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Subject: PC configurations in 1987

Written By: Suzanne on 6/24/1999 at 11:13 a.m.

I am trying to get computer configurations and prices on the average personal computer that sold in 1987. I was able to get all the interesting 80s facts from your site, thanks for the one stop shopping. The only fact I cannot find anywhere is info on computers (price, size of harddrive, memory, style). Can you please let me know if you have such info or where I may find it.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!


Subject: Re: PC configurations in 1987

Written By: ChuckyG on 6/24/1999 at 8:49 p.m.

> I am trying to get computer configurations and prices on the average
> personal computer that sold in 1987. I was able to get all the interesting
> 80s facts from your site, thanks for the one stop shopping. The only fact
> I cannot find anywhere is info on computers (price, size of harddrive,
> memory, style). Can you please let me know if you have such info or where
> I may find it.

> Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

you know that's a good idea for a page, fits in well with my background... I bought my first XT class IBM clone from Radio Shack, a Tandy 1000 SX with 386K and a single 360K floppy floppy drive, a 16 Color RGB color monitor 12 inch, for about $1000. No printer in that price, a 9 pin dot matrix printer would be about $200. My mouse cost about $50 alone. A 40 Meg SCSI Hard Card for it, cost me $400 (think in todays terms, $400 for a hard drive would probably by 30 or 40 GIGs) and extra 386K of RAM set me back $80. My father's USED Commodore 64 with a 1540 floppy drive and 9 pin printer, 16 color RGB monitor cost him $300. New it probably would have been $500 or so. Those things were still being sold new at Service Merchandise in 1990.

If my memory isn't good enough for your research.. the best bet are old newspapers and magazines, Byte, Computer Shopper (though I doubt that's on fiche anywhere, it's always been like 600-800 pages large) PC Computing, or any other good computer magazine used to run ads galore and would be available on microfiche at your local library.. I know it's primative, but there's a definite rush to that ink they use in the print mechanisms of those things...

wait a sec... is 1986 close enough? I just happened to remember, I still have my 1986 Sears Catalog.. these prices would have been pretty much the same for the next year...

Commodore C1541 Single Sided Floppy Drive - $200 Commodore 1571 Double Sided Floppy Drive - $300 Okidata 9pin Printer, 120 char per second - $250 Commodore 1660 Phone Modem, 300 BAUD - $60 1200 BAUD Modem - $200 High Res Monochrome Monitor (Green or Amber) - $100 RGB Monitor - $250 Commodore 64 - $150 Commodore 128 $300

Franklin 2100 with 384K standard RAM, RGB Interface card built in - $800 with two disk drives only $949 (Apple IIe compatible) Monochrome Monitor $100

Sears didn't stock IBM clones or originals in 1986.. no wonder the 80s were so much better than the 90s... no overwhelming Microsoft products... hope that helps... that was just tooo much fun for me.. now I have to write up another dozen or so pages... gotta love the Sears catalog.. so much history... you should see the reprint edition I have of 1908, it's even more fun.. they really do sell almost everything...