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It's 1994 and you Startup a Windows 3.11 Computer [video]

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Re: It's 1994 and you Startup a Windows 3.11 Computer [video]

#11

Post by _mlbt »

brudgers wrote: post #7
guidedlight wrote: post #2

That computer hardware seems a little too good for 1994. My guess is that it’s late 90’s hardware.

The computer did not look like 1994 to me either because of the more rounded aesthetics, the CD drive, and kind of because there's no 5.25" disk instead (something has to fill that bay). Also the bundled speakers. The internet says it came out in 1995. http://pbplanet.info/wiki/index.php/Force_482CDT Which seems like a quibble, but Windows 95 changed everything.

CD-ROM drives were much more common than 5.25” floppy disk drives by 1994. Several games and multimedia applications required them.

Re: It's 1994 and you Startup a Windows 3.11 Computer [video]

#13

Post by Terr_ »

olddustytrail wrote: post #5
flohofwoe wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

75 MHz and 16 MBytes RAM isn't all that unrealistic for a 1994 PC but it would be quite bleeding edge. The first Pentium was released in 1993 at 60 and 66Mhz, and the successor P54C came out in 1994 with 75, 90 and 100Mhz. By the end of the decade there was already the Pentium III at 800 MHz (it's actually quite amazing how fast hardware progressed in the 90's compared to today): https://www.intel.com/pressroom/archi…

There has been a larger increase in computing power in the last 5 years than there was in the entire history of computers beforehand.

This sounds like a classic "graph should be using a log scale" situation.

Re: It's 1994 and you Startup a Windows 3.11 Computer [video]

#15

Post by hakfoo »

_mlbt wrote: post #11
brudgers wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The computer did not look like 1994 to me either because of the more rounded aesthetics, the CD drive, and kind of because there's no 5.25" disk instead (something has to fill that bay). Also the bundled speakers. The internet says it came out in 1995. http://pbplanet.info/wiki/index.php/Force_482CDT Which seems like a quibble, but Windows 95 changed everything.

CD-ROM drives were much more common than 5.25” floppy disk drives by 1994. Several games and multimedia applications required them.

My family's first PC, they made a big point of getting both types of floppies; it was a 386SX, probably around 1992.

By 1995, you didn't get a 5.25 drive; I can recall bolting one into the family's third PC (a P100 Packard Bell, the second one was a P75 they swapped out under warranty) because I had acquired a 286 "project machine" and wanted to be able to sneakernet it; I had an extra 5.25 drive but putting a 3.5" drive in the 286 would take several years and upgrades.

Re: It's 1994 and you Startup a Windows 3.11 Computer [video]

#16

Post by justsomehnguy »

_mlbt wrote: post #11
brudgers wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The computer did not look like 1994 to me either because of the more rounded aesthetics, the CD drive, and kind of because there's no 5.25" disk instead (something has to fill that bay). Also the bundled speakers. The internet says it came out in 1995. http://pbplanet.info/wiki/index.php/Force_482CDT Which seems like a quibble, but Windows 95 changed everything.

CD-ROM drives were much more common than 5.25” floppy disk drives by 1994. Several games and multimedia applications required them.

Depends on where you was. In 1994 a 2x CD-ROM was a top notch. By the end of '95 you could buy a CD for $5 with the all 3D games, but Duke3D didn't yet came out.

EDIT: my mind reminded me - Full Throttle and Lost Eden

Re: It's 1994 and you Startup a Windows 3.11 Computer [video]

#17

Post by brudgers »

_mlbt wrote: post #11
brudgers wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The computer did not look like 1994 to me either because of the more rounded aesthetics, the CD drive, and kind of because there's no 5.25" disk instead (something has to fill that bay). Also the bundled speakers. The internet says it came out in 1995. http://pbplanet.info/wiki/index.php/Force_482CDT Which seems like a quibble, but Windows 95 changed everything.

CD-ROM drives were much more common than 5.25” floppy disk drives by 1994. Several games and multimedia applications required them.

The price hadn’t fallen to the point where they were in mid-range PC’s from big box/discount brands like Packard Bell. Those brands mainly sold behind the curve (e.g. the RAM spec in this machine).

In 1994 a CD-ROM was still a bit premium. It would have made more business sense to put a floppy in one of the 5.25” bays for “compatibility.” And cost savings.

Windows 95 made CD-ROM a standard feature…most Windows 3 sold on floppy. Multimedia capable PC’s went mainstream with Windows 95 and Packard Bell was what your father-in-law bought at Office Depot.

Before that speakers and CD’s were the kind of thing added into a build.

Re: It's 1994 and you Startup a Windows 3.11 Computer [video]

#18

Post by _mlbt »

brudgers wrote: post #17
_mlbt wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CD-ROM drives were much more common than 5.25” floppy disk drives by 1994. Several games and multimedia applications required them.

The price hadn’t fallen to the point where they were in mid-range PC’s from big box/discount brands like Packard Bell. Those brands mainly sold behind the curve (e.g. the RAM spec in this machine). In 1994 a CD-ROM was still a bit premium. It would have made more business sense to put a floppy in one of the 5.25” bays for “compatibility.” And cost savings. Windows 95 made CD-ROM a standard feature…most Windows 3 sold…

I agree about the CD-ROM drives, they were definitely only in higher end machines. However, by 1994 5.25” floppies were long obsolete. You would have had to go out of your way get one at that point, which means that yes, in 1994 a machine was far more likely to be purchased with a CD-ROM drive than a 5.25” floppy.

Re: It's 1994 and you Startup a Windows 3.11 Computer [video]

#19

Post by ivorbuk »

486-dx2-66 in 1995, with CD-rom, maybe 16mb of RAM, 100mb HDD. (maybe 20, maybe 200, it was a long time ago).

Without an OS, self built, cost me approx ~£1600 (GBP). Saved all my McJob money for an entire year.

I remember the cost as it was 100% of the money I saved and my desire for more cpu power meant I couldnt upgrade my crt (amber monochrome).

I brought it all home on the bus.

Edit. 95, not 96.

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