I had a reality check earlier today while I was looking through my Quicken registers. I came across some old transactions for RAM, Hard Drives and other assorted equipment that I had bought in years past. It was quite an eye-opening experience. What I paid 15 years ago for memory and storage space was absolutely outrageous by today’s standards. Try these on for size….
March 1996: 16MB RAM cost me $257.00
May 1997: 48MB RAM cost me $358.00
August 1999: 64MB RAM cost me $120.00
November 2004: 1 GB RAM cost me $220.99
On June 20, 2000 I purchased an 18GB Hitachi hard drive for $215.00. Just a few weeks ago I bought a 2TB external HD for $97.19.
I know that anyone who has been buying computer stuff for 15 years or more will have similar remembrances, but it’s not always something we think about unless we’re prompted by an old receipt or something.
Just thought I’d share my “expensive” purchases. I’m kind of glad I don’t have access to my Quicken receipts prior to 1996 because looking at prices earlier than that would be really upsetting. In 1982 I remember buying a 64K RAM module for my Timex-Sinclair ZX81 computer. I think it cost about $49.95… for 64K! The computer itself cost about $149 as I recall. Ah, the good ‘ol days. Let’s see, about the same time as the ZX81, I had a Texas Instruments Ti-99/4a and that was followed closely by a Commodore Vic20 and then a Commodore 64. Then about 1989 I bought my first Mac, an SE/30.
Do you have any fond memories?