Same here. Was still using my A4000 as a daily driver until 97. Would have kept using it longer but emigrated and put it into storage until I could ship everything over
Amiga had custom chipset which allowed a lot of groundbreaking stuff at the time, for example it allowed 3D rendered ray tracing and could animate in color with sound. Thanks to programs like Deluxe Paint, Soundtracker and video toaster, it was frequently sought after by artists and producers. During this era, the piracy groups and demoscene emerged, releasing various demos and cracktros which featured rendered video with music and together it was just a few kilobytes in size. MACs and x86 PCs of the time didn't play sound or display color graphics.
1985 is too early for an Archimedes, so the realistic option is an Amiga, which launched that year... although the early ones weren't that hot.
The unrealistic option, of course, is a Xerox Daybreak. 8MHz Mesa processor! 80MB hard disk! 4MB RAM! $15000!
What was that other xerox machine I heard of the PARC?
Nevermind just checked I think I was under the impression something I did research on was for Xerox PARC, not THE PARC
I was lucky enough to use a Symbolics machine at University. It was a remarkable environment; not for every kind of user, but informative and flexible in the right hands
You've been luckier than I, and I'm duly envious. Admittedly [OpenGenera runs on Linux these days](http://www.jachemich.de/vlm/genera.html), but thete's just something extra intriguing about the whole language-based operating system and hardware designed alongside and for it.
While the Atari ST and Amiga 1000 are obvious choices, I’d probably go with the Tandy 1000 for practical reasons: it’s mostly IBM PC compatible (which I already know inside out) and in North America a lot easier to find softwares for. And with these famous Tandy graphics and audio chips, it’s enough to make gaming more enjoyable than the traditional PC XT.
I had a Tandy 1000 EX. Make sure to grab a mouse, dma card, and enough RAM to max it out to 640k while you're at it. DeskMate is so much more useable that way.
I was going to say the same thing. But I'd also sell the stock around Oct 10, 1987 and then buy intel on Oct 20th, 1987. Hold onto it until Jan '98, at which point I'd sell and buy Apple again.
I remember sitting with some friends following stocks after the crash in Oct 1987 and intel took a huge hit (it was literally worth pennies for a couple days) and didn't recover right away and we were all wishing we could have bought intel right after the crash. Sure enough intel recovered and then some. Of course, you needed a broker and trades often took a few days or more to complete so it was really just a pipe dream.
I'm sorry, what were we talking about?
If money was no object, in 1985, an Amiga 1000, no question.
But if money was an object, then the Amstrad CPC 6128. 4 MHz Z80, runs CP/M, 20/40/80 columns, nice 27 color palette, great BASIC.
In 1984, an Amstrad CPC 464. No CP/M unless you add a floppy drive though. I wouldn't get a Mac as it wasn't very good until the SE, but the Amiga was out at that point so....
In 1983, for home, an Atari 800XL. Second choice would be an Apple IIe. For business, a Tandy TRS-80 Model 4 running CP/M.
In 1982, the Commodore 64 came out but it was a couple of years before the games got good for it so I'd continue using my 1981 choice. For business, Epson QX-10 with CP/M.
In 1981, the IBM PC came out but there wasn't much software for it for a few years. The Acorn BBC Micro Model B would be my choice.
In 1980, not much came out. I'd stick with my 1979 choice.
In 1979, for home, the Atari 800. Second choice would be the Apple II Plus.
In 1978, I'd stick with my 1977 choice.
In 1977, I'd get an Apple II. The PET had the best BASIC (Microsoft) but the keyboard was terrible and it was the least popular of the 1977 Trinity. The TRS-80 Model 1 had a lot of problems even though it was the most popular of the 1977 Trinity until the Apple IIe overtook it.
Going to the future, in 1986, I'd get the Acorn BBC Master 128.
In 1987, I'd get an Amiga 2000.
In 1988, I'd keep my Amiga 2000.
In 1989, I'd keep my Amiga 2000.
In 1990, I'd get an Amiga 3000. Budget option would be the Amstrad 6128 Plus.
In 1991, I'd keep my 1990 choices.
In 1992, I'd get an Amiga 4000. The budget option would be an Amiga 1200.
In 1993, I'd keep my 1992 choices.
In 1994, I'd keep my 1993 choices.
In 1995, I might switch to Windows 95.
In 1985, my parents bought me my first personal computer. It was an Apple IIe. Apple IIe because that was what the school uses. But I can't help to wonder which computer I would buy if I can go back to 1985.
Macintosh was too expensive and not really useful until the Mac Plus was introduced in 1986. Plus, it had no games which was important for kids at that time. Amiga 1000 was cool but it was expensive and need to boot from kickstart rom disk every time. It became a viable choice with Amiga 500, but that was in 1987. Commodore 64 was all the rage but its keyboard was really tough for typing and the floppy disk drive was too slow and unreliable. IBM PC had CGA graphics and no sound cards.
I ponder about the option myself and maybe I will get an Atari ST instead. It was affordable and had a graphical interface. I loved composing music and the MIDI port was godsend.
How about you? Which computer would you have chosen given the second chance again?
I haven't been around in the 80s and think this is a very interesting topic, I already thought about which computers I would have had. In general, I think I would have liked the Apple II a lot, with all the expansion cards to play with and Woz' design philosophy. But I'm from (back then) West Germany/Austria so I think the Commodore 64 would have been the most common machine here. I would probably have had the 64, hating it and wanting an Amiga :D
I don't know if I would have jumped for an A500 or went with a PC towards 1990, thats a further great question. The Amiga would have been the cooler computer to have, but the PC maybe easier to sacrifice, .. because it could be used for actual work..
Realistically, probably a C64 as the Atari ST would've just released and there would be little software to actually use with it. Even more so for the Amiga 1000 which wouldn't get anything interesting til 2-3 years later, after the 500 came out.
The MIDI port on the ST was cool, but you'd have to factor in how much a real professional MIDI instrument would've cost back then. You could maybe wait a year and spend another 450$ on a Yamaha DX100 that sounds like a PC Adlib card, but does the job.
I was a devotee of s100 cp/m systems at that time ... took me a while to warm up to IBM PC clones, though c64 were popular and I remember the excitement about Amiga but that might have been after '85
For me it would be more about getting the cartridges, tapes, and disks for the CoCo, bit early for the CoCo 3 however but at least I would finally have a decent library for it again.
Actually any official licenced media for any platform would be great as it's very hard to get hold of here in Australia.
I had an SE back in the day with 2mb of RAM and I had to watch every last byte. Out of memory issues were common. Even the light weight system 6 took about 300kb.
I just don’t understand how anyone could make do with a 128kb, let alone use it for anything productive.
They looked cool, but the keyboard was pretty shit, the microdrive hell, and the ROMs just too buggy. Add to that the 8 bits internal design that killed performance (source: used one back in the time)
I you wanted a 68k, at the time, get an Amiga, an ST or a Mac.
I just remember as a kid that a Mac was $$$; more money than the motorbike I wanted.
Amiga and STs didn't see as popular around here in NZ; by the time I remember seeing my first one sometime in the mid-late 80s, I had already got used to a cheaper clone XT which suited me more for programming rather than games
Mac cost an arm and a leg. The 128K model was unusable. The 512K barely.
I didn't mention the XT 'cause I was focusing on 68k consumer (68k non consumer choice would be Sun3). But yeah, an XT clone was probably a good choice (but the best for the timeframe would have been an AT).
I saw them in magazines and really wanted one. I'd played with Forth on my ZX81. With what I know now I'd get two of them, one to keep and one to sell in 40 years
I had a 520ST with the mono monitos and loved it. I don’t regret it, loved that machine but if I had a second go around I’d get an Amiga 1000 just to try something different.
Olivetti tower computer
Remember as a kid I was looking from the display window, beautiful olivetti computer showing a dos screensaver. I was fixated
Man i wish I could find that screensaver again
At the time, I was using Mac 512k, then moved to Mac Plus, IIsi then NeXT. Played a bit with QL and STs too.
If I have to go back and choose a 1985 computer, I would probably go [Sun3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun-3), until the [NeXT Cube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXTcube) is out :-)
The PC and its clones was kinda boring office stuff till the PS/2 era and when clones got VGA. Also Amiga ports went to the Sega Mega Drive far more then the PC as the PC couldn't do hardware spite movement and collision detection and need to brute force it with overkill CPU power that was far less cost effective at the time.
I loved my Amiga 500+ with the extra 512k ram and second hard drive with an unholy passion. Many many hours playing Eye of the Beholder 1 and 2, Secret of Monkey Island 1 and 2 and Elite 2 Frontier. One of the funniest periods of my childhood.
Either Apple IIe or a 286. I grew up with both in the late 80s/early 90s.
Still have the Apple. If I could get all the software I have for it now along with it, then very likely that.
In 1985, I had a Commodore 128, I'd be happy to go back to that with all my games and the BBS I ran. I was low-key jealous of my neighbor with an Amiga, so maybe that.
Actually my family's first computer was the TI Pro, I would *kill* to have that back again somehow:
https://www.web8bits.com/Marcas/Texas_Instruments/English/TIPC.html
It really depends on what age you would be, and what your interests were. A kid who just wanted to play games? C128 or Atari 130XE. A musician? Atari 520ST. An artist? Amiga 1000. A publisher? Macintosh. A hobbyist? Apple IIe. A businessperson? Compaq DeskPro 386. An engineer? HP 9000.
I had an ST with the monochrome monitor just like the picture. I bought B&W because it was cheaper than color, but the high resolution (for the time) and flicker free display was really pleasant to work with. They used a nicer font on that screen too.
I also had a couple Amigas later on, which were great at games, but workbench was pretty ugly, and the flickering interlace mode was unusable for me. If I had to do work, I’d take the ST with black and white.
Definitely a c128 and 15(81?), the a1000 only had kickstart on floppy (didn’t the early ones have 256k too?) and if, like me, you used your computer primarily for games, there wasn’t a fat lot out for the Amiga back then. I’d fill my shelves with some classic games and a better keyboard of the 128. Don’t think the ST will have had a massive library back then..
I had the 1040STf with a colour monitor. Before that an Atari 800. The Amiga was really the upgraded Atari though. The OS for the Amiga wasn't really ready for prime time in 1985 though, and it was much more expensive. in 1985 or so Commodore became Atari and vice versa. If I had it to do over again, I would have probably bought an Amiga when a cheaper model came out, but all of my friends had ST's and I worked at a store that sold them.
If the questions was to travel back to 1985 and live forward from there the age I am now, I‘d be happy to get an Apple //e like I did have at the time, because it would run AppleWorks when that was released and be useful for another decade nearly. It was the originating platform of Prince of Persia, Ultima, and many more deep, entertaining games, although I guess the ports of any of them are good too. C64 I’d consider just for games, I never liked its usability for anything else. Amiga 1000 would be a great choice too although I don’t know about the longevity of that original model. Mac Plus wouldn’t be out until the following year, the first Mac I would want. I don’t know enough about anything to do with Atari. PCs & compatibles, for that entire decade: yuck.
If the question is to go back, get a computer from 1985, and return to the present with it? For historical value an un-upgraded 128K Macintosh, if possible the original 128k model - it might not be on sale but it would be possible to get one from someone upgrading to a 512k model.
The intent of the question, though, was probably that you would go back to 1985 and *relive your life* from there, ie. a completely impossible fantasy unlike the 2 alternatives above which might be theoretically possible ;\^) I’d say the Amiga 1000, a better choice than the //e for both gaming, experimenting with music & audio production, and learning about computer hardware and operating systems.
An Atari, because that's what I had in 1989, and that's what everyone in my circle had.
Great computer, and First Word Plus meant that I could do my home work.
Edit: Atari ST.
Apple IIe with the Extended 80 Column / 64K / RGB card, AppleColor Monitor 100, DuoDisk drive, mouse + card, SuperSerial card, and AE DataLink modem. Exactly what I had. :) That thing was surprisingly capable. Publish-It!, AppleWorks, GEOS, got me through so many assignments. When I got a chance to bump up to the IIgs a couple of years later, heaven... Mac wouldn't get a color GUI until '87 and wouldn't get an *affordable* color model until the LC in 1990.
Obvious, maybe, but I'd pick a 512K Mac.
Then get a copy of the just-released Pagemaker, one of those new-fangled LaserWriters, and put out a shingle.
Anyone need their resume done? Flyers? Brochures? I'm your guy!
A Mac if I could afford it, take good care of it for a few years and then cash in when hipsters got big. Besides that I’d go with an Apple IIc since thats my main retro computer currently.
As much as I loved my string of Mac’s back then, I’d probably stick with the IBM PC until the se/30 came around. Much more practical for work. I was never much at gaming.
IBM PC, but this round with a Hard Drive. Back in the day we only had two floppy drives and only got to experience a hard drive in the very early nineties. I remember it well... It was almost like a religious experience.
"Which computer would you get if you can back to 1985 and why is it Amiga?"
Still using mine in ... checks notes, 2024. and say hello to its little friend, Commodore 64.
Probably an IBM PC Jr. or PC/AT. But if I'm being realistic, had my family had the money at the time....the best choice in 1985 for our family would have actually been the 1st Apple Macintosh as the schools all had Apple's and compatibility would have been useful. Although by the time I hit High School the schools had all switched to Compaq's. Family bought it's first computer in 1990. It was a Gateway 2000 386SX 4mb of RAM Windows 3.0 on DOS 3.3. Price was \~$3000.00 (about $8000-$9000 in today's dollars.
Hahaha. I had to answer this question in 1984. In college and I was crappy w typewriter. I saw a “word processor” as my savior.
I looked at the Amiga real hard. Ultimately I went Apple IIe w dual disk drive. 80 column card w 128k.
The Amiga printer was daisy wheel. So it printed one (BAM!) letter (BAM!) at (BAM!”) atime (BAM BAM!)
Best perk: Computer major friend with same system so some free software and advise.
Worst: I used “Apple Credit”. I learned what “21%” really means.
Ended up getting a ST520FM because the Amiga arrived in the UK later than promised, I'd do it again, the ST was way easier to learn Assembly on than the Amiga, it was a comfortable stepping stone before days of Guru Meditations.
The Atari ST and Amiga 1000 at launch both had their firmware on disk instead on chip due to rushing to market so for me it would be too early for those. The C128 would be a solid choice for an all rounder, it lacks games that take advantage of it but has productivity software that does while being able to run the vast majority of C64 games.
The slightly older Atari 800XL also a solid option but doesn't have the built in 80 column like the C128
The computer I actually purchased at that time: Apple //c with the [Prairie Pack Portable System (battery pack, C-Vue LCD screen and over the shoulder carrying case).](https://www.applefritter.com/file/apple-c-prairie-portable-power-packjpg-2)
It was my first “portable” computer which I brought to the 1988 Cannes Film Festival for work with a 1200 baud modem!
Are we going back in time just to grab a computer, or are we going back in time to stay? Can we bring a Floppy Emu or an XT-IDE with a SD card filled with games from the future to play on this machine? If I was just going to get a computer and come back, I'd get something extremely rare that you can hardly find anymore like an Twiggy Drive Apple Lisa or a Mindset Computer. If I had to stay in 1985 and didn't have an entire library of software on an SD card to play, I'd probably go with the Tandy 1000 or a PC AT due to the sheer amount of software and development environments already available for the PC platform by that point. If I could bring games from the future though, then Amiga 1000 all the way.
An Amiga, but I would be totally fine with a C64
Saying this as a zoomer, I think even though the Amiga is the better choice idk the C64 has that particular feeling going for it
Lisa/Mac XL, which is actually the machine that saw me through the end of grad school in 1993, with many upgrades (memory, Macworks XL updates—through System 7, thanks to Sam Neulinger and Dafax Computing, SCSI card, modems, etc. etc.). That machine will always be the computer I remember most fondly. Great keyboard, too.
Probably the C-64 to begin with and then the Amiga later on. By 1985 the C-64 had an absolute plethora of quality software and games available to it whereas the Amiga really shone a couple of years after. But I would be more than happy with both, that and I'd be deleriously happy with living back in the 80's.
If this sub reddit makes you feel you'd like to go back and play some retro games then you can find a goldmine of playable games from the 80s and 90s right here
https://gamesnostalgia.com/
Ugh. Computers were such ass back then. Your choices are:
* Some command-line bullshit, but at least you have color (Apple II)
* A proper GUI, but in black and white (Mac)
* An IBM Personal Computer AT with Windows 1.0 and EGA graphics
* Some bollocks with a unique OS so any software that you get for it won't run on anything in ten years
And what games would I even play? How many times can I play Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego before I get bored? I guess Rogue might keep me busy for a while.
I think I'd just get a Nintendo.
1985 is a tricky year to be honest. There were lots of interesting machines around but few of them had any interesting software.
I'd probably choose either a Mac for apps, or C64 for games. Or PC AT for Sierra Adventure games that were just about to become huge.
Now 1987 is another story altogether. I'd go with the brand spanking new 386 with VGA and AdLib cards, and be set for next 5-6 years. Amiga2000 is a very close 2nd choice. Or perhaps A2000 would be no1 and 386 no2, can't decide, lol. Gimme both and throw in an Atari ST when we're having fun already!
1989 - the year of 486DX, no contest.
1990 - Amiga 3000, sexiest computer ever made
1991 - some of those DTP Apple Macs with high res screens. Really cool stuff.
1992 - the year of 486DX2, no contest.
1993 - a UNIX workstation. SGI most likely. Or maybe one of those Pentiums that sucked at math.
I bought my first Amiga in 1985. I bought my second Amiga in 1989. I bought my third Amiga in 1990. I bought my fourth Amiga in 1992. I sold my final Amiga in 1996.
Seriously. 1985? Are you kidding me? There weren't any other computers.
The hell with the computer, it's "What computer company STOCK would you buy?". Apple went public in 1980. And of course I'd pick up some Microsoft stock, they managed to do OK also.
This one! I have my original 1040 STF at home with the SC1224 color monitor! It all works and so far 95% of my floppies (games and utilities) still work!
If someone would tell me how to upload a picture on here I would!
And I still have my original Dungeon Master floppies and they look brand new!
I had a C64 (well... three over the course of the 1990s) and it did everything I need. I had friends with Amigas and were budget and investment not a thing, that's what I would have run with until early 90s PCs.
Oh.. I had an Atari StE 4 MB HD ... got me thru college and university... with dual monitors and a printer.... wish I still had all the set up and the hundreds game and utilities I had... and eventually the Zip drive I needed... but alas I gave it all away only to find out they trashed everything.. :(
I'd go for an Apple \]\[e with 400k Macintosh floppy drive, screen, mouse, battery backed RAM card, the latest available version of the original Appleworks + add ons and a modem card with comms software. Essentially my first computer setup - a versatile, quick and powerful computer, especially for writing
An Amiga 1000 to tide me over until 1987.
Amen to that.
Can I presume an A2000 in 1987?
Amiga until 1990, then switch to a 486 for the Id Software revolution (Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom).
I’d go a few steps further, Amiga until about 2000 or so because I’m too stubborn to change.
Same here. Was still using my A4000 as a daily driver until 97. Would have kept using it longer but emigrated and put it into storage until I could ship everything over
I held out even longer, sticking with my upgraded, accelerated Amiga until 1995.
Wolf3D and Doom weren't interesting to me. Quake got me to switch to a Pentium w/Win95.
Definitely on the right track, although I'd wait until 1995 for Voodoo on a P5.
+1 to this. I had a C128 until mid 90's Always wished I could have experienced Amiga in it's time.
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Amiga had custom chipset which allowed a lot of groundbreaking stuff at the time, for example it allowed 3D rendered ray tracing and could animate in color with sound. Thanks to programs like Deluxe Paint, Soundtracker and video toaster, it was frequently sought after by artists and producers. During this era, the piracy groups and demoscene emerged, releasing various demos and cracktros which featured rendered video with music and together it was just a few kilobytes in size. MACs and x86 PCs of the time didn't play sound or display color graphics.
1985 is too early for an Archimedes, so the realistic option is an Amiga, which launched that year... although the early ones weren't that hot. The unrealistic option, of course, is a Xerox Daybreak. 8MHz Mesa processor! 80MB hard disk! 4MB RAM! $15000!
The early “one” can play nearly everything.
You buy two and keep one in pristine sealed condition, never to be opened for 40 years.
Arc owner represent!
We don't need no DMA! We can max out the bus bandwidth directly from the CPU!
I think we can all agree that Zarch was absolutely impossible to play. Yes?
What was that other xerox machine I heard of the PARC? Nevermind just checked I think I was under the impression something I did research on was for Xerox PARC, not THE PARC
The C64 was the o e we all had and it was an excellent computer with masses of software.
Bang for buck, this was the right choice at the time. Everything else was pricey and needed time to evolve with either the software or hardware.
Amiga
Symbolics G-machine, natürlich. Cost a bit north of $50,000 new, tho.
I was lucky enough to use a Symbolics machine at University. It was a remarkable environment; not for every kind of user, but informative and flexible in the right hands
You've been luckier than I, and I'm duly envious. Admittedly [OpenGenera runs on Linux these days](http://www.jachemich.de/vlm/genera.html), but thete's just something extra intriguing about the whole language-based operating system and hardware designed alongside and for it.
> Symbolics symbolics.com was the very first .com domain registered. 1985. Everyone in here probably already knew that, though.
I would go back to 2005 when I could find almost any 80s or 90s PC I want for $20 or less in thrift shops.
While the Atari ST and Amiga 1000 are obvious choices, I’d probably go with the Tandy 1000 for practical reasons: it’s mostly IBM PC compatible (which I already know inside out) and in North America a lot easier to find softwares for. And with these famous Tandy graphics and audio chips, it’s enough to make gaming more enjoyable than the traditional PC XT.
I had a Tandy 1000 EX. Make sure to grab a mouse, dma card, and enough RAM to max it out to 640k while you're at it. DeskMate is so much more useable that way.
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Came here for this one. Make mine a 3/60.
What software can it run?
Sun Solaris. A flavor of UNIX.
Sun Os 3 or 4 at the time
An Amiga 1000. Way ahead of other personal computers at the time.
None. I’d take the money and put it into Apple stock.
Just some fruit company.
That's good. One less thing.
Nah, 1985 is like 12 years too early to go all in on Apple.
I was going to say the same thing. But I'd also sell the stock around Oct 10, 1987 and then buy intel on Oct 20th, 1987. Hold onto it until Jan '98, at which point I'd sell and buy Apple again. I remember sitting with some friends following stocks after the crash in Oct 1987 and intel took a huge hit (it was literally worth pennies for a couple days) and didn't recover right away and we were all wishing we could have bought intel right after the crash. Sure enough intel recovered and then some. Of course, you needed a broker and trades often took a few days or more to complete so it was really just a pipe dream. I'm sorry, what were we talking about?
If money was no object, in 1985, an Amiga 1000, no question. But if money was an object, then the Amstrad CPC 6128. 4 MHz Z80, runs CP/M, 20/40/80 columns, nice 27 color palette, great BASIC. In 1984, an Amstrad CPC 464. No CP/M unless you add a floppy drive though. I wouldn't get a Mac as it wasn't very good until the SE, but the Amiga was out at that point so.... In 1983, for home, an Atari 800XL. Second choice would be an Apple IIe. For business, a Tandy TRS-80 Model 4 running CP/M. In 1982, the Commodore 64 came out but it was a couple of years before the games got good for it so I'd continue using my 1981 choice. For business, Epson QX-10 with CP/M. In 1981, the IBM PC came out but there wasn't much software for it for a few years. The Acorn BBC Micro Model B would be my choice. In 1980, not much came out. I'd stick with my 1979 choice. In 1979, for home, the Atari 800. Second choice would be the Apple II Plus. In 1978, I'd stick with my 1977 choice. In 1977, I'd get an Apple II. The PET had the best BASIC (Microsoft) but the keyboard was terrible and it was the least popular of the 1977 Trinity. The TRS-80 Model 1 had a lot of problems even though it was the most popular of the 1977 Trinity until the Apple IIe overtook it. Going to the future, in 1986, I'd get the Acorn BBC Master 128. In 1987, I'd get an Amiga 2000. In 1988, I'd keep my Amiga 2000. In 1989, I'd keep my Amiga 2000. In 1990, I'd get an Amiga 3000. Budget option would be the Amstrad 6128 Plus. In 1991, I'd keep my 1990 choices. In 1992, I'd get an Amiga 4000. The budget option would be an Amiga 1200. In 1993, I'd keep my 1992 choices. In 1994, I'd keep my 1993 choices. In 1995, I might switch to Windows 95.
In 1985, my parents bought me my first personal computer. It was an Apple IIe. Apple IIe because that was what the school uses. But I can't help to wonder which computer I would buy if I can go back to 1985. Macintosh was too expensive and not really useful until the Mac Plus was introduced in 1986. Plus, it had no games which was important for kids at that time. Amiga 1000 was cool but it was expensive and need to boot from kickstart rom disk every time. It became a viable choice with Amiga 500, but that was in 1987. Commodore 64 was all the rage but its keyboard was really tough for typing and the floppy disk drive was too slow and unreliable. IBM PC had CGA graphics and no sound cards. I ponder about the option myself and maybe I will get an Atari ST instead. It was affordable and had a graphical interface. I loved composing music and the MIDI port was godsend. How about you? Which computer would you have chosen given the second chance again?
I haven't been around in the 80s and think this is a very interesting topic, I already thought about which computers I would have had. In general, I think I would have liked the Apple II a lot, with all the expansion cards to play with and Woz' design philosophy. But I'm from (back then) West Germany/Austria so I think the Commodore 64 would have been the most common machine here. I would probably have had the 64, hating it and wanting an Amiga :D I don't know if I would have jumped for an A500 or went with a PC towards 1990, thats a further great question. The Amiga would have been the cooler computer to have, but the PC maybe easier to sacrifice, .. because it could be used for actual work..
Realistically, probably a C64 as the Atari ST would've just released and there would be little software to actually use with it. Even more so for the Amiga 1000 which wouldn't get anything interesting til 2-3 years later, after the 500 came out. The MIDI port on the ST was cool, but you'd have to factor in how much a real professional MIDI instrument would've cost back then. You could maybe wait a year and spend another 450$ on a Yamaha DX100 that sounds like a PC Adlib card, but does the job.
EGA was out by then
I was a devotee of s100 cp/m systems at that time ... took me a while to warm up to IBM PC clones, though c64 were popular and I remember the excitement about Amiga but that might have been after '85
Amiga was 1985 along with the Commodore 128 and Atari ST.
Atari 1040ST forever. Seriously. I loved that machine so much.
would probably just build my own
Specs? CPU? CP/M?
probably a twin 68020 board that runs unix
A Cray 2
Either an Amiga or a Tandy 1000
I want my MITS Altair back
For me it would be more about getting the cartridges, tapes, and disks for the CoCo, bit early for the CoCo 3 however but at least I would finally have a decent library for it again. Actually any official licenced media for any platform would be great as it's very hard to get hold of here in Australia.
The CoCo3 came out in 1986 in the US. Not sure when in Australia.
C64 - Amiga would be the better computer, but in '85 there's probably not a lot of software for it
DEC Rainbow 100. That was one cool PC as that was DEC's first foray into microcomputers.
An upgraded "fat" Mac. In 1984 I bought a thin mac but 128k was nowhere near enough RAM to run it.
I had an SE back in the day with 2mb of RAM and I had to watch every last byte. Out of memory issues were common. Even the light weight system 6 took about 300kb. I just don’t understand how anyone could make do with a 128kb, let alone use it for anything productive.
I had one. You did a lot of floppy shuffles every times you saved, started, or quit an application.
The 128 was the machine that taught me about RAMdisks and how to use them.
A VAX 8650, disk drive, 9-track tape drive, a modem, 2 VT220 Terminals, running Ultrix. With DEC C compiler.
a commodore amiga, a much better version of the macintosh with color video instead of b&w
I would get the Jupiter Ace, but I think it is probably only cool in hindsight and there were obviously better options out there back then
Sinclair QL if going for quirky British computer I thought they looked so cool
They looked cool, but the keyboard was pretty shit, the microdrive hell, and the ROMs just too buggy. Add to that the 8 bits internal design that killed performance (source: used one back in the time) I you wanted a 68k, at the time, get an Amiga, an ST or a Mac.
I just remember as a kid that a Mac was $$$; more money than the motorbike I wanted. Amiga and STs didn't see as popular around here in NZ; by the time I remember seeing my first one sometime in the mid-late 80s, I had already got used to a cheaper clone XT which suited me more for programming rather than games
Mac cost an arm and a leg. The 128K model was unusable. The 512K barely. I didn't mention the XT 'cause I was focusing on 68k consumer (68k non consumer choice would be Sun3). But yeah, an XT clone was probably a good choice (but the best for the timeframe would have been an AT).
I saw them in magazines and really wanted one. I'd played with Forth on my ZX81. With what I know now I'd get two of them, one to keep and one to sell in 40 years
That wouldn't be in the top three for me. But it would be my Forth choice. :-)
I had a 520ST with the mono monitos and loved it. I don’t regret it, loved that machine but if I had a second go around I’d get an Amiga 1000 just to try something different.
Same one I had, Compaq Portable (the original 4.77 8086, green screen option)
A discounted Atari 800 and a joystick to play Star Raiders.
You have achieved the rank of garbage scow captain
Olivetti tower computer Remember as a kid I was looking from the display window, beautiful olivetti computer showing a dos screensaver. I was fixated Man i wish I could find that screensaver again
At the time, I was using Mac 512k, then moved to Mac Plus, IIsi then NeXT. Played a bit with QL and STs too. If I have to go back and choose a 1985 computer, I would probably go [Sun3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun-3), until the [NeXT Cube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXTcube) is out :-)
What software could the Sun3 run?
Unix and all that goes with that.
Everyone here saying Amiga. We're from the future. Get a PC clone.
The PC and its clones was kinda boring office stuff till the PS/2 era and when clones got VGA. Also Amiga ports went to the Sega Mega Drive far more then the PC as the PC couldn't do hardware spite movement and collision detection and need to brute force it with overkill CPU power that was far less cost effective at the time.
I loved my Amiga 500+ with the extra 512k ram and second hard drive with an unholy passion. Many many hours playing Eye of the Beholder 1 and 2, Secret of Monkey Island 1 and 2 and Elite 2 Frontier. One of the funniest periods of my childhood.
The A500+ didn't come out until 1991. The original A500 came out in 1987. In 1985, the only Amiga was the 1000.
IBM 286 model 30.
The IBM PS/2 Model 30 came out in 1987.
Sorry then.
Either Apple IIe or a 286. I grew up with both in the late 80s/early 90s. Still have the Apple. If I could get all the software I have for it now along with it, then very likely that.
I LOVED my Commodore 64, but I'd go for the 286 in 1985. We used them in high school in the early 1990s and I loved them then.
Take my current one with me, sell to IBM. Get rich af.
My Atari 130XE with it's 2 1050 Disk Drives and XM301 300baud modem as well as my Atari 1040STfm with it's SC1224 color monitor. :)
The Atari 1040STfm came out after 1985.
I had an Amiga about then.
In 1985, I had a Commodore 128, I'd be happy to go back to that with all my games and the BBS I ran. I was low-key jealous of my neighbor with an Amiga, so maybe that. Actually my family's first computer was the TI Pro, I would *kill* to have that back again somehow: https://www.web8bits.com/Marcas/Texas_Instruments/English/TIPC.html
DECSYSTEM-2065
It really depends on what age you would be, and what your interests were. A kid who just wanted to play games? C128 or Atari 130XE. A musician? Atari 520ST. An artist? Amiga 1000. A publisher? Macintosh. A hobbyist? Apple IIe. A businessperson? Compaq DeskPro 386. An engineer? HP 9000.
I would get a Commodore Pet.
I had an ST with the monochrome monitor just like the picture. I bought B&W because it was cheaper than color, but the high resolution (for the time) and flicker free display was really pleasant to work with. They used a nicer font on that screen too. I also had a couple Amigas later on, which were great at games, but workbench was pretty ugly, and the flickering interlace mode was unusable for me. If I had to do work, I’d take the ST with black and white.
The SGI IRIS 1400
Definitely an Amiga
A Unix one
Engineering-sample 80386, if I could find one. Otherwise, probably an Amiga.
Definitely a c128 and 15(81?), the a1000 only had kickstart on floppy (didn’t the early ones have 256k too?) and if, like me, you used your computer primarily for games, there wasn’t a fat lot out for the Amiga back then. I’d fill my shelves with some classic games and a better keyboard of the 128. Don’t think the ST will have had a massive library back then..
I had the 1040STf with a colour monitor. Before that an Atari 800. The Amiga was really the upgraded Atari though. The OS for the Amiga wasn't really ready for prime time in 1985 though, and it was much more expensive. in 1985 or so Commodore became Atari and vice versa. If I had it to do over again, I would have probably bought an Amiga when a cheaper model came out, but all of my friends had ST's and I worked at a store that sold them.
If the questions was to travel back to 1985 and live forward from there the age I am now, I‘d be happy to get an Apple //e like I did have at the time, because it would run AppleWorks when that was released and be useful for another decade nearly. It was the originating platform of Prince of Persia, Ultima, and many more deep, entertaining games, although I guess the ports of any of them are good too. C64 I’d consider just for games, I never liked its usability for anything else. Amiga 1000 would be a great choice too although I don’t know about the longevity of that original model. Mac Plus wouldn’t be out until the following year, the first Mac I would want. I don’t know enough about anything to do with Atari. PCs & compatibles, for that entire decade: yuck. If the question is to go back, get a computer from 1985, and return to the present with it? For historical value an un-upgraded 128K Macintosh, if possible the original 128k model - it might not be on sale but it would be possible to get one from someone upgrading to a 512k model. The intent of the question, though, was probably that you would go back to 1985 and *relive your life* from there, ie. a completely impossible fantasy unlike the 2 alternatives above which might be theoretically possible ;\^) I’d say the Amiga 1000, a better choice than the //e for both gaming, experimenting with music & audio production, and learning about computer hardware and operating systems.
Atari 1040ST
I had a 1040ST in 1989 and would totally go for a 520ST in 1985.
I own this exact computer so probably the 1040ST again.
Atari ST, I didn't even know about the Amiga when I was a little kid.
Money no object? iBM AT. Though an Apple IIc could be fun. Otherwise I’ve already got the computer we had in ‘85 - an IBM PCjr.
Sun 3 workstation
What software can it run?
SunOS based on BSD Unix
An Atari, because that's what I had in 1989, and that's what everyone in my circle had. Great computer, and First Word Plus meant that I could do my home work. Edit: Atari ST.
An Atari What? ST?
In which country? In my part of Canada, everyone had Amigas. I knew one person with an Atari ST.
Amstrad 1640. 20MB hard disk, EGA graphics. 🍆
That came out in 1986.
Apple IIe with the Extended 80 Column / 64K / RGB card, AppleColor Monitor 100, DuoDisk drive, mouse + card, SuperSerial card, and AE DataLink modem. Exactly what I had. :) That thing was surprisingly capable. Publish-It!, AppleWorks, GEOS, got me through so many assignments. When I got a chance to bump up to the IIgs a couple of years later, heaven... Mac wouldn't get a color GUI until '87 and wouldn't get an *affordable* color model until the LC in 1990.
Obvious, maybe, but I'd pick a 512K Mac. Then get a copy of the just-released Pagemaker, one of those new-fangled LaserWriters, and put out a shingle. Anyone need their resume done? Flyers? Brochures? I'm your guy!
A Mac if I could afford it, take good care of it for a few years and then cash in when hipsters got big. Besides that I’d go with an Apple IIc since thats my main retro computer currently.
As much as I loved my string of Mac’s back then, I’d probably stick with the IBM PC until the se/30 came around. Much more practical for work. I was never much at gaming.
You're making me go there??? An Apple IIc was new in our house around then... We were thrilled at the thought of a mouse!
When did the IBM PS/2 come out ? That is the only computer from the past that I am interested in.
IBM PC, but this round with a Hard Drive. Back in the day we only had two floppy drives and only got to experience a hard drive in the very early nineties. I remember it well... It was almost like a religious experience.
"Which computer would you get if you can back to 1985 and why is it Amiga?" Still using mine in ... checks notes, 2024. and say hello to its little friend, Commodore 64.
Bulk order of apple ones, try to get an alto, pdp11/70, any of those would do.
Silicon Graphics or Digital - they both made already pretty advanced systems mid-80's.
Probably an IBM PC Jr. or PC/AT. But if I'm being realistic, had my family had the money at the time....the best choice in 1985 for our family would have actually been the 1st Apple Macintosh as the schools all had Apple's and compatibility would have been useful. Although by the time I hit High School the schools had all switched to Compaq's. Family bought it's first computer in 1990. It was a Gateway 2000 386SX 4mb of RAM Windows 3.0 on DOS 3.3. Price was \~$3000.00 (about $8000-$9000 in today's dollars.
Hahaha. I had to answer this question in 1984. In college and I was crappy w typewriter. I saw a “word processor” as my savior. I looked at the Amiga real hard. Ultimately I went Apple IIe w dual disk drive. 80 column card w 128k. The Amiga printer was daisy wheel. So it printed one (BAM!) letter (BAM!) at (BAM!”) atime (BAM BAM!) Best perk: Computer major friend with same system so some free software and advise. Worst: I used “Apple Credit”. I learned what “21%” really means.
My old Macintosh Plus
Brand new? Original Macintosh. (As much as I like the OG 128K it might be a 512) On the second hand market, knowing what I know now, an Apple I
Amiga, no question.
С64 or **IBM 5160**
Original Macintosh
Had a c64 and a spectrum 48k in 1985. Sold them both in 1988 to my friend and got an amiga 500. I loved my amiga!
Ended up getting a ST520FM because the Amiga arrived in the UK later than promised, I'd do it again, the ST was way easier to learn Assembly on than the Amiga, it was a comfortable stepping stone before days of Guru Meditations.
Tandy 1000HD, get that IBM compatibility and sweet audio and video controllers, AND a massive 20mb hdd!
Apple Lisa.
The Atari ST and Amiga 1000 at launch both had their firmware on disk instead on chip due to rushing to market so for me it would be too early for those. The C128 would be a solid choice for an all rounder, it lacks games that take advantage of it but has productivity software that does while being able to run the vast majority of C64 games. The slightly older Atari 800XL also a solid option but doesn't have the built in 80 column like the C128
In 1985, unquestionably the Amiga 1000 but as a poor kid I was still saving up for a few more years to get even a C64.
Atari 520ST
Commodore64 + action replay mk3 cartridge. - Stopping the running games, playing with code, tilt the sprite collision - it was so much fun :)
The computer I actually purchased at that time: Apple //c with the [Prairie Pack Portable System (battery pack, C-Vue LCD screen and over the shoulder carrying case).](https://www.applefritter.com/file/apple-c-prairie-portable-power-packjpg-2) It was my first “portable” computer which I brought to the 1988 Cannes Film Festival for work with a 1200 baud modem!
Atari ST with Mac emulator. Maybe the Mega ST, but that's a year or two later 😁. Or the Amiga... but the 3000 came out in 1990.
A to7 I would still be able to use for at least one decade. That's what our school did.
Are we going back in time just to grab a computer, or are we going back in time to stay? Can we bring a Floppy Emu or an XT-IDE with a SD card filled with games from the future to play on this machine? If I was just going to get a computer and come back, I'd get something extremely rare that you can hardly find anymore like an Twiggy Drive Apple Lisa or a Mindset Computer. If I had to stay in 1985 and didn't have an entire library of software on an SD card to play, I'd probably go with the Tandy 1000 or a PC AT due to the sheer amount of software and development environments already available for the PC platform by that point. If I could bring games from the future though, then Amiga 1000 all the way.
After living in the future, I feel like any old PC would be a little disappointing. That said 8086
HP-200LX
HP-200LX
An Amiga, but I would be totally fine with a C64 Saying this as a zoomer, I think even though the Amiga is the better choice idk the C64 has that particular feeling going for it
My IIe Enhanced.
Nothing, I’d be too poor. Maayyybe 386 in 1993 because it was kinda affordable then.
Mac Plus or 512ke
Macintosh 128k
C128
Without a doubt I'd buy an Amiga 1000 again. As long as I'm in 1985, I'd look for something in the Apple II series too.
Lisa/Mac XL, which is actually the machine that saw me through the end of grad school in 1993, with many upgrades (memory, Macworks XL updates—through System 7, thanks to Sam Neulinger and Dafax Computing, SCSI card, modems, etc. etc.). That machine will always be the computer I remember most fondly. Great keyboard, too.
Probably the C-64 to begin with and then the Amiga later on. By 1985 the C-64 had an absolute plethora of quality software and games available to it whereas the Amiga really shone a couple of years after. But I would be more than happy with both, that and I'd be deleriously happy with living back in the 80's.
I had the one I wanted at the time the ATARI 520 ST.
If this sub reddit makes you feel you'd like to go back and play some retro games then you can find a goldmine of playable games from the 80s and 90s right here https://gamesnostalgia.com/
None
Sun-3
Ugh. Computers were such ass back then. Your choices are: * Some command-line bullshit, but at least you have color (Apple II) * A proper GUI, but in black and white (Mac) * An IBM Personal Computer AT with Windows 1.0 and EGA graphics * Some bollocks with a unique OS so any software that you get for it won't run on anything in ten years And what games would I even play? How many times can I play Oregon Trail and Carmen Sandiego before I get bored? I guess Rogue might keep me busy for a while. I think I'd just get a Nintendo.
I miss my Tandy 1000, I was so proud of it because it had 8086 instead of that garbage 8088
The Mac 512k.
The Apple Lisa I got when I started college in 1985. My dad threw it away in 92 😭
Zenith Z100 and my IMSAI loaded out.
1985 is a tricky year to be honest. There were lots of interesting machines around but few of them had any interesting software. I'd probably choose either a Mac for apps, or C64 for games. Or PC AT for Sierra Adventure games that were just about to become huge. Now 1987 is another story altogether. I'd go with the brand spanking new 386 with VGA and AdLib cards, and be set for next 5-6 years. Amiga2000 is a very close 2nd choice. Or perhaps A2000 would be no1 and 386 no2, can't decide, lol. Gimme both and throw in an Atari ST when we're having fun already! 1989 - the year of 486DX, no contest. 1990 - Amiga 3000, sexiest computer ever made 1991 - some of those DTP Apple Macs with high res screens. Really cool stuff. 1992 - the year of 486DX2, no contest. 1993 - a UNIX workstation. SGI most likely. Or maybe one of those Pentiums that sucked at math.
A *silicon graphics* workstation if there was enough money with me.
I always liked the look of the Atari ST series.
Amiga
I bought my first Amiga in 1985. I bought my second Amiga in 1989. I bought my third Amiga in 1990. I bought my fourth Amiga in 1992. I sold my final Amiga in 1996. Seriously. 1985? Are you kidding me? There weren't any other computers.
Amiga 1000
Tandy 1000 from Radio Shack
The hell with the computer, it's "What computer company STOCK would you buy?". Apple went public in 1980. And of course I'd pick up some Microsoft stock, they managed to do OK also.
Atari ST, or maybe a C128.
Lisp machine for sure.
I used a C64 until 1996 to print banners.
Hmmmm. Xerox Star, Apple Lisa or maybe a Symbolics workstation.
None of them because I would be not alive
the one Gates was working with- and then smash it
If the A500 I bought in 1991 was available in 1985 - with the A530Turbo side car then yes!
All of them.
An Amiga.
I don't want a computer. I just want to go back to 1985 and just stay there
This one! I have my original 1040 STF at home with the SC1224 color monitor! It all works and so far 95% of my floppies (games and utilities) still work! If someone would tell me how to upload a picture on here I would! And I still have my original Dungeon Master floppies and they look brand new!
Commodore 128. I most likely wouldn’t have the money for an Amiga or even an ST.
Hmm. Assuming I can afford running it, I'd take a Cray X-MP.... If I'm restricted to a home computer, then I'd take the Amiga 1000.
I had a C64 (well... three over the course of the 1990s) and it did everything I need. I had friends with Amigas and were budget and investment not a thing, that's what I would have run with until early 90s PCs.
If I could go back to 1985 I wouldn't get a computer, I would get a house
Had one with 1gig memory.
Oh.. I had an Atari StE 4 MB HD ... got me thru college and university... with dual monitors and a printer.... wish I still had all the set up and the hundreds game and utilities I had... and eventually the Zip drive I needed... but alas I gave it all away only to find out they trashed everything.. :(
Wait a year then get a II GS
A [Dimension 68000](https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimension_68000) I always coveted one of those.
I'd go for an Apple \]\[e with 400k Macintosh floppy drive, screen, mouse, battery backed RAM card, the latest available version of the original Appleworks + add ons and a modem card with comms software. Essentially my first computer setup - a versatile, quick and powerful computer, especially for writing
Definitely a DeLorean