FPGA VAX update, now DIY TTL computers

[Patrick Finnegan]

Chuck Guzis declared on Saturday 12 November 2005 21:03:
> On 11/12/2005 at 8:34 PM Scott Stevens wrote:
> >> Nope nobody kept them. ;)
>
> Not true.  I keep one of everything.  An XT,  an AT,  a 386, a 386SX,
> a 486, and several flavors of Pentium I.   So if I need to run
> Topview, I've got a system that will do it.  Of course, I could also
> just emulate an XT on a more modern system.
>
> The rule of thumb for the computer industry has been "better faster
> cheaper".  I paid almost $3000 for a bare-bones 5150 with 64K, one
> disk drive (single-sided) and a monochrome display adapter.   What
> will that $3000 buy now (adjusted for inflation)?

Adjusting for inflation, that's about $7000 from the chart I looked at.

An IBM 9110-510B (RS/6000 p5-510) w/2 POWER5s 2GB RAM, 2x73GB SCSI disk 
comes in at $7150, which I'd call "Close enough".

That machine is probably a bit better engineered for the time than your 
5160, though somewhat less hackable (of course, most modern machines are 
less hackable than their older counterparts).

Pat
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