Your PC upgrade history.

[JosephLeo]

My previous post got me reminiscing on the past of my first computers, but then I realized that the exact same computer I'm using right now has a connection to the very first computer that I actually remember the specs on.

So before I start on mine, what does your guys/gals computer upgrade history look like?

I've had a few computers before this but this is the first one I remember the specs. Items highlighted in red are parts from the previous computer. Items highlighted in blue are 2 generations old or older.

First Computer Remembered: eMachines w1500
CPU: AMD Athlon XP Processor 1600+
Memory: 128MB DDR1
Disk Drive: CD-RW Drive
Hard Drive: 40GB
Floppy: 1.44MB FDD
GPU: S3 ProSavage8 IGP

-----

Second Computer Remembered: eMachine w3xxx?
CPU: AMD Athlon XP 3200+
Memory: 256MB DDR1 + 128MB DDR1
Disk Drive: DVD Writer + CR-RW Drive
Hard Drive: 80GB IDE (didn't know how to take my old one and put it in at the time)
Floppy: 1.44MB FDD
GPU: nVidia GeForce FX 5200 128MB

-----

Third PC
CPU: intel Celeron D325
Memory: 256MB DDR1 + 256MB DDR1
Disk Drive: DVD Writer + DVD Writer
Hard Drive: 80GB IDE + 80GB IDE
Floppy: 1.44MB FDD (The last part remaining from my first PC)
GPU: nVidia GeForce FX 5200 128MB THEN an ATi Radeon 9550 256MB

-----

Fourth PC
CPU: intel Pentium 4 HT 520
Memory: 512MB DDR2
Disk Drive: DVD Writer + DVD Writer (Went with the old one because it was faster)
Hard Drive: 160GB IDE + 80GB IDE
Floppy: N/A
GPU: ATi Radeon X1800 XT 512MB

-----

Fifth PC
CPU: intel Celeron D360 THEN intel Pentium 4 HT 520
Memory 1GB DDR2 + 512MB DDR2
Disk Drive 2x DVD Writer
Hard Drive: 320GB IDE
GPU: ATi Radeon X1800XT 512MB THEN nVidia 7800 GTX 512MB

-----

Sixth PC (First 100% Custom PC)
CPU: intel Pentium 4 HT 520
Memory: 1x 2GB DDR2 + 1GB DDR2 + 512MB DDR2
Disk Drive 1x DVD Writer + 1x CD Writer
Hard Drive 1x 500GB SATA
GPU: ATi Radeon HD 3870 512MB

-----

Seventh PC
CPU: intel Pentium 4 HT 520 (This thing lasted me a long time)
Memory: 2x2GB DDR2
Disk Drive: 1x DVD Writer w/ LightScribe (only room for 1 drive in this case)
Hard Drive: 1x 1TB SATA + 500GB SATA
GPU: ATi Radeon HD 4850 512MB

-----

Current PC (Eight PC Remembered)
CPU: intel Pentium 4 HT 520 (I know...) then intel Core 2 Duo e7500
Memory: 2x 2GB DDR2
Disk Drive DVD Writer + DVD Writer w/LightScribe
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA + 500GB SATA
GPU: ATi Radeon HD 4850 512MB

-----

So as you can see I have a habit of taking old parts and recycling them into my new computers to save a couple bucks. That intel Pentium 4 by the way, would still be my current CPU if it didn't fail on me after 6 years of use.

Now as you can see, there is a sort of lineage here from my first PC to my current PC. Sadly, my next PC will not be so lucky as it's going to be 100% brand new.

I'm waiting to find out more information on AMD's bulldozer and intel's LGA2011 socket until I decide on what CPU I want, but I know it will feature 2x nVidia GTX 580's, a Blu-Ray Writer & DVD Writer for the drives, a 256GB SSD and a 3TB HDD, either 4x2GB module if I go Bulldozer, or 6x (maybe 8x?)2GB modules if I go LGA2011. So, no cross contamination from old equipment.

 

[Knightsman]

oh man now I have to think

First computer was a put together from 5 computers I got from my grandfather.

I think it had
Pentium 2 350mhz
128 SD Ram
20GB hard drive
Floppy
Windows me

2nd I got an IBM at an auction
Pentium 2 upgraded to 450mhz MMX
256 Ram, I might have gotten it to 512 but I doubt it.
DVD Player
CD Burner
Windows XP

I loved that thing, still works.

will have to post my new ones in a bit.

 

[kagman]

My upgrade path started out back in 1992..
The specs on the computer was: 386sx 16mhz, 40mg HD, vga monitor, 4megs of RAM with MS-DOS 5. That was upgraded to a 386dx running at 25/33mhz with windows 3.0.

That computer is long gone. Don't remember what ever happened to it.

 

[Knightsman]

My upgrade path started out back in 1992..
The specs on the computer was: 386sx 16mhz, 40mg HD, vga monitor, 4megs of RAM with MS-DOS 5. That was upgraded to a 386dx running at 25/33mhz with windows 3.0.

That computer is long gone. Don't remember what ever happened to it.

I have one of these sitting new in the box in my closet

 

[KompuKare]

Ok, ignoring ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, Mac IIci my first PC was a 486:

1) Circa 1995. AMD 486DX2 80, 32MB, 500MB + 400MB
2) Celeron 300A @ 450MB, 128MB (eventually 256MB), 2GB. CDR (yippee!)
3) AMD Duron 1200 / 1400. 256MB, 40GB
4) AMD Sempron 3000. 512MB, 160GB in mATX SFF case.
5) Intel 5200. 2GB. 640GB.
6) Intel 5400 4GB. 1TB (Mainly an upgrade for Intel -vt.)

Hm, I'm sure I've missed some here. By and large I have always canalized parts from previous PCs when possible.

 

[gikstar]

I can't list them all...
but my first was an IBM with 2 - 5 1/4 floppies and the system I'm typing on now is a I7-860 with a 120Gb boot SSD drive. 2-Raptor 300Gb raid, and 2 1.5Tb drives.

Thanks to the annual Intel conventions and their door prizes, we have a server in the living room running a Xeon X5650. In the last two years going to their convention in October, I've come away with $1600 and $1200 worth of Intel processors and motherboard. Definitely has not been a waste of time spending a whole day at their convention. Gee, wonder what I will win this year?

If you ever have a chance to go to one of their conventions, go, it is worth it (unless you prefer AMD).

 

[16k_zx81]

zx81
16kb RAM
3.2 MHZ CPU
Storage - cassette tape @ apx 600kb per side

===>

AMD 965BE
8gb ram
3400mhz
Storage - 8 terabytes

I missed a few steps but it always fascinates me to think about how my first PC came as standard with 2kb RAM (16kb was an upgrade).

Things have come a long way since then.

I was standing at the counter of my favorite parts supplier and the customer was talking about his PC upgrade history, and in particular a video encoding task he's been running over the years.

It went like this:

"When I first ran it, it took 2 days to encode... Then I got a machine that could do it in 4 hours... My current PC is the fastest yet. It can do it in 8 minutes"

I love stories like that

 

[Xander]

1) TRS-80 Colour Computer. 32K ram ($$extra), audio cassette storage
2) 386, 20mb HD. Can't remember the ram, think it was 16mb.
3) 800mhz, 128mb ram. Win95..98...Me..XP
4) Something else. Can't remember much about it. CD-R!
5) This one. 2ghz-dual core, 4GB, SSD C: 64gb, 300&500GB drives.
6) Next one is built and waiting. 1.6ghz, fanless, 2gb ram, 32gb SSD+250GB 2.5". Built into a typewriter.

 

[morr]

Commodore 64 with optional disk drive,

A gap of several years.....

Acer Acros 80286sx 16mhz, 40mb HDD which I never managed to fill (Good old DOS5)

Another gap of a few years.....

Gateway PII 266Mhz, (Win95) this really started me off, upgraded using slocket converter to a P3 and since then have always built my own desktops.

Current machines:- Athlon 64x2 2.4Ghz, 4GB Ram total of approx 2.5TB over 4 drives and my trusty IBM X61 Tablet (first laptop was a Dell 486)

 

[joydivision]

I cannot remember. I haven't bought a PC since 1998! My main system has just evolved but the main history I remember (there will be blanks!).

1990 - C64 bought for £99 when I was 8 from WH Smith, learnt BASIC on it.

1993 - IBM PS/1 386 SX20mHZ, 2MB RAM, massive 80MB HD, 11" VGA Colour Monitor, Windows 3.0/DOS 4.0 - Bought this out of some compensation money.

1994 - Installed Windows 3.1 and DOS 6.22, my upgrade I ever did by myself, I was 12 years old.

1996 - Olivetti 486 SX2 50, 4MB RAM, Windows 3.1, later in the year upgraded it to 12MB RAM and Windows 95.

1997 - Bought a home made system of Loot, 486 DX4 120, 12MB RAM, 120MB HD (ha!), Windows 95. I quickly upgraded the HD to a 2.1GB drive (cost me a whooping £170!) and bought a 28Kbps dialup modem to I could go on the internet using Netscape all in early 1997!. Not many 14 years old had the luxery of the internet in his bedroom back then!.

Later 1997 - Upgraded to P166MX, 16MB RAM at a computer shop.

1998 - My first ever PC build at 16 years old, Cyrix P300, 32MB RAM, all other parts from 1997 system.

1999 - AMD K6 II 450, installed Windows 98SE

2000 - Duron 1Ghz Socket A, started with 64MB of RAM upgraded to 256MB.

2001 - Fiest ADSL Modem, 512kbps! Installed LAN at home.

2002 - Bought XP and bought first ADSL router.

2002 - Upgraded to AMD Athlon 2000 XP 512MB RAM - I was at university at this point so for the next few years upgrades had been more simple such as a new 80GB HD, DVD RW, new monitors that sort of thing.

2005 - Installed our first Wireless Router

2007 - AM2 Sempron 2200?, 1GB RAM, 160GB HD etc... Windows Vista Home Premium.

2008 - Upgraded to Athlon 3200 AM2 because the CPU was so cheap (£25 I think)

2008 2009 - Upgrade to 500GB HD, 2GB RAM, AMD 4200 X2 etc. Amazingly I am still using this setup today!!

2008 - 8600 GT

Apart from a new monitor and a few replacement parts I have not touched the system since 2008, I keep meaning to upgrade but its fast enough. I've had the same AM2 board for over four years now.

I've had lots of laptops too in the past ten years, and we have many other PCs in the house, I cannot list them all.

Laptops I have owned since 2000 (mostly used)

Dell 386 1MB RAM (paid £20 for it, wish I didn't swap it now). Used
AST P75, 16MB RAM, Win95 Used - paid £160
Time P233MMX, 64MB RAM, Win98 (also used Linux later on it) - Used - paid £200
IBM Thinkpad T22 PIII 900, 256MB RAM, 14" TFT, Windows 2000 (used Linux on it), Paid £233. Only sold it because it was impossible to upgrade the RAM further.
Dell Inspiron 1520 - Came free with broadband, Celeron 1.8, 1GB RAM (upgraded to 1.5GB) , 80GB HD, Vista Basic but used Ubuntu on it.
Acer One - Atom, 512MB RAM (upgraded it to 1GB, 8GB SSD) I use Libuntu on it and it works so well this is now my main laptop, I really love it. Paid £130 for it a year ago as a factory refurb.

 

[14049752]

The first computer I custom built was a Pentium 2 with a 300Mhz processor, that I did the "electrical tape trick" to set the bus speed to 100MHz instead of 66Mhz. It had a Riva 128 video card. Otherwise, I forget the other specs. Before that, the family computer was a Pentium 75Mhz that I overclocked to 100Mhz. Before that, a Packard Bell 486, 66Mhz with a 500mb hard drive. Before that, we had a few different non Windows computers that weren't compatible with anything at all. Nothing, other than games and data were transferred between any of those systems.

But on topic, I never use components from one machine to the next. The last system I built was built from the ground up and used until it ran itself into the ground about seven years later. The system before that ran along side it for a while, until I sold it off. The current system I'm using is about four years old, and I'll probably use it until it blows up. The parts from systems that old tend to not be worth a whole heck of a lot when building a new system.


Ok...now that I think about it...I do have a Bluetooth dongle that I used on the last system. Does that count?

 

[coco3_man]

1) TRS-80 Colour Computer. 32K ram ($$extra), audio cassette storage.../QUOTE]

Ah yes, someone from my vintage...

Tom

 

[Vicenarian]

Current HP Desktop
Pentium D 2.8 ghz (Original)
2 GB DDR2 -> upgraded to 4 GB
Nvidia 6200TC -> upgraded to 9800GT
Generic HP 300W PSU -> upgraded to 400W Sparkle PSU
250 GB Samsung HDD -> Upgraded to 500GB Caviar Black

 

[JustMe]

My first computer was a Tandy-1400FD (Radio Shack) laptop in 1988. I had my system disk (DOS) in 1 drive and my programs and data in the other drive in its dual-floppy system.

In 1991 I spent $2500 for a Gateway 386DX-33 with an upgraded 4mb RAM and 200mb IDE hard drive. It had a 9600 baud internal modem which I used to connect to Compuserve.

In 1993 I gutted the Gateway case out and installed a (forgot the brand) 486 motherboard with an integrated 486SX-25. This board had no on-board L2 cache. Boy was it slow. I installed some cache and it was like night and day. I transferred my existing 4 30-pin SIMM RAM and purchased another 4 sticks for a whopping 8mb of RAM!

In 1995 I installed a new motherboard and the AMD 486DX4-120 processor and 32mb of RAM (wow ) so I'd be ready when Windows 95 comes out later that summer.

In 1996 I built a second computer using the Cyrix 6x86 processor for my kids. I also replaced the AMD 486DX4 system with a new Intel Pentium 200mmx system with an Abit motherboard. You know Abit was the first motherboard manufacturer to have jumperless motherboards. Wow... motherboards where I do not have to set jumpers! I then spent $1200 for a Turtle Beach Pinnacle sound card and a 2x CD burner. The blank disks cost me $15 a disk and you would cry if the burn was faulty.

Realizing that I needed a faster system (both processor and hard drive throughput) so I wouldn't make CD coasters, in 1997 I won an online auction for an IBM Pentium Pro 200 system and an ultra-SCSI Fujitsu (I think 500mb?). It was with this system that I spent the most money ever. 3 Seagate ultra-SCSI 9gb hard drives, a Plextor 8/2/20 CD burner drive, a Plextor UltraPleX 40max CD-ROM drive (I still have and use both of these drives). I used this system for 4 years to archive my vinyl records, perform audio restoration and burn CDs.

Later in 1998 I bought a Tyan S1837UANG Thunderbolt GX Dual Slot-1 motherboard and went dual-processor with two Slot-1 Intel Pentium II-300 processors. This system and the IBM Pentium Pro system satisfied my needs for the next few years.

In mid/late 2000 I built a system using the Pentium III-933 Coppermine processor with an Abit motherboard

After reading about all the problems Intel was having with the Pentium 4, I decided to jump to AMD. In late 2001 I built another dual-processor system using the Thunder K7 S2462 and two AMD AthlonXP 2100+ processors.

There were many other systems I used the last 10 years that I won't go into, but I wanted to share with you the most exciting time of the PC industry.

EDIT: Actually my first computer was a Commodore-64 I bought in 1981. I only used it for a month and then sold it.

 

[Kitten Kong]

1983 Acorn Electric - 8 (16)kb ram, used on the tv, audio tape only. (learnt BASIC on this). At the time a mag called Electron User was out on the shelves, so I wrote a type of database program, which catalogued each article, program etc. Sent it off to Electron User, just for a, this is what ive wrote kinda thing. Anyhow, this got published. I remember a guy called Roland Waddilove loved the program. Even now, coming from him, that is a HUGE compliment!. (Google his name, you will see what I mean)

1985 BBC Model B - 32Kb ram, again used on the tv, 5 1/4 Floppy discs. Then purchased a Monochrome monitor. Again BASIC, As part of my Computer Studies exam I wrote a word processing program. This together with my final exams, gained me a O'Level Grade A.

1994 IBM 386sx, 64Mb ram, 640Mb Drive, 3½floppy drive! Win 3.1 upgraded to win 3.11 for workgroups.

2000(ish) First Built machine. Athlon 2.6, MSI Mobo, 2x256 DDR, 2x120Gb Drives, an old Geforce 32mb AGP graphics card, dvdrw, 17" CRT monitor, Windows XP. I remember this thing cost me just over £600 (Used some of my divorce settlement money to get it).

2004 3.0Ghz S775, used the old hardware off the 2000 machine.

Machines in the workshop.
First was a AMD Duron 1.2, 256mb SDRAM, 20Gb Drive, DVDRW.

Then a IBM dual processor p3 server, 1.3Ghz, 2 x 512 ECC SDRAM, SCSI Drives, 3x36Gb, 1x140Gb, 1x9Gb. Installed XP again.

Then AMD Semperon 2.8Ghz, S775, 2x512DDR Ram, 2x120Gb Drives, DVDRW, XP

Then AMD 3,8Ghz Athlon x64, 2 x 512DDR, 2x120Gb Drives, 1 x 250Gb, DVDRW, XP

Now Q6600, clocked to 3.6 on air, 6GB, DDR II, GT4870, 1Tb Sata, 320 Sata, VHP x64, to 7HPx64. Upgrading the main drive shortly to a 2tb.

There are other machines in the workshop also, of a much lower spec. One is a file server, the other is a backup pc.

 

[Martyn]

I had various game type computers including a rubber keyboard Spectrum 48k. My first dos computer was a Amstrad PC1512 with twin 5 1/4" floppies, no hard disk. I remember buying my first Windows one from Tottenham Court Road for £1500, it was a 386DX. I also bought an external modem 9600bps for £186!!

Since then a series of machines and smart phones.

 

[joydivision]

Nige a 386 with 64MB RAM, thought they could only address upto 16MB?

I once managed to push a 386 upto 8MB and stuck 95 on it, but then it was a DX with a coprocessor.

I remember my IBM 386 would have cost around £200 to upgrade it to 6MB of RAM back in 1995 which is why I didn't bother and made do until I got the 486.

 

[gunslinger]

The first one I can remember was an apple 2 around 84-85:
CPU 1.023 MHz
RAM 64 KB


I then took a long break from computers to return in the mid 90's with an IBM thinkpad:
CPU P2 at 400MHZ?
RAM 96 MB
4 GB HDD


Emachine desktop:
AMD2000+ at 1.6 GHz
RAM 512 MB
60 GB HDD


Gateway laptop:
Centreno 1.6 GHz
RAM 1 GB
80 GB HDD


Custom desktop:
2.4 GHz core 2 duo
RAM 4 GB DDR2
320, 500 and 750GB HDD


Macbook:
2.2GHz core 2 duo
RAM 4 GB
320 GB HDD


27" Imac:
2.8 GHz core i7 quad
RAM 12 GB DDR3
1 TB HDD


There have been a few more here and there. I have owned a few dells, and a toshiba, but these are the ones that stand out in my mind.

 

[Kitten Kong]

Nige a 386 with 64MB RAM, thought they could only address upto 16MB?

I once managed to push a 386 upto 8MB and stuck 95 on it, but then it was a DX with a coprocessor.

I remember my IBM 386 would have cost around £200 to upgrade it to 6MB of RAM back in 1995 which is why I didn't bother and made do until I got the 486.

You could well be right there mate. I can only remember buying a computer, which initially had 16Mb ram, and I could upgrade it to 64Mb for £50. I did. I can't remember if it was the 386 or not. It could of been a P2, 350Mhz.. Talking years ago now lol

 

[Kitten Kong]

The first one I can remember was an apple 2 around 84-85:
CPU 1.023 MHz
RAM 64 KB


I then took a long break from computers to return in the mid 90's with an IBM thinkpad:
CPU P2 at 400MHZ?
RAM 96 MB
4 GB HDD

Gateway laptop:
Centreno 1.6 GHz
RAM 1 GB
80 GB HDD


Custom desktop:
2.4 GHz core 2 duo
RAM 4 GB DDR2
320, 500 and 750GB HDD
----
27" Imac:
2.8 GHz core i7 quad
RAM 12 GB DDR3
1 TB HDD

I have to ask, was / is there any particular reason why you ended up going the Mac route?