Your First Computer

[maltux1963]

My first computer was the ZX 81.
First Hack was an on/off switch!

 

[stevekr]

Sinclair ZX Spectrum, 48KB, with rubber keyboard.

1984.

Same here. I used to sit for days copying programmes from a magazine just to make my name scroll across the screen in rainbow colours.

Hours of fun.

 

[tonymacx86]

Think it's time to bump this one. As some people know the Apple IIc was my first computer growing up. Would like to hear about any of your first computers.

 

[rkwallace]

Commodore 64 with tape storage.

 

[powerpcg5]

The first computer our family bought was an XT chinese clone, but using an 80286 chip instead of an 8088.
Thus, it has a "Turbo" switch I can switch on/off.
I can run either at 4.77Mhz, or 6Mhz!
Yep... Megahertz!

 

[BadBiscuit]

Technically the HP 41C calculator was my first computer; I still have and use it regularly ...

HP-41C

• BadBiscuit
• Aug 16, 2016

The Atari 800 with cassette interface followed shortly afterwards:

Atari-800-Tape-410

• BadBiscuit
• Aug 16, 2016

the Atari 810 floppy drive was a welcome upgrade:

Atari_810

• BadBiscuit
• Aug 16, 2016

 

[RandomIan]

I had the APCO Apple II Clone. With a SWEET monochrome monitor. I played games like Night Driver, Castle Wolfenstein, and Evolution for hours!! It came with a really terrible joystick, with self calibration switches on the sides.

The computer is still at my parents place, and I am sure it will still boot up. Just not sure if we have any of the 5 1/4" floppys around any more. It should still boot up and run. Next time I make it out there, I want to give it a go and see if its like riding a bike.

 

[drQube]

The Atari 800XL around 1988.

 

[zipb]

Acorn Atom. 1980 or 1981.

 

[gcwyatt]

I couldn't believe I was actually able to find an image almost exactly like the IBM XT clone my dad bought my brother and I in 1987! This is it right down to the key lock and yellow and red buttons, but ours had two 5.25" floppy drives. But get this...

1987 - PC XT clone with two 5.35" floppy drives, 640KB RAM, Hercules graphics card and amber monochrome monitor, running MS-DOS 3.0
1989 - I work my ass at the local community college of during the summer in the computer lab so I can afford to upgrade to a VGA card and 15" monitor.
1990 - I upgrade the processor to 10Mhz and fill the DIP sockets to max out the memory to 1024KB.
1991 - I get a part time job at CompUSA and buy a Epson combo drive - 5.25" and 3.5" in one bay!
1992 - I buy a 486DX2-66, CompUSA brand motherboard and case. The combo drive and VGA card all go in the new case.
1993 - I take the plunge and get my first hard drive, 80MB.
Now I lose track of the upgrades as they became more frequent. Hard drives were a very common upgrade since I started doing video editing early on. Video cards, too. I think I've gone through six montherboards. But the kicker is that this computer that my dad bought is the direct progenitor to the CustoMac sitting in my living room! Upgraded piece by piece and slowly evolved into...
2016 - CustoMac, i5-3570K, 16GB RAM, 4TB Hard Drive, Intel HD 4000 Graphics, Full HD monitor, running dual boot Windows 10 and just finished upgrading to El Capitan yesterday.