When did you first get into computer hardware?

[JMapleton]

I am curious as to how many of you have less than 5 years of experience taking a serious interest in computer hardware.

It was about 5 years ago I first learning about overclocking and and paying attention to core names of processors, things like that. Sure I was interested in computers for years before that, but I did not take a technical interest until about 5 years ago.

What is your age and when did you first start to take a serious interest in the technical aspect of computer hardware?

 

[spaceman]

i'll let you know as soon as i do

 

[sdifox]

son, you don't know hardware until you have acid washed an Apple ][ cloned motherboard.

ps do not keep the pail in your room. It is kindda dangerous and toxic.

 

[Linflas]

When I was trained to troubleshoot and repair the AN/AYK-10.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: sdifox
son, you don't know hardware until you have acid washed an Apple ][ cloned motherboard.

hardcore

i only get "into" hardware when i can afford it.

and buy get into i mean i tell gen hardware that i have money and let them pick parts and tell me what to do with them. i dont have it in me to keep on top of things, its overwhelming.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: xSauronx

Originally posted by: sdifox
son, you don't know hardware until you have acid washed an Apple ][ cloned motherboard.

hardcore

i only get "into" hardware when i can afford it.

and buy get into i mean i tell gen hardware that i have money and let them pick parts and tell me what to do with them. i dont have it in me to keep on top of things, its overwhelming.

This was obviously a few years back. No kid could afford a real Apple ][ at that time, so everyone got the board and traced it and acid washed it. Then hand soldered the sockets. That was when Taiwan got into the semi-conductor game. I was helping my cousin with it.

I was fortunate enough to actually own an apple ][ clone that is not home made. My dad brought it down from Taipei and we could not figure out how to load the software. We tried every tape deck we had in the store (dad owned an electronics distributor/retail store) and it only worked when we got to the cheapest deck. Turns out the other decks were filtering out noise

Shit, I just realised I have been playing with computers for 27 years...

 

[BW86]

I'm 22 now and I got into hardware around 8th grade, when I built my first gaming computer to play Half-life/Counter-Strike. So around 1999/2000.

 

[meltdown75]

that depends if you consider a 1200 baud C=64 modem "hardware"

technical aspect: 2004

 

[DaWhim]

when we have around first computer running window 3.1. Ms Paint was so fun! (scarasm)

 

[recoil80]

I think it was 1997, I started to use internet and read magazines. I was really interested in CPUs, motherboards etc.

 

[clamum]

I guess 7th or 8th grade, so about 13 or 14 years ago.

 

[FelixDeCat]

1982

 

[BrokenVisage]

When the digitizing gun from TRON shot me.

 

[Kirby]

Originally posted by: spaceman
i'll let you know as soon as i do

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: meltdown75
that depends if you consider a 1200 baud C=64 modem "hardware"

technical aspect: 2004

you mean 1200bits per second right? I can't recall any 1200baud modem. The 1200bit per second modem were operating on 600 Baud. Baud = symbols per second. In essence, the only time Baud rate = data rate was when 1 symbol = 1 bit.

As an example, 56k modem operate on 8000 baud.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
When the digitizing gun from TRON shot me.

fail

 

[pontifex]

i'm 28 (29 in march) and I think I was about 13 or so when i got my 1st pc. I was into computers before that though, my uncle and one friend had one that i enjoyed playing with.

I got more ram for my 1st pc maybe a year or so after I got it i think. other than that I didn't really mess with it. I don't think I really started getting into hardware until I was about 19 or 20 though.

 

[Mday]

10-11 years ago, around senior year in HS. First computer at 12 (17 years ago), but I was not "into" computers at the time. I always had a fascination with gadgets, and wanting to know how they worked.

 

[Modelworks]

1986 when I piggybacked ram chips to increase memory.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: meltdown75
that depends if you consider a 1200 baud C=64 modem "hardware"

technical aspect: 2004

you mean 1200bits per second right? I can't recall any 1200baud modem. The 1200bit per second modem were operating on 600 Baud. Baud = symbols per second. In essence, the only time Baud rate = data rate was when 1 symbol = 1 bit.

As an example, 56k modem operate on 8000 baud.

I had a 300baud modem . My mom was furious when she got a call from the telephone company wanting to know if we were aware our long distance had reached $450. I thought the BBS I was using was local . oops

 

[rh71]

I used to be into it more when I was a regular at hardwarecentral... registered May 1999 - I was already 21.

 

[BassBomb]

When I got my Voodoo2, around the time of NFS3

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: Modelworks

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: meltdown75
that depends if you consider a 1200 baud C=64 modem "hardware"

technical aspect: 2004

you mean 1200bits per second right? I can't recall any 1200baud modem. The 1200bit per second modem were operating on 600 Baud. Baud = symbols per second. In essence, the only time Baud rate = data rate was when 1 symbol = 1 bit.

As an example, 56k modem operate on 8000 baud.

I had a 300baud modem . My mom was furious when she got a call from the telephone company wanting to know if we were aware our long distance had reached $450. I thought the BBS I was using was local . oops

Expensive lesson in telecommunication

At least you were not on phone systems that charge by the minute like Taiwan.

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: meltdown75
that depends if you consider a 1200 baud C=64 modem "hardware"

technical aspect: 2004

you mean 1200bits per second right? I can't recall any 1200baud modem. The 1200bit per second modem were operating on 600 Baud. Baud = symbols per second. In essence, the only time Baud rate = data rate was when 1 symbol = 1 bit.

As an example, 56k modem operate on 8000 baud.

hey, i wasn't the one who named it... they called it a 1200 baud modem. *shrug*

 

[ComputerWizKid]

I was exposed to PC's in High School this was around 1998 I got my first computer around 1999 (A Dell Optiplex Pentium 90MHZ) It had no cdrom drive and no sound. I tried to put in one but I failed (Hey why do I still have extra pins exposed?, I used the first empty cable that looked like it will fit, Which I latter found out was the floppy drive B drive end)I now know so much about computers that I'm tech support for my whole family I want to get a job in the IT industry but no one will hire me without a collage education (Basically I'm a Loser,Sit home all day doing nothing)