30 Old PC Ads That Will Blow Your Processor

Many people today either are too young to have ever seen some early pc’s or have forgotten what they looked like and how much they cost. Today we complain about the cost of a laptop running 2Ghz with 4GB ram for a cost of $ 400.00, however it wasn’t that long ago that laptops and pc’s were priced quite a bit higher. Here are 30 Old PC ads that will make you laugh and possibly appreciate what you have today.


10MB Drive for $ 3398.00
Today you can get a 1TB drive for $ 85.00
1TB is about 100,000 times larger than 10MB
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This is an early Laptop, with 64K of memory
Today laptops have 2 to 4 Gig of memory
4GB is about 64,000 times larger than 64K
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Here are two disk systems, 80MB for $ 12K and 300MB for $ 20K
Today you can get a DVD that holds 4Gig for $ .75 each
A 4GB DVD is about 14 times larger than a 300MB Disk
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Here is a 16K RAM Memory Card, $ 495.00
Today you can get 4GB RAM for $ 99.00
4GB Ram is about 256,000 times larger than 16K
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This is an early modem, delivering 4800 BPS
Modems today deliver 56K
56K is about 12 times faster
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This early PC is offering dual floppy drives and 128K of RAM
Today PC’s have between 2 to 4 GB RAM
4GB RAM is about 32,000 times larger than 128K
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Yes this was my first video game system. Yes those are the joy sticks.
Todays game systems are far more advances in graphics, controlers, etc.
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Here is another early laptop, this one can expand up to 640KB RAM
Today laptops have 2 to 4 Gig of memory
4GB is about 6,000 times larger than 640KB
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Checkout this Amiga, promoting the quality of graphics it can produce.
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Apple does it again, 5Mhz with 1MB RAM
Today PCs are 3Ghz with 4GB RAM
3Ghz is 600 times faster and 4GB RAM is 4000 times larger than 1MB RAM
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This ATARI Computer has 48K or RAM and offers 128 colors
Today PC’s have 4GB RAM and offer 32 Bit color which is 4.2 billion colors
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The TRS-80 was produced in the late 70’s and early 80’s with 1.7Mhz processor and 4KB RAM
Today PCs are 3Ghz with 4GB RAM
3Ghz is 1700 times faster and 4GB RAM is 1 Million times larger than 4KB RAM
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This early pc offered a 13″ screen for just $ 3300.00
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I’m not sure about the specs, but this looks more like a typewritter
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The price is coming down, this pc offeres 4KB RAM for only $ 249.00
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The ACE1000 offers 64KRAM and includes upper and lower case keys, plus num lock
Today pc’s offer 4GB RAM and all include shift keys plus num lock
4GB is about 6,000 times larger than 640KB
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Get up and running right with this PC, offering 4K RAM and a cassette player
I’m not sure you can even buy cassette’s anymore
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This was the latest and greatest in laptop design
How would you like to carry that around during school
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The TRS-80 was produced in the late 70’s and early 80’s with 1.7Mhz processor and 4KB RAM
Today PCs are 3Ghz with 4GB RAM
3Ghz is 1700 times faster and 4GB RAM is 1 Million times larger than 4KB RAM
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How about another 10MB Hard Drive for $ 3,495.00
Today you can get a 1TB drive for $ 85.00
1TB is about 100,000 times larger than 10MB
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One of Mac’s early computers, offeres 32 Bit Processor
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Here’s a 15MB Hard Drive for $ 2,495.00, the price is coming down
Today you can get a 1TB drive for $ 85.00
1TB is about 69,000 times larger than 15MB
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This Tandy 5000 offers a blazing 20Mhz processor and 2MB RAM
Today PCs are 3Ghz with 4GB RAM
3Ghz is 150 times faster and 4GB RAM is 2000 times larger than 2MB RAM
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Here’s a PC in a breifcase, complete with modem and 5″ monitor.
Today pc’s don’t have to plug the whole phone in, just the phone line and have up 22″+ monitors.
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Checkout the joysticks and other options that come with this pc.
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Produced in early 80’s, the VIC-20 came with 5KB RAM
Today pc’s come with 4GB RAM
4GB is about 838,000 times larger than 5KB
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For only $ 999.00 you can get this pc that offers 384K RAM and 20M Hard Disk Card.
Today pc’s come with 4GB RAM and 500+ GB Drives
4GB is about 10,000 times larger than 384KB RAM and 500 GB drive is about 25000 times larger than 20M
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Here’s a basic pc that offered 4K RAM that you had to hook up to a TV.
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Another personal pc that offeres 4K RAM for under $ 199.95, but didn’t come with a monitor.

The ZX81 offered 1K RAM but expanded up to 16K RAM and could hook up to any TV

WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.

It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul.

We love the accolades. We love to be seen as the digital white knight fixed the server, the computer, the email, and anything else that life depends on.

We love it so much, we sometimes make horrible decisions. Sometimes, we work "FOR FREE."

We've all done it. A friend, a neighbor, a relative, a good client, a bad client, a pretty girl... Whoever it was, and for whatever reason, we all threw them a technological bone and fixed something for free. In rare instances, it can be a rewarding experience. Perhaps your buddy gave you a beer. Maybe someone said thank you. Maybe there was a smile on their face, and that was rewarding enough.

More likely, however, that five minute task you thought you were signing up for turned into 40 minutes, then an hour, then a commitment. Wow. You didn't see that coming.

There are 5 reasons you should ALWAYS hand out a bill.

1 You Break it You Bought it.

When you sit down to fix a problem that presented as a simple one you are creating a contract. Not a legal contract, but a social one. The computer owner is trusting their computer with you. It's their baby, and you're the doctor. So you sit down, and begin to fix a problem. In the process, something else breaks. You fixed one thing, but something else goes awry. What's the best part? Neither you nor the user notice it is broken until a day later when they call you to blame you for breaking something else. "I thought you were going to fix it." They complain. This is the primary reason you charge money to fix something. You break it, you bought it. The user / owner will expect you to warranty your service even though THEY received all the value of your time, and you received nothing in exchange.

2 People don't respect things that are free.

I learned that quote from a man who runs a non-profit organization. Image that. A man who solicits donations for a living candidly told me "people don't respect things that are free." You know what? He's right. Free advice. Free upgrade. Free entry. None are valued. Free advice is seldom wanted. Free upgrade was something you were going to get anyway. Free entry? The band playing tonight must not be any good. People associate the value of service with the amount of money that is exchanged for it. How else do you think that lawyer can get away with charging $400 an hour? People naturally make the assumption that if it costs an arm and a leg, then it must be worth it. So, if customers and friends will assume that the most expensive car is the best one, what will they assume of the free car? Do you want the heart surgeon who charges $500,000 per surgery or the one who works for beer to operate on your mother?

3 They will expect it forever.

In law, the concept of a precedent is vitally important. Judges and lawyers look to previous cases to decide what the interpretation of the law was because if a case was settled one way before, chances are, it will be settled that way again. Gamblers playing craps look at the past behavior of the dice to, mistakenly, assume that the good luck will continue. Users will figure if you fixed it once for free, you'll do it forever for free. There is no reason why they should respect the thousands of hours you have spent learning and researching the art of computer science. There is no reason that they should respect the certifications you hold. There is no reason that they should honor your abilities by paying your fees. Why? Because you did it for free. Once! When they come back and you try to get fees, they will meet you with resistance in the form of guilt. "I thought we were friends" they cry. "You didn't charge me anything last time." They argue. Setup the expectation that they are going to pay (or barter) from the onset. Demand the respect that you deserve. Make sure they understand you are a professional. After all, that is the difference between a professional and an amateur. Professionals get compensated for their skills.

4 The demands will only grow with time.

Give them an inch, and they will take you through three operating system upgrades, two virus infections, and a crashed hard drive. Once you've set the precedent and created the expectation that you are their knight in shining armor, they will begin to call you for everything. They will suck up your time and resources. They will not be grateful. They will involve you in 30 minute hypothetical conversations then disagree with your expertise.

5 It Weakens Your Backbone

Working for free is not only unprofitable, it weakens your constitution as a professional consultant. For many consultants, asking for money is difficult. They email out a silent invoice after the fact and hope they get paid. This practice can lead to unbalanced books, debt, and a going out of business sign. The simple fact is: if you don't ask for your money, you're not going to get paid. No one just hands out checks. Setting up the expectation, especially when you fix a computer for the first time for a client, is vitally important in establishing boundaries that ensure you are paid in a timely fashion. Working for free, throwing out freebies, "comp"-ing your time hurts your ability to ask for the sale. It hurts your credibility because the client will assume that if you're not charging them for a given task, you didn't know what you were doing or you made mistakes. It may give you butterflies, but ask for the money. Do it openly and notoriously. Your clients will take it as a sign of confidence.