PCs now are historically as cheap as they have ever been. Both in terms of literal price per dollar for the amount of performance, and in terms of inflation adjusted prices.
That even extends to top tier PC builds including a 4090 for $3.3k. A top tier PC build in 1990, 2000, 2010, and most notably 2020 would have cost you substantially more. Way more inflation adjusted.
You can buy a fully functional, nearly current generation mini PC for around $150 USD with some form of warranty. Even the cheapest $500 budget PC from 1997 ($930 inflation adjusted) was barely capable of doing anything, just word processing. $150 in 2023 gets you a “family PC” nowadays.
Just some food for thought before you hate everything you see today.
TrollslayerL
I remember my friends dad paying 5k for a 486 back when they first released.
Dubya_Tea_Efff
I remember when you could get a top of the line GPU for under $700. Good times man, good times.
No_Interaction_4925
Ending the decade with SLI?
zenithtreader
As someone who forked around 4.5K CAD (~3K USD) for his first (average spec) PC back in 98, good old days were definitely not that cheap.
FuckedUpImagery
You can still buy a decent gaming PC for $600 today like you could since 2006ish. People are just dumb getting the absolute best hardware. Its social media, and the fact that gaming has gone mainstream and not just for nerds.
Youre seeing the idiots buying ferraris and lambos only to drive them on the regular road at 65mph.
Crewarookie
We out here living in 2024, my guy living in the year 2030 already! Damn. Speedrunning life much?
actioncheese
My parents brought a very mid range 386 at around 1990 and spent $5.5k. That’s around $12k now, so no, shits getting cheaper.
MaculaPravus
The first family IBM PC was a 12ghz Packard Bell Costing about $2000 with monitor, kb&m.
WrongSubFools
Which decade exactly?
Fallwalking
Man, let me tell you something. I spent $1500 of 1990’s money on a PC in 1997 which is roughly $3K today. I could play Quake though.
I did get a PC in a box with a monitor for $500 in 2002. Good ol eMachines.
Lets-watch-VHS
I feel like i went reverse according to this picture when I looked inside and miss that feeling
mylegbig
Then you’re dead wrong because PCs were expensive as shit in the 90s. Not only that, but it all became outdated quickly. People bitch now about their 3-4 year old GPUs not being able to play the latest AAA titles at max settings. Back then, a 4 year old system was just paperweight. You wouldn’t even be able to run the latest games, let alone at decent performance.
Even a budget system back then would cost about $2k now when adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile, now you can get a fully functional PC for about $50 if you’re only looking to do basic tasks.
Gammarevived
Hmm? PCs were way more expensive back then.
CuteNefariousness691
Saving for a decade you could probs get some quadro cards
RimRunningRagged
If you started out in the era with the first PC, I somehow doubt that you ended up with a PC bedecked with rainbow RGB fans in modern day…
kor34l
I dont understand the red things in the picture. Did you give up a testicle for the RGB?
Eat-My-Cloaca
Our first family computer cost like $4,500 in 1991 money
FranticToaster
Ditch the RGB, the unnecessary half of your fans and the custom cables and you’ll keep the kidney.
halfanothersdozen
As has been said when you adjust for inflation computers are cheaper than ever and they are one of the few technologies that has consistently gotten more powerful over time so your cheap as now computer is significantly more capable than the way more expensive machines of the past
Collector1337
The old days were not cheap. The problem now is that video cards are obscenely priced. And save money by not buying fancy glass case LED shit.
feastupontherich
Yeah with inflation we’re gonna need 2 kidneys for the 5090.
Male_Inkling
Eh… No. PCs back then were pretty much as expensive, if not more, than today. My og custom Pentium 100Mhz without a sound card was comparatively almost as expensive as my actual rig, taking inflation into account.
There was never a time where PCs werent as expensive, the price balance of components just shifted from CPUs to GPUs
admfrmhll
I started with a 286 (had other things before like hc), was expensive as hell. I prefer those days, even with 4090 prices.
Phaylz
Glasses a really rosey on this one
Exce55um
It is not really fair comparison between an old standard home computer with n new pimped out gaming rig. Regular home computer is fairly cheap to day to with the taking the inflation in account. It only starting to be expensive wen you start to buy high end video cards and aesthetics large monitors can be a bit expensive too.
Thegoatfetchthesoup
PCs were actually a lot more expensive lol.
Genotabby
Damn you should cut down on those energy drinks.
KaptainSaki
The first pc probably costed more than the second, the prices were nuts back then.
EiffelPower76
In the good old days, internet was not full of social networks with people always complaining
2023 has really been the year of the explosion of social networks
ShutterBun
Holy shit OP, do you NOT know how much PC’s cost. Just…wow.
Prudent_Champion_302
A decent game rig in 1993 was like $5000. So not sure why you’d say that.
NeverRolledA20IRL
I remember dad dropping $2500, on a Pentium 2 350mhz, 64mb ram, 16mb 3d rage pro, 4x dvd-rom. Then another $1200 on a Sony F520 monitor, that was around 96-97. PCs have dropped in price like crazy since then.
CelestialSlayer
Don’t think you know what a decade is.
JmTrad
i learned my lesson that i don’t need to spend all my money on a pc since very few AAA games caught my attention
Eclopsod
They were never cheap
ButterflyEffect37
I mean the specs weren’t really that good in “good old days”
pxldsilz
Bro’s never paid $1,100 for a floor model tandy
Electronic-Disk6632
I Spent 2200 dollars on a gaming rig in 2001. in todays dollars thats close to 4 grand. shit has not gotten more expensive. high end, is high end. low end still exists and is incredibly powerful, but every one here is complaining about the price of a 4090.
TheAtrocityArchive
I paid £130 for a 32mb Quantum Fireball HDD many moons ago, least I didn’t have to buy a gfx back then I suppose.
Odisher7
I think it’s just we didn’t have such expensive tastes. I used to play games at like 25 fps and was happy, now i get annoyed if i get less than 130. Pretty sure a pc that runs minecraft at 25 fps would be pretty cheap
Whitem4ne
I’d like to know who traded you a gaming pc for a kidney and a wallet full of cash
42 Comments
PCs now are historically as cheap as they have ever been. Both in terms of literal price per dollar for the amount of performance, and in terms of inflation adjusted prices.
That even extends to top tier PC builds including a 4090 for $3.3k. A top tier PC build in 1990, 2000, 2010, and most notably 2020 would have cost you substantially more. Way more inflation adjusted.
You can buy a fully functional, nearly current generation mini PC for around $150 USD with some form of warranty. Even the cheapest $500 budget PC from 1997 ($930 inflation adjusted) was barely capable of doing anything, just word processing. $150 in 2023 gets you a “family PC” nowadays.
Just some food for thought before you hate everything you see today.
I remember my friends dad paying 5k for a 486 back when they first released.
I remember when you could get a top of the line GPU for under $700. Good times man, good times.
Ending the decade with SLI?
As someone who forked around 4.5K CAD (~3K USD) for his first (average spec) PC back in 98, good old days were definitely not that cheap.
You can still buy a decent gaming PC for $600 today like you could since 2006ish. People are just dumb getting the absolute best hardware. Its social media, and the fact that gaming has gone mainstream and not just for nerds.
Youre seeing the idiots buying ferraris and lambos only to drive them on the regular road at 65mph.
We out here living in 2024, my guy living in the year 2030 already! Damn. Speedrunning life much?
My parents brought a very mid range 386 at around 1990 and spent $5.5k. That’s around $12k now, so no, shits getting cheaper.
The first family IBM PC was a 12ghz Packard Bell Costing about $2000 with monitor, kb&m.
Which decade exactly?
Man, let me tell you something. I spent $1500 of 1990’s money on a PC in 1997 which is roughly $3K today. I could play Quake though.
I did get a PC in a box with a monitor for $500 in 2002. Good ol eMachines.
I feel like i went reverse according to this picture when I looked inside and miss that feeling
Then you’re dead wrong because PCs were expensive as shit in the 90s. Not only that, but it all became outdated quickly. People bitch now about their 3-4 year old GPUs not being able to play the latest AAA titles at max settings. Back then, a 4 year old system was just paperweight. You wouldn’t even be able to run the latest games, let alone at decent performance.
Even a budget system back then would cost about $2k now when adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile, now you can get a fully functional PC for about $50 if you’re only looking to do basic tasks.
Hmm? PCs were way more expensive back then.
Saving for a decade you could probs get some quadro cards
If you started out in the era with the first PC, I somehow doubt that you ended up with a PC bedecked with rainbow RGB fans in modern day…
I dont understand the red things in the picture. Did you give up a testicle for the RGB?
Our first family computer cost like $4,500 in 1991 money
Ditch the RGB, the unnecessary half of your fans and the custom cables and you’ll keep the kidney.
As has been said when you adjust for inflation computers are cheaper than ever and they are one of the few technologies that has consistently gotten more powerful over time so your cheap as now computer is significantly more capable than the way more expensive machines of the past
The old days were not cheap. The problem now is that video cards are obscenely priced. And save money by not buying fancy glass case LED shit.
Yeah with inflation we’re gonna need 2 kidneys for the 5090.
Eh… No. PCs back then were pretty much as expensive, if not more, than today. My og custom Pentium 100Mhz without a sound card was comparatively almost as expensive as my actual rig, taking inflation into account.
There was never a time where PCs werent as expensive, the price balance of components just shifted from CPUs to GPUs
I started with a 286 (had other things before like hc), was expensive as hell. I prefer those days, even with 4090 prices.
Glasses a really rosey on this one
It is not really fair comparison between an old standard home computer with n new pimped out gaming rig. Regular home computer is fairly cheap to day to with the taking the inflation in account. It only starting to be expensive wen you start to buy high end video cards and aesthetics large monitors can be a bit expensive too.
PCs were actually a lot more expensive lol.
Damn you should cut down on those energy drinks.
The first pc probably costed more than the second, the prices were nuts back then.
In the good old days, internet was not full of social networks with people always complaining
2023 has really been the year of the explosion of social networks
Holy shit OP, do you NOT know how much PC’s cost. Just…wow.
A decent game rig in 1993 was like $5000. So not sure why you’d say that.
I remember dad dropping $2500, on a Pentium 2 350mhz, 64mb ram, 16mb 3d rage pro, 4x dvd-rom. Then another $1200 on a Sony F520 monitor, that was around 96-97. PCs have dropped in price like crazy since then.
Don’t think you know what a decade is.
i learned my lesson that i don’t need to spend all my money on a pc since very few AAA games caught my attention
They were never cheap
I mean the specs weren’t really that good in “good old days”
Bro’s never paid $1,100 for a floor model tandy
I Spent 2200 dollars on a gaming rig in 2001. in todays dollars thats close to 4 grand. shit has not gotten more expensive. high end, is high end. low end still exists and is incredibly powerful, but every one here is complaining about the price of a 4090.
I paid £130 for a 32mb Quantum Fireball HDD many moons ago, least I didn’t have to buy a gfx back then I suppose.
I think it’s just we didn’t have such expensive tastes. I used to play games at like 25 fps and was happy, now i get annoyed if i get less than 130. Pretty sure a pc that runs minecraft at 25 fps would be pretty cheap
I’d like to know who traded you a gaming pc for a kidney and a wallet full of cash