''WarGames'' IMSAI 8080 Computer Up for Sale

[ta152h]

How is this thing a PC? It was created long before the PC ever came out. It's based on the 8080, not the 8088, and can't possibly run PC software.

It's also not even close to being the most expensive MICROCOMPUTER (the term you were searching for) ever sold. The original Apple sells for more than these.

Incidentally, for anyone who thinks Steve Jobs is the anti-Christ, or does a credible job imitating him, the original Apple sold for $666. Now a new one would sell for well over 100 times that, if one exists.

 

[warmon6]

[citation][nom]TA152H[/nom]How is this thing a PC? It was created long before the PC ever came out. It's based on the 8080, not the 8088, and can't possibly run PC software. It's also not even close to being the most expensive MICROCOMPUTER (the term you were searching for) ever sold. The original Apple sells for more than these. Incidentally, for anyone who thinks Steve Jobs is the anti-Christ, or does a credible job imitating him, the original Apple sold for $666. Now a new one would sell for well over 100 times that, if one exists.[/citation]

What are you going on about?

 

[Hilarion]

[citation][nom]regulas[/nom]What OS? Processing Power? Come on Tom's, a little more info next time.[/citation]
The OS was CP/M, the processing power was one of the original 8-bit CPU's called an 8080. As an added note the programming was done using the switches on the front panel until you loaded in the loader which could read paper tapes or cassettes. Great fun stuff.

 

[nahdogg]

Much rather have this than an I-Pad

 

[jgiron]

What OS? Processing Power? Come on Tom's, a little more info next time.

Dude's it's a movie prop from 1983. Besides causing WW3 it only has flashing lights

 

[isamuelson]

Can I overclock it? Will it play Doom?

 

[noodlegts]

Thank you Jane, for posting this. This made my day.

LOVE that film.

 

[Hilarion]

[citation][nom]jgiron[/nom]Dude's it's a movie prop from 1983. Besides causing WW3 it only has flashing lights[/citation]
It was a movie "prop" but also an actual/working computer. I forgot that in the movie it was sitting on the original dual drive 8" floppy accessory that IMSAI sold to go with it. A nice, if very antiquated machine.

 

[IncinX]

It's so sexy.

 

[nforce4max]

80S FTW!

Sham I don't got the cash...

 

[warezme]

I'd rather have WHOPPER

 

[jaybus]

[citation][nom]regulas[/nom]What OS? Processing Power? Come on Tom's, a little more info next time.[/citation]
It's a clone of the MITS Altair 8800. The OS is CP/M. The CPU is an 8-bit Intel 8080, which had a 8-bit data bus, but a 16-bit address bus that could address 64k (including RAM and ROM). It was an S-100 bus system. The bus slots are fitted with a CPU card, one or more static RAM cards (also I think 2 MHz), at least one RS-232 serial port card, and a disk controller card for the 8 inch floppy disk drive.

I'm not sure what the keyboard is all about. I never worked with this one, but the Compupro S-100 systems I worked with in 1979-1982 had only text console i/o via a RS-232 serial connection to a text terminal. I know that there were a few S-100 bus video cards made in the early 80's, though. Perhaps it's an RS-232 serial keyboard?

By the early 80's when the movie was made, many S-100 bus systems had 5 MB hard drives in addition to 8 inch or 5.25 inch floppies. At the time, they were considered more "professional" than the IBM PC, mostly because the first PC had only 5.25 inch floppies. The PC XT, the first PC with a hard drive, was introduced the same year (1983).

Plus, this thing just looks more sci-fi. The PC was an ugly utilitarian IBM design. All business and no flair.

 

[techguy911]

OPB reports that with an appraisal of more than $25,000, it could be the most expensive "PC" ever sold.

Are they saying most expensive pc they sold or ever sold because there are pc made by boutiques with diamonds on the case or in gold or platinum cases for $600,000+ US.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Most-Expensive-PC-Gaming-System-in-the-World-600-000-77418.shtml

 

[Hunter844]

Does it have USB 3.0 yet?

 

[obiown77]

That computer would cause a global....................Crysis!

 

[masop]

Here is the official web link. I'm reading this now...

http://www.imsai.net/movies/wargames.htm

 

[gm0n3y]

[citation][nom]warezme[/nom]I'd rather have WHOPPER[/citation]

Wait until tomorrow (Whopper Wednesday).

 

[warmon6]

[citation][nom]gm0n3y[/nom]Wait until tomorrow (Whopper Wednesday).[/citation]

Hmmm..... whoppers

 

[jimmysmitty]

[citation][nom]regulas[/nom]What OS? Processing Power? Come on Tom's, a little more info next time.[/citation]

Its a IMSAI 8080 so its probably either a Intel 8080 CPU or 8080 clone which ran at 2 whole awesome MHz. Probably ran on a internal OS and had the giant 640KB of memory.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_8080

Thats what I think it could be.

 

[jimmysmitty]

^Scratch that here are the specs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMSAI_8080

It is a Intel 8080 and 64K dynamic RAM.

 

[kelemvor4]

[citation][nom]insider3[/nom]20 years later they are gonna try to sell the Matrix.[/citation]
Someone would have to disconnect us all first, and the machines wouldn't have any part of that.

 

[ta152h]

[citation][nom]rooket[/nom]... and I was just reading yesterday that the term "PC" was already coined in the 1970s, hence what this TA152H guy is saying is absurd.[/citation]

Actually, you're wrong. The term "PC" was used after the creation of the IBM Personal Computer, or PC, which was created in August, 1981. The correct term for computers from that time are microcomputers. No one called an Apple II Plus a PC, or a TRS-80.

Now, I understand the idiots thinking this makes no difference, because, after all, that's what idiots do. They want things simple, and don't like details. But, when you perpetuate mistakes, they eventually become accepted as fact.

Now, again, idiots don't mind this. But, most people in technology actually do.

 

[ciscoj35]

SAC......where are you........get me an update on those subs. I wanna know what those b are up to

 

[Hilarion]

[citation][nom]jimmysmitty[/nom]Its a IMSAI 8080 so its probably either a Intel 8080 CPU or 8080 clone which ran at 2 whole awesome MHz. Probably ran on a internal OS and had the giant 640KB of memory.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_8080Thats what I think it could be.[/citation]
Correction: The 8088 had a whopping 640K of RAM but the 8080 was limited to a mere 64K since it only had a 16-bit address bus and an 8-bit data bus. If it had a Z-80 (an improved clone of the 8080 chip) it could address an additional 64K of RAM. Oh, and it inhabited a 40-pin DIP package and required an 8224 clock generator and an 8228 system controller.

 

[hemelskonijn]

I dont think i would ever be able to afford this and i think the same thing goes for a load of geeks that would really like to play with this (or the Altair it was based on for that matter) personally i am waiting for the day they start taking orders for DIY kits again (prices should be able to hit floor levels) i just hope if they ever do they stick to EXACT replica's not cheap rebuilds in a 2" form factor made of some hard plastic.