What extremely rare (non-prototype) computers do you wish you could find?

[Dodoid]

For me, it would be the SGI IRIS 1000 (very first product, unbelievably rare), the Apple DTS (First Intel Mac, Pentium 4 with special build of 10.4, had to be returned to Apple after a few months so only a few remain), the Atari ATW-800 (bizarre Atari UNIX-like workstation with up to 17 CPUs and a complete Atari ST as an input processor), and the ThinkPad Reserve Edition (very rare limited edition ThinkPad X61 sold for $5000 by invite only). Can't really think of anything else that uncommon right now. What systems of that sort of rarity are you looking for?

[Raion-Fox]

Any of the Commodore A3500/Nyx/A3000+/Advanced Amiga models.

The rare SGI Origin 2000s that were equipped with prototype Itaniums (you were going to be able to swap out a nodeboard and boom have an Itanium SGI running IRIX.

Honestly though, I'm far more interested in rare games, rare software and source code to existing software than some prototype/low production model computer.

[Trippynet]

I'd like to find a Banana2k prototype, but I'm not even sure if any exist. Apparently it did reach prototype stage (dual core MIPS, nVidia graphics). Would be pretty cool!

[smj]

I want my IRIS 3130 back, if the guy I sold it to ("Aardvark") ever comes across this...

A Symmetric 375 - NS32016-based system by Bill Jolitz (386BSD), runs 4BSD UNIX.

An Onyx Systems C8002 - a Z8000 system shipped in 1980, running 7th Edition UNIX.

[jan-jaap]

A mint condition Professional IRIS in working condition, with some spare parts.

[spiroyster]

Pixar Image Computer. :drool:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixar_Image_Computer

[Y888099]

I'd like to see and try in person a working BeBox unit running BeOS (Be Inc Operating System) on a couple of PPC603 @66Mhz, and then I'd like to compare results with the @133Mhz version. Be sold around one thousand @66MHz BeBoxes and some hundreds 133@MHz BeBoxes, so I might have a chance.

[duewix]

I've been searching for years for a Luna 88k - up to 4 88000 processors. CMU did a lot of the Mach kernel development on these so I figured I'd be able to track one down (live in Pittsburgh). So far, I've only come across one of the cpu boards.

[ScutBoy]

I'd like a Thinking Machines CM-2 - the cubical one.

A much more realistic desire is an Apple //e -> IIgs "stealth" upgrade - the IIgs board in the IIe case with the updated backpanel and the IIgs nameplate.

[uunix]

IMSAI 8080 as used in War Games, along with the floppy disks etc.
Interestingly, I posted on here some years back that one had gone for £700-ish on ebay in the UK, but can't find it now.

Anyway, would be good fun.. "I have you now..".

[itsvince725]

That PPC ThinkPad. I highly doubt I'll ever find one.

[kramlq]

Mainly systems with an unusual form factor or configuration, or rare systems that can only run a particular OS no other system can:

- Ross SPARCplug - A SPARCstation spec slot-in module in a mini tower form factor system.

- Omron Luna88k - For exactly the same reasons duewix mentioned - a history connected with early CMU Mach research.

- Any of the Microsoft MIPS Jazz design derivatives i.e.
- MIPS Magnum 4000 - MIPS System that can run RISC/os, and Windows NT/MIPS - both pretty obscure OSes.
- NEC RISCstation - Multiprocessor MIPS with PCI for Windows NT/MIPS
- NeTpower FASTseries Falcon
Jazz was a PC-style system with MIPS CPU used for early NT development. I even have a boxed MSVC++ MIPS compiler in case I ever do come across one. I did get a SNI RM200C, but with a dead PSU and no boot firmware disk, so I cant really use it.

- MIPS Computer UltraP R4X00+Pentium - Has both a MIPS and Pentium on a board, and you can "dual boot" NT on either.

- Total Impact BriQ - PPC Board in packaged in a CDROM style housing, to go into a host PC system.

- SPARCstation ZX - A ZX board in a lunchbox SPARCstation. Not sure if they are truly extremely rare, but I've never seen one for sale.

Some of the above are so rare I've never even seen a photo of them, but based on magazine reviews, they do appear to exist. And during my teaching days, I sometimes studied the Linux MIPS ports to some of these obscure systems like Jazz derivatives.

[ClassicHasClass]

Wouldn't mind an STbook (I had a STacy, but it was crap, and got stolen when there was a big storage unit robbery in the last place I rented).

I'd like an AlphaBook, too. I have the other major RISCbooks (PA-RISC, ThinkPad PPC, Ultra-3 and SPARCbook), and that would complete the cycle. A later PPC ThinkPad would be nice also (the 66MHz 603 in this 800 is a drag).

And really any 88K system. It's the major architecture I'm missing in my collection.

I'll take a CM-2 if someone's getting rid of one.

Ones I have that others have mentioned: 133MHz BeBox, IMSAI 8080, ThinkPad 800.

[computron]

-an SGI 4d/70 or any dual tower
-Amiga 3000 tower
-Commodore C65
-cray cx1
-next cube
-any apollo
etc....

Cheers

Eve

[nyef]

A TI microExplorer. Even just as an upgrade kit rather than as a full machine.