Wanted: A500 hard drive unit

[BGary335]

Looking for a hard drive for my A500. However, I will only pay a reasonable price. There are currently a couple of hard drives on Ebay that are ridiculously expensive or are steadily climbing and getting closer to ridiculous(I'm not paying US$100 or more). If anyone has one they are willing to part with for something more reasonable, say $50-$75, let me know. Also I'd prefer to buy from someone here in the U.S., only because I don't really want to have to pay for international shipping.

[murple]

While I agree with your ideas of reasonable vs. ridiculous prices, I think the chances of you getting one for that price onlune is nearly zero. You might get lucky and run across one at a flea market or from a friend who has "old computer junk" in the closet... but I wouldn't get your hopes up too much. Thanks, ebay!

[Damion]

There are some DIY interfaces out there, otherwise you *might* get lucky and find a basic A590 for a reasonable price. You can also try googling and contacting some of the few joints that still sell old hardware.

Also, the ebay market does fluctuate a bit. Something that sells today for $100 may only fetch $19 six months down the road... just gotta be patient and keep the faith! ;-)

cheers


 

[rednova]

Friend:

I bought a hd for my a1200 from software hut. It was like us$ 90, but it was a 2giga hd...new, and with the OS and magic pack software included. I never ever regretted that buy..in fact i am very proud to have a nice 2 giga hd in my a1200. The 2 gig is so big..i intalled tons of good stuff (like 200 mb)and still have a truckload of free space.
It was 90 us$ for sure, but it was well worth it.

Rednova
-mobilis in mobile-

[BGary335]

Wow, where to start.

First of all, rednova, I'm not looking for a 2Gig hard drive. This is an Amiga, not a PC. A 200MB hard drive is more than sufficient. Second, we're talking about a computer that's what, 20 years old? Good grief, I wouldn't spen that kind of money for a hard drive for my PC let alone for an old 200MB HD for an A500. The problem with places like Ebay and flea markets is that people think they have gold. In the hunt for the almighty dollar folks have forgotten just what it is we're dealing with.

As for waiting...well, I've been looking for well over a year and prices haven't changed at all.

Your probably thinking "Yeah, well that's why we're called ENTHUSIASTS".  Well, I'm a huge Amiga fan, but if spending absolutley mind numbing amounts of money on 20+ year old computer parts is what is required for the title of enthusiast, count me out.

[murple]

First of all, rednova, I'm not looking for a 2Gig hard drive. This is an Amiga, not a PC.

Both my Amigas (1200 and 2000) have 4 gig drives. Start collecting games and demos, and you'd be surprised how fast that goes. I have 300 megs of games and about 400 megs of demos.

Second, we're talking about a computer that's what, 20 years old? Good grief, I wouldn't spen that kind of money for a hard drive for my PC let alone for an old 200MB HD for an A500. The problem with places like Ebay and flea markets is that people think they have gold. In the hunt for the almighty dollar folks have forgotten just what it is we're dealing with.

Well, while you're probably right feeling that way, you're also dealing with machines for which there is a thriving collectors' market, and regardless of whether or not these things actually are worth those prices, there are idiots willing to pay those prices. So, unless you find a seller who's never been exposed to a buyer willing to drop $200 on a 20 year old hard drive, there's not much you can do.

Your probably thinking "Yeah, well that's why we're called ENTHUSIASTS".  Well, I'm a huge Amiga fan, but if spending absolutley mind numbing amounts of money on 20+ year old computer parts is what is required for the title of enthusiast, count me out.

You're probably counted out then. You will almost certainly not find what you want online. I and others have found old Amiga/Commodore parts by asking friends (who often are willing to give the stuff away free since they consider it junk) or check flea markets and pawn shops... though you may go years without seeing a single Amiga item at those shops.

Your choices are really limited to one of:

* Pay the prices on ebay or a collector's shop

* Find somebody who doesn't know what the stuff sells for and get them to give it to you for free or cheap, either through a friend, flea markets, or yard sales

* Build your own hardware

Get it expensive but quick, get it cheap but slowly (read: years), or learn enough electronics to make your own.

You'd probably be able to find an Amiga 1200 or 2000 with a hard drive for WAY cheaper than an Amiga 500 hard drive.

[orange]

I'm looking for A500 HDD such as AlfaPower,
will pay 10$ more than BGary335

 :-P

[Olecranon]

BGary335 wrote:
Looking for a hard drive for my A500. However, I will only pay a reasonable price. There are currently a couple of hard drives on Ebay that are ridiculously expensive or are steadily climbing and getting closer to ridiculous(I'm not paying US$100 or more). If anyone has one they are willing to part with for something more reasonable, say $50-$75, let me know. Also I'd prefer to buy from someone here in the U.S., only because I don't really want to have to pay for international shipping.

One quick and dirty suggestion.  Forget the idea of buying a hard drive for your A500.  You can probably get a used A2000 with HD off ebay for less than the price you would pay for an A500 HD.  Shipping will cost more though.

[orange]

@Olecranon
in that case, he should probably go for a1200, they are not much more expensive (if at all) and offer a lot better gaming experience..

[BGary335]

I'm not looking for a gaming "experience". Again, this is not a PC. Although I will admit having a 1200 in my collection would be awesome!

Beleive me, 2GB is FARRRRR too much. I'm content with a couple hundred megs.

The prices that I've seen on 2000's would seem to indicate that my savings versus buying an A500 HD would be very slim, if any.

Trust me, I use all the methods for finding Amiga stuff. I leave no stone unturned.

LOL. You know, I'm only 21, but they way you guys talk I feel like I'm hanging with a bunch of teens bragging about their great gaming rigs. Shameful because most of us here almost have to be adults, and also shameful because, again, we're talking about Amiga's here.

[murple]

I'm not looking for a gaming "experience". Again, this is not a PC.

What the hell are you looking for then? As you say, this is not a PC. Running old games and demos are about all that old Amigas are good for (unless youre going to drop a ton of cash on frankenhardware like PPC CPUs and PCI busses... and even then...)

What exactly are you planning to use your Amiga for? Its not a very practical computer by modern standards. Its a great retro game/demo machine, but you say you don't want that either. Do you just want to say "I have an Amiga 500 with a hard drive!" and not use it for anything? I don't see the point.

Beleive me, 2GB is FARRRRR too much. I'm content with a couple hundred megs.

It doesnt matter if its 1MB or 200GB. A 2GB drive will cost you less than 10 dollars. Good luck finding a hard drive controller for an Amiga 500 for cheap though.

The prices that I've seen on 2000's would seem to indicate that my savings versus buying an A500 HD would be very slim, if any.

Trust me, I use all the methods for finding Amiga stuff. I leave no stone unturned.

Your first statement contradicts your second. You can get a nice Amiga 1200 for $150-200 and you can get a fully decked out Amiga 2000 for under $150. I got an Amiga 2000, 68030 accelerator, 4 gig hard drive full of software, a 1080 monitor, a Genlock, and a ton of disks and manuals all for about $160.

If you can find a hard drive unit for your Amiga 500 online for less than that, I will have to bow to your awesome skills. I'm pretty sure that will never happen though.

Shameful because most of us here almost have to be adults

While admittedly 21 is practically old enough to collect retirement benefits, I think the adult thing to do would be to accept that your wishes and reality do not match. You will probably not find an Amiga 500 hard drive for under $100. You probably can find an Amiga 2000 with a hard drive and probably a lot more for that.

If you want an Amiga with a hard drive, you have a few choices. You just have to pick one of the choices you actually have. Finding a $50 hard drive for your A500 online is probably not one of the choices open to you.

Good luck buddy.

[giZmo350]

It took me almost 3 years to get my A590 at a reasonable price - about $75 - and I had to outbid others on ebay. Time and luck my friend!   :-P

[BGary335]

I'm looking to play old games on an old computer. That's what most folks do on Amiga's, isn't it? The problem is that you folks are treating them like they're the latest, greatest gaming machine. Wake up to reality!

I want a smaller hard drive because I don't have enough software to warrant buying a 2GB hard drive, nor do I ever plan to obtain that much software.

Let's see...the HD I was talking about in my original post is currently going for $125 with only a few moments left. Better stretch those back muscles, cause your about to be bowing. BTW, here's another reality check for you: do you realize how much it would cost to ship a 20-30lb machine like an A2000? Add that to the purchase price and your looking at close to, if not more than, $200. Of course, we're not just talking about the machine itself. Its pretty useless unless it comes with a monitor, or your lucky enough to find one with a VGA card in it. A monitor adds another 10-20lbs to the shipment.

I have yet to see any Amiga 1200 for the low price your quoting. The 1200's I've seen on Ebay (as well as most dealer's websites) sell for upwards of $200.

You sir have lost touch with reality. If I don't find a HD for under $100, you know why? Because as I said before, people think they're selling treasures. It's all about the greenbacks. And the more the merrier.

[murple]

The problem is that you folks are treating them like they're the latest, greatest gaming machine.

No, the problem is that your ideas about the cost of Amiga parts and the requirements for a decent retro gaming machine do not have much connection to reality.

Let's see...the HD I was talking about in my original post is currently going for $125 with only a few moments left

But did you get it? No. And $125 is more than $100.

do you realize how much it would cost to ship a 20-30lb machine like an A2000?

Shipping cost under $20 for the A2000 I got with no monitor, and about $25 for the one with monitor.

By the way, the $160 was the TOTAL, including shipping.

I have yet to see any Amiga 1200 for the low price your quoting. The 1200's I've seen on Ebay (as well as most dealer's websites) sell for upwards of $200.

You haven't looked that hard then... there's been several threads on this forum in the last 2 days mentioning highly visible businesses selling Amiga 1200s for well under $200.

[BGary335]

I have not seen one A1200 for under $200 except for one that JUST went up. Every other one I've seen is at $200 or more with gazillions of bids.

That shipping cost is the most farfetched thing you've said so far today. Unless you lived next door to the guy who shipped it to you.

No, I didn't get the HD. I don't let myself get robbed of that kind of money for a piece of plastic and a 250mb HD.

My ideas are realistic. The problem isn't that my views aren't realistic. The problem is that what's realistic and what's actually happening are two very different things.