- I believe today that - from a system standpoint - I'm done collecting for the foreseeable future now. It's always fun to look, but with this addition I feel like I've got everything I could ever want. Very peaceful feeling, that.
I’ve been looking for an A3000 for what feels like a
very long time. I lamented to a my friend Mattsoft a few months ago that the 3000 had become my unicorn. The machines are so scarce I didn't think I'd ever find a working one less than the cost of my first born.
The sad truth is due to the battery location in the 3000, when they start to leak they take out a lot of machines permanently. And whenever you
do find one that still works they go for stupid money.
And I just refuse to spend that kind of money on a nearly 30 year-old computer. It just seems irresponsible. So, I gave up seriously looking at Ebay and started peering into other corners of the internet for a change.
About a month ago I found a
very nice looking A3000 for sale from a single owner in the Bay Area. The case and keyboard has no discoloration, no markings - it's virgin.
I contacted him, but he wanted to sell it in a large lot with another Amiga AND a large pile of books and software with local pick-up only. I went ahead and submitted a fair (but below market value) offer anyway. I figured it couldn't hurt.
- She works! She's a modest system, but in some of the most pristine condition I've ever seen. Looks super sweet with my 1084S.
Three weeks later, I checked again and the computer was still sitting there amongst all of the other things. I contacted the gentleman again, this time asking about the battery condition. He honestly didn’t know. In two days he got back to me - there was indeed battery damage, but it was localized and not the worst I’ve seen by any stretch of the imagination.
After that info, though, I gave him a new offer - lower than before. He agreed to my terms and was willing to ship it to me! I had to convince him to create a PayPal account, and by doing so my payment fired off automatic alarm bells at PayPal, but I authorized it and it went through.
- The seller smartly packed the machine in the original box, and put that box in a cushioned second box. So refreshing to get an important package like that (and rare!).
Two days later, one of the finest (and final) additions to my vintage computer collection has locked into place. It’s just gorgeous!
This A3000 is a modest machine. It has 1MB Chip and is of the 16Mhz CPU variety. With Mattsoft’s help, I’ve already ordered the RAM to upgrade the machine to 2MB Chip - it’s socketed and easy to reach with just taking off the cover and the RAM cost less than $20.
It also has several empty sockets for Fast RAM, which has also been ordered from China. The Fast RAM upgrade requires the motherboard be removed even though it is socketed - they are under the floppy drive area. So I’ll remove the battery and clean the motherboard while also adding the RAM at the same time. The motherboard has sockets for 16MB Fast!
Once the Fast and Chip are upgraded, this beautiful little 3000 is going to be so sweet. The machine currently runs (quite smoothly) off an original internal 100MB HDD, too.
The case, the keyboard - everything is just perfect. I barely even have to clean the thing. For now I’ll be pairing it with my 1084S monitor, which looks really sharp from an aesthetics standpoint. The two look made for each other.
- The keyboard is mint. I barely even have to clean it.
- Out of pure luck, I received a package from a different deal a few days earlier and there was a generous free "pregnant mouse" in the package. It's as if fate knew a 3000 was on its way.
- The original owner saved everything in near-perfect condition that he received and used with his A3000. I even got the original manuals, which - frankly - I'm looking forward to reading in non-PDF format!
The only downside is the 1084S doesn’t support the Super Hires / Interlace modes. But that doesn’t matter that much to me right now. I’ve only got a small handful of programs that even require higher resolutions.
I may have to move my beloved A2000 off the desk for a while. I’ve much to learn with the 3000 and I’m really looking forward to it.
Dream come true.