ClassicConnect

[VCSMaster]

Hello folks, it's been a while since I was here last, but not a whole lot has changed, so it's not like you missed much from me. I am officially working my dream job as a photocopier technician, though, so that's something.

What I came here to talk about today was actually a different dream of mine which recently came true, that is to say, I finally built my childhood dream setup.

When I was a kid circa 2010 or so, we were a lower middle class family and didn't have a "real" desktop computer at the time, but I was always interested in computers, so I mowed a couple lawns and did some chores for the neighbors in order to cough up twenty whole bucks for my very own computer from the thrift store.

The machine I got was a Dell Dimension 2400, in a little rough shape with no hard drive. At some point, I robbed a hard drive from some DVR I was given and found a monitor in the trash to use with it.

That same computer has stuck with me to this very day, almost exactly as it was when I got it and almost exactly as it is now! Today, I did a couple upgrades I always dreamed of doing and got the whole gang back together, including the original monitor and even the original ethernet cord I used with it at the time.

I'd post a photo, but I'm actually coming to you live from this very machine right now and can't. Here's the specs of the dang thing instead:
Dell Dimension 2400
-Replaced motherboard with faulty capacitors for identical equivalent
-Upgraded from P4 @ 2666 to P4HT @ 3067, S-spec SL6PG, the only hyperthreaded CPU ever released that works in this machine
-Upgraded from the original 512MB RAM stick to two 1GB sticks to max out the RAM
-Fixed the original install of Windows XP I did back in 2010
-Installed a SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 Dell OE card for the fanciest factory sound offered
-Installed an nVidia GeForce 6200

I am now running triple period correct monitors, two CRTs and a flat panel.
-Dell E772p (my original monitor!)
-Dell E151FP
-Dell E773c

The two CRTs actually sat upstairs in the attic of my home for over a decade until Monday. My mother has officially sold the house, and it will be transferred to it's new owners tomorrow morning, so I knew Monday would be my last chance to go get them. They were both filthy but seem to have made it out alive! A quick clean up and this machine now looks brilliant with three era appropriate monitors, a pair of style-matching harman/kardon speakers, and even reasonably period appropriate keyboard and mouse.

12 year old me would have cried on seeing this setup!






So with the personal story out of the way, what are some of your old dream setups? What kind of computers did you want, what plans did you have for your main machine back in the day? Did you ever achieve them?

Let's chat!

[LyraNovaHeart]

For me I've always wanted what at the time would be considered the highest end machine at the time, in say 2008 that would be a Core 2 Extreme and a 8800 Ultra, 2012 that would have been something with a 680. Basically anything that was THE killer machine to own at the time. Most of the computers I did have growing up were kind of shoddy, mostly office type PCs, one of them remains as my file server. If I didn't hate sitting at a desk, my main right now would probably be some expensive 4080 rig, but for now I'm a laptop user. Current main is a i9-14900HX + RTX 4090 Mobile, and I defs love the power it has, and you could say I did achieve such, but it's also been problematic.
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I'm one day closer to being who I wanna be~

[VCSMaster]

Fair enough, I suppose. I always liked the idea of maxing out the machines you already had, and therefore extending their useful lifespan. If I'd had this machine in this configuration in 2010, I probably would not have upgraded further until I started using Discord in the tail end of 2015, and even then I probably would have only abandoned it for it's lack of browser performance, since this machine could have probably still done that. It did run Windows 7 for a brief period of time as a Skype box, when that was still a popular concept.

[nick99nack]

My dream setups have always been a little weird compared to most people's, lol.

I'm into Sun equipment and so my dream setups consist more of their hi-end workstations and servers. I'd love to have just a rack of Sun servers, but that'll never happen if for no other reason than the power bill would be insane.

As for PC hardware, I've always wanted a 1.4 GHz Pentium III machine with 3dfx graphics and 1GB of RAM, running 98SE and 2000 Pro, with a hi-res Trinitron CRT monitor.

Maybe someday...
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If you like browsing without an ad blocker, you might also like getting rid of your virus scanner, and running around with your pants down. --SomeGuy, 2016

[VCSMaster]

It's more attainable than you might think. The other retro PC I have set up right now is a Celeron III @ 1400 with a gig dual booting Me and XP. No Trinitron though, they're hugely overpriced and generally have a terrible image quality if you intend to do anything with any kind of smoothing.

I have a Sun 1280x1024 LCD monitor somewhere if you want one of those. Not something I really have any interest in, personally.

[nick99nack]

Ooh, I would be interested in one of those. If you can get a couple pics of it, shoot me a PM and maybe we can work something out
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If you like browsing without an ad blocker, you might also like getting rid of your virus scanner, and running around with your pants down. --SomeGuy, 2016

[VCSMaster]

[VCSMaster]

I wanna go ahead and add that while this machine is capable of running """modern""" Firefox in the form of version 52ESR, it's unbearably slow and getting pretty limited these days. Even Firefox 10ESR doesn't really feel "fast."

Netscape 9, on the other hand, is absolutely blazing fast! This machine is simply flying through the era appropriate web.

Just goes to show that use of appropriate software can really make or break any machine.

[EvanHedgie]

For me it was a bit more modern, but when I was 14 I always imagined having a BIG iMac running either Snow Leopard or Mavericks. I didn't know what tablet I would have since I used to draw with a mouse, but probably a big Cintiq. but even farther back, when i was younger, I always wanted to get a Windows 7 laptop since at the time I was only on Mac. Now I use both Windows AND Mac haha
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"People should only make art that makes you feel good, because art that makes you feel bad is a form of abuse" - Greg the Bunny

[europa]

I remember back when I was 11 or 12, I dreamed of having a full Commodore VIC-20 setup, complete with the VIC-1020 cartridge port expander (that also doubled as a monitor stand), a printer, a disk drive and a tape drive, a modem, and a Commodore 1702 monitor.

Aside from that, I've always really wanted any sort of full minicomputer setup. Back when I was younger it was the PDP-8 that I was really in love with, but now I think it's probably a PDP-11 or a VAX, or an IBM AS/400.
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Your System ate a SPARC! Gah!

[VCSMaster]

[EvanHedgie]

[europa]

I remember really wanting an Amiga 1200 for the longest time. I still wouldn't mind one, honestly. Although perhaps an A3000UX would be more my speed these days.
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Your System ate a SPARC! Gah!

[zookajoe]

I've been chewing away at my "dream setup" list, and it's hard to list just one because there's quite a few setups I want.

However going off "closest to completion", I'd like to have a full fledged XP enthusiast box setup. I have my DFI system already with an overclocked Opteron 175 (2.86GHz!) + 8800 GTX, 2GB XMS Pro (with the blinky lights, oo!) wrapped around a Thermaltake Armor case.

Ideally, I'd like to move the system into an Antec 900 chassis, and put one of my 10k RPM Raptor drivers to good use in it alongside the modern SSD. Aside from that, another DVD/Bluray drive and that completes the box.

Perihelia wise? Logitech G15, the original first one. G5 or G7 Logitech mouse too, I think those are just kickass. I'm also thinking maybe some Logitech Z2300s or something as well, get a webcam for some le epic video chatting, and to top it off, I'd like to get a Dell P991 CRT. I could get a high-end 19" LCD like from Sony to go with the system, but CRT refresh rates and quality can't be beat. That would be my dream XP setup.
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"Humanity is overrated."
Still the real Bazooka Joe. Now on ClassicConnect!

[idkwhatnametoputxd]

I've always wanted to have a Windows XP gaming rig that's themed around Need for Speed: Underground, and I'm not just talking about the desktop. I'm talking about the PC case having a glossy silver color with decals and stuff, similar to those tuner cars you would see on F&F, magazines and of course, NFS Underground.
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