty of gauge/screens similar to the shown screens from the late 90's forward.
Suturb-Seyekcub@reddit
That was all over the 90s too. And mail order catalogs, geeking out about accessories and software.
DarylMoore@reddit
Bought my first PC from Computer Shopper. Strobe Computing, 386DX with the math co-processor.
DaveTV-71@reddit
Oh yeah, I would read Computer Shopper cover to cover.
berrmal64@reddit
Tiger Direct catalog, I basically memorized it every month for a few years late 90s to early 00s
DeepDayze@reddit
Newegg too
DeepDayze@reddit
My mailman hated those Computer Shopper catalogs lol
Dense-Concentrate120@reddit
Man, they were fugly.
at-the-crook@reddit
Nice collection
Quick_Movie_5758@reddit
Remember getting the logo badge out of the little plastic bag? The mystery of the motherboard pins that didn't match the manual?
frenchretronerd@reddit
Beautiful set <3
phdibart@reddit
It was a great time
KodakGuy@reddit
makes me sad looking at these. I'll never afford one
BiT-KiD_79@reddit
Beautiful. No overpimped RGB light madness!
Bourriks@reddit
Elegant computers of a civilized age.
Qazaca@reddit
I took some snaps of PC specs brochure from the 90-2000s before sending them away from recycling recently. Was kept by my late dad who was a hoarder.
Few_Departure_6830@reddit
I think it was more 90s than 2000s
Sinaaaa@reddit
3dfx logo & sb live! front panel, I would still love to have one of those.
Jealentuss@reddit
I remember going to CompUSA and Circuit City and Fry's back in the late 90's/early 2000's...man it was magical.
amontre@reddit
What a beautiful sight !
ksuwildkat@reddit
Nicw
DeepDayze@reddit
Also geeking about the software too!
Ok_Astronaut9243@reddit
So me!
Pub1ius@reddit
That Doom badge is absolute fire.
TheCh0rt@reddit
Early 90s was even more fun.
jpsgnz@reddit
I remember it well.
Bandit451@reddit
Ahh, back when 5.25 bays were the coolest thing.
Disastrous-Border-58@reddit
Dode that is exactly what i did at every computer shop!
RadishAggravating491@reddit
I love all the fan displays! You were hardcore into maximizing that cooling but keeping it as silent as possible. lol
chicken_whackamole@reddit
with the current hardware price , Iām still drooling and dreaming at the spec sheet lol
CarrDaPorice@reddit
This is extremely arousing