Epson Apex 100: A Budget Turbo XT PC from 1989
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2019
- Sure, the Apex 100 is just another retro computer, sold alongside the Epson Equity in the late 80s as a low-cost alternative aimed at retail chains. But it also has several thoughtful design elements that set it apart from similarly cheap PCs back then!
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#LGR #Retro #Computers - Věda a technologie
I'm very happy that this channel hasn't really "changed". It's been one of my favorite channels.
Agreed. He nailed the formula a long time ago and has consistently produced good content while steadily upping the level of quality. Not many channels can say that.
It's still a great channel, but it has changed to an extent. He's reviewing noticeably fewer games than he did a few years ago.
Hear hear!
@@Outmind01 A lot less games :( I miss the angry one liners as if you could hear his internal monologue.
Our boys just all grown up now, as have we all.
I'd say he changed but not much. He seemed to be more energetic in his videos starting in 2014 or so.
I want more episodes with clint's face reflected on the screen
He's got a lot of those
@@aarongreenfield9038 I just loved the grumpy face lol.
We need an episode of just Clint’s face reflected in different monitors.
That moment was gold.
That keyboard connector really is something.
You don't see thoughtful design like that these days, that's for damn sure!
I really liked it, super cool feature. This is the kind of stuff that really makes me happy.
Peripherals are all USB or Bluetooth, (so not much to consider.)
@@Jeff-jr4xw ouch, that looks like it hurts.
Apple do it all the time, or did when they used cables.
@@morningvideo Not sure.
By the way, we sold a ton of these back then. They were extremely popular, due to price, as office machines in small and big businesses. I installed tons of 30Meg Seagate HD's in those.
Totally true. They packed a good software too. I bought an Epson System back then (Latin America countries) they put the "Palabras" word processor and some good software inspired by MS Office (but signed and developed by Epson). Year 1989. Also an Epson Manager, Hilmer Castillo, had a TV program -and he explained step by step how to use that suite (Broadcasted by Venezolana de Television canal 8 or Televisora Nacional canal 5) for free.
What a very well designed and outfitted machine for a late 80s "budget" pc. I love the mono feature on the monitor. :D
It's pretty IMO.
My fiancé just bought me one of these to restore. It was my first computer. Clint - If you ever consider selling this beauty, please let me know!
but does it play Apex?
Hardware and software boxes were always great to smell. Nothing like'm.
What a cool fiance!
Joe Kennedy so you were poor?
@@entertainment7twenty Well, by the time I got this machine in about 1991, I wasn't gainfully employed at the ripe old age of 11. So, I suppose I was!
"Where a company purposefully designs a product worst, to make their other products look better" Working in the automotive industry, this is a fact.
late stage capitalism, when you have businesses creating a class system for their products!!
It's pretty much a fact known everywhere. I can name several phone makers, at least.
It's kinda disgusting.
@RockabillyFox Doesn't mean it's not gonna fail, either!
You know those massive shopping malls in the middle of nowhere that have stores selling their clothing at 2/3rd the price then a story in the city? Same thing going on.
People with more money buy the same stuff but pay extra for the convenience of shopping in the city while everyone else drives an hour out to the middle of nowhere for s cheaper price.
*EA wants to know your location so it can train with the master*
Love the little keyboard door, Reminds me of the back of the Switch dock for cables, If only more companies designed their tech with ways to neatly hide cable ends everything would be alright with the world.
Eee, hello. Original Switch dock is total rubbish. Miniature PCB enclosed in cheap, hard plastic. Not elegant, not nice, and made so you HAVE to scratch your screen using it. Unbelievable, comparing it to Switch tablet overall quality. This dock feels like some add-on, added free of charge, not part of the system.
In 1987, a grad student in college, I read a WSJ article about how the PS/2 was coming and how awesome it was going to be. I decided that was it and in 1989, I spent $5,000 on a 30286 PS/2 which didn't have true PS/2 architecture and wasn't even a 286. It was a 8088! I could have bought a 386 for a lot less.
525Lines Model 30 or 25 ?
k S Must of had rich parents.
@@johnfrancisdoe1563 It was a 30286. That was the model number, from which I inferred it was a 286!
@@user2144 Nope. Just really wanted a PC.
@@KS-xo3oh I was out of college when I bought it.
Thank you for including the boot sounds in your videos. In the future, I want a compilation of all your computers, starting with the oldest to newest. I would make that my wakeup alarm.
4:14 'Now that's clleeaannn'. The narrator said, in a husky yet smooth voice, just after he took a swig of smooth and malty whiskey, while sporting a 5-day-growth beard and wearing a Stetson hat, a cravat, a flannelette shirt, dark denim jeans, leather pointed boots and oversized brass belt buckle that grandpappy gave him when he was 15.
Felton Chan Is that in the English language? No idea what you just said 🤔 Hit reset and start again 😉
Felton Chan Aha. Understood now 😉 I am a male. But, yes, I can see what you are saying.
what a beautiful box that thing came in. how did it smell?
You're one of those guys who likes feet, aren't you...?
Women's panties and feet are for pussies. Real men sniff vintage... computer hardware!
That's right. The old electronics have that smell. It's probably toxic but I love it. If you ever find some old boxed electronics, give it a sniff. It's like Christmas morning.
@@Lorkin32 LOL
@@Lorkin32 Feet? No. Old cardboard and paper? Definitely.
I bet tech support loved that mono switch on the monitor, wonder how many calls they got from not so computer savvy people with friends who like to wind them up.
The '80s version of hitting Ctrl+Alt+Up Arrow to flip the screen upside down.
@@stevethepocket I went into our local library a few months ago and the lady on the desk asked if I knew much about computers as her screen was upside-down. Someone at the library was obviously having a laugh at her expense.
the quality of these newer LGR videos is just insane.
the way that screen looks on my screen is so satisfying.
Wow that thing is in amazing shape!
I like the way you can access the dip switches behind that hidden door. Reminds me of a VCR my family had a few years earlier which had a door on top that opened to reveal a little plastic wheel for every single channel so you could tune them all in separately.
Varactor tuning: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varicap
These were nice for often being able to tune to certain unscrambled CATV channels (at least the 14-22 "midband", 120-174MHz) despite predating "cable-ready" receivers by many years. My first kitchen TV was a mechanically-broken Beta VCR with this type of tuning, paired with an Amdek composite monitor originally used with a C64.
It's 2:30am and I'm getting treated to some fresh LGR, bless this bout of insomnia
1989 was the year when I finished high school, got a job etc. These were the days, my friend - I hoped they'd never end :(
always a highlight of my week, an LGR episode to watch with my Friday night dinner and drink. Keep it up Clint, you're a blessing upon the internet.
That keyboard is industrial design at its finest. I'm impressed at that connector tbh
You know it's a retro PC when the CPU has no heatsink whatsoever 😂😂
I clearly remember when heatsinks and fans became a thing.
There were exceptions in every generation, but for the PC you can largely spot the shift in the 486.
From the low end 486 systems that have NO CPU cooling, to the mid-range ones with a heatsink to the high end ones with a heatsink and fan.
Possibly the only generation of PC CPU where that applies, since older ones generally all had no cooling, and pentium onwards always had a heatsink+fan combo.
(though they got steadily bigger. The cooler from a high end 486 looks like an amusing joke compared to even a modern stock cooler...)
As a side note, researching the power draw of 486 CPU's, it becomes apparent that the point at which you start needing a CPU cooler is when the CPU starts to draw about 4 watts.
Yeah. 4.
Low end 486 processors use less than 4 watts.
Can you imagine it? A modern laptop processor generally isn't even designed to run on that kind of power. XD
There's CPU's for mobile phones with higher power draw than that...
Heat sinks started to appear with the higher end 386 processors IIRC, and prominantly featured on the 486 line up until the 66-75Mhz DX. Starting with the 100Mhz 486 and the early Pentiums, fans started to make their way on top of the heat sink.
That was our families first computer the exact model! Thanks for the video, brings back so many memories! Use to play Gunship and StarFlight on it!
Clint, Thank you so much for reviewing this machine! Our family computer was the Equity II+ and my very first computer. I spent years enjoying all of its features and was fond of the monitor's monochrome mode, bundled dot matrix printer, and our aftermarket trackball. My first computer game was Reader Rabbit though I quickly moved on to classics like the Carmen Sandiego series, Classic Concentration, and Wheel of Fortune. I was even lucky enough to own a copy of Commander Keene. I wrote many reports in Word 6.0, learned to program in QBasic, and remember setting the clock backwards to get around the Y2K bug. Your video was a beautiful walk down memory lane and I'm glad you got to experience firsthand a big part of my childhood. Cheers, B.
Considering that it was supposed to be "bad," it's surprisingly well designed. That little handle and door setup on the keyboard is actually a really good idea.
It's such a relief to see a computer designed with a user friendly design and consideration of user usage of a system in the mind of the developers. That's something that is often even lacking in modern pc designs of all sorts.
I used to go to an after school program as a kid with a computer that had the color switch on the back of the monitor. It was 3 way though; black and white, black and green, and black and a bronze/gold color. I have been looking for one ever since and can't find what the heck monitor it was.
Edit: I think it had full color as well.
crbielert YO DUDE I used to go to a math tutor and they had those exact monitors! If you ever find out what they are please leave a reply!!!!
peendaccarry cool y'all...
My Apex, my first computer. It's as unforgettable as the first girlfriend or your first car in youth... Good times, lots of games, studies, too many days stayed up until late playing or studying... nothing else mattered in your life... no pets, no nothing else. Now I realize when design mattered too much... computers were incredible gourgeus and well designed, a pleasure to the sight. Nowdays computers appearance says nothing, you never spend time watching at the case, only what you see in the monitor. Thanks for this video @LGR
Hi Clint, keep doing what you're doing. I love your channel and your videos. They're my go-to when I'm feeling a bit down and looking for something chilled and positive to distract me. Been watching you for years now and you deserve every modicum of your success. All the best from the UK!
I haven't been excited by a beige box since I first saw my Tandy HX1000 (not even a box). This thing looks amazing, I love it.
4:01 ooohh that's nice
When I saw your title “Epson Apex” I remember a slightly more recent 386DX Epson of mine that ran Windows 3.1, miserably. With only 4mb of memory, my Epson took 11 minutes to fully boot, giving me enough time to fix a cup of coffee, load a bread machine to make a loaf, and to call my first business client. I’m thankful technology progresses! Loved your video.
This was a video that took me back 30 years...... yeah computer were expensive back then. Nice video LGR.
This was my first at home computer when I was a kid back in the late '80's. We got it for Christmas that year and my mind was blown, lol. It was painfully slow, but at the time it was better than using a potato for all you p/c needs I suppose. I remember eating dinner one night in the kitchen while the computer was just on and idle in the corner. Next thing I knew there was a loud pop and smoke rising from the monitor. Of course, the screen went blank and it went into the shop since it was still under warranty. I think it turned out to be a bad cap that blew if my memory serves correctly. Anyways, thanks for doing the video, it brought back some good memories of screeching modem noises and constant floppy disk swap outs to play just about any game on it. #thatApex100life
This was the first computer we got after our Commodore 64 died, needless to say, I was pretty let down and didn't understand how this was somehow better, lol.
2:32 It advertised XTREE on the top-right of the box.
That took me back.
Loved so much this video, brings me a lot of nostalgy cause Epson Apex 100 was my very first PC on year 1991. Thank You very much for sharing this special piece of hardware. Greetings from Argentina.
Great Video Clint! You've been knocking it out of the park with all your videos recently!
This was the first computer I ever used. It belonged to my Grandma. Clint if you ever want to sell it please let me know.
Nice machine, nice video, Thanks! Pity you can't find such nice new old stock stuff in this neck of the European jungle/woods.
Yeah, it's very rare I've ever seen anything remotely like this unless you scour the internet thoroughly.
I believe there's a website that still has a small amount of new old stock Atari 8 bit computer accessories.
But... The site is american.
Which, you know. Would figure.
Except that the stock they've got is from a Warehouse in the Netherlands that they purchased as a bulk lot at some point a decade or two ago.
And the contents of that warehouse were in turn technically intended for Italy.
So... Yeah. Us Europeans haven't got that stuff because the Americans come in and steal it from us. ;p
Damn those yanks! :p
I had one of these back in 1990. I liked it.
You're giving me a new appreciation for old PC's! Now I wish I'd kept more of them over the years.
It’s almost mind boggling that XTs were still being sold during the same year the 486 was introduced.
Intel tried to be exclusive with the 386, which caused some lawsuits with AMD. Plus, Intel wasn't as cheaply available. Also, even OS/2 (1987?) didn't take off very quickly, and there were RAM shortages. DOS extenders weren't quite common yet, and everything was overall too expensive. So the industry was somewhat slow to advance. (Wolfenstein 3D was 286/VGA in 1992. BioMenace was 286/EGA in 1993. Windows 3.0 was 1990 and MS-DOS v5 was 1991, both right before the IBM / MS breakup.)
Not trying to sound smart, I know very little overall. I was too young to even have a PC back then. But everything has advanced much more rapidly since the late '90s.
Dad had an Apex 100/20 for his business. I was an Amiga user though. He got the computer at Costco.
I wanted an Amiga, but this exact Epson model in the video was my first computer instead. I suffered through 4 years of high school with it.
I had a 500+ in the mid 90's when I was 15. I paid my dad 25 quid to order an extra 1mb of ram. (Totalling 2MB.) It was second hand of course, with a box of random floppies :) great fun exploring all the games and working out how to play them.
Sold a buttload of those Apex computers back in 89/90 working for Best Buy. By the time I was selling them, they had this one (Apex 100), the one with the 20MB hard drive, a version with a 40MB hard drive (!), and an Apex 200 that was a 286 model I think. The 286 may have had VGA graphics as well, but it's been sooooo long now.
Big nostalgia trip!
Clint, you're really good at what you do. Thank you.
2:28 Well, considering Epson printers had timers that faked that the ink ran out so you'd go out and buy more of their ink they sold doesn't surprise me
Clean, white (beige, off-white?), a really classic look. I like it! Another!
I'm always so happy to see a new video from you! Thank you. :)
I love seeing these classic desktop computers,going in depth with them and seeing how everything turns out in the end by your final thoughts on them.This is why i stayed subbed to his channel for all these years.Old computers fascinate me alot and this one didn't dissappoint me.
I wonder what was the price for a 286 or 386 PC from other brands during this time?
I know PC prices were astronomical during this time, but I can't imagine an 8bit PC like this being competitive for $900 in the late 80s.
Yeah really when the Commodore 128D with built in disk drive, and separate keyboard around 89/90 according to an old Toys R' US ad was $399.96 USD before tax.
www.battlegrip.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/fullad-20.png
and an Amiga A500 from the sears Christmas catalog was right at $600 USD before tax
www.pinterest.com/pin/369365606917245466/visual-search/
Plus both of these could work with a normal TV via RF if need with full NTSC color.
Edit: by this time you could also go into computer shopper magazine, and parts pick your own PC for much cheaper, or if you where lucky to live in a big city they sometimes had computer swap meets/flea markets, etc.. where you could also get PC part cheaper, as Computer Chronicles back in the day did a story on it in 1992, and I remember there use to be one that came to my area twice a year with grey market PC parts, and other electronic goodies like car stereos, amps, etc... here is the video.
czcams.com/video/J5_doCwi608/video.html
My dad claims he bought his Amiga for $1000 in 1986, but who knows how accurate that is. Almost definitely doesn't include the monitor though.
@@stevethepocket If it was an original Amiga 1000 model, then that's honestly about right, because it was released in July of 85, and the successor the A500 was a more consumer friendly cost reduced model, and at one point over in the UK with price wars with the Atari ST line they had it after conversion rates of $300 - $400 USD with a bunch of packed in software for the A500, and the Amiga 1000 I can't recall ever getting that treatment.
It's not 8-bit. The 8088 functions identically to the 8086, both are 16-bit cpus. But the cheaper and slower 8088 had an 8-bit external data bus and was compatible with 8-bit peripherals. It still had a 20-bit (1 MB) address space and (eight-ish) 16-bit general purpose registers.
I wish modern desktops would put more effort into slick design. Not only specs and flashing lights.
G. Confa Not a fan off those garstly lcd lights! I agree..
Thanks for the enjoyable video!
I supported family and friends back then (still do) and always liked the overall quality of the design and build of the Epson computers and printers. A friend gave me his old Equity 1+ when he finally upgraded to a 386 so I could pull all his old data and software off to transfer over, good hardware, and as I recall their documentation was also very detailed and well written.
Keep up the great great work. Love watching all this stuff.
Why did you upload this right when I had to leave for work haha now I have to wait for my break
It's already 12 AM here in Indonesia, what time is it where you live ? Hehe
Go in late m8
seems like a fine way to spend your break!
My time zone here is mountain time
You could review a toaster and I'd watch it. But, thanks for reviewing computery stuff.
He could review toast and I'm still onboard :)
Not my first PC, but my first DOS machine. When we upgraded to a 386, I was instructed to gift it to a less fortunate friend; I used my new dial-up modem to saturate tons of my now useless 5.25" floppies with small games. I remember spending the night at his place, showing him around DOS and playing some of the games with him. Never saw him again after that, but I hope that computer gave him some good times.
I don't understand half the tech jargon about processors or graphic cards, but this is one of the most entertaining channels on CZcams and I've been a happy subscriber for 2 years. Keep up the smart, classy content, Clint 😊
I like when companies (while maybe using worse hardware) produce cheap alternatives that still feature solid and well thought-out design, rather than the far too common, "you get what you pay for" attitude
@Deenie Beenie Well sometimes, when they weren't using the exploding PSU's! 😉
Can you do a review of plant x2 and x3?
It is neat, the best way to describe it. I loved 1992 when things got ramped up and it was a genuinely even more confusing time with options.
I love the additional keyboard and switch detail here. Thanks LGR!
Then: 899$ pc has 8mhz cpu
Now: 1$ microcontroller has 16Mhz cpu
OMG I imagine loading doom on this thing ... how long would that take? Please tell me there was a Dos 3.3 version I need a full video of just Doom installing just like the multi hour Banner print out
I don't think it'd work :)
@@thedungeondelver probably not. When I was 12 I had a 486 and I remember it took forever just to load that thing on that. But I have seen even Commodore versions of Doom. 8-bit guy had a bit on it
Doom requires extended memory. I needed to upgrade my 386sx from 4 to 8mb back in the days to run doom. Then low resolution mode and shrinking the view a couple of notches was playable. Then next year I upgraded to 486Dx2 66MHz and that was fast!
@@jilmarit I believe my first one was a 486x 66... I remember my first Pentium and being able to play Duke Nukem 3D without it being horribly degraded on resolution
Joshua Sharrock - my first computer was Turbo XT with 8MHz 8088... that was enough at the time... as with any generation 😃
I've been suffering from stress today, and this video really helped to relax me.
I really enjoyed this video Mr Lazy, with this PC I traveled directly to the early 90s when my father gave me my first PC, it was an Epson AX 2, 286 processor, CGA monitor and fence as I enjoyed playing Prince of Persia, Test Drive, Lemmigs , Indianapolis 500 and other titles are great !!!
Looks like if you put this pc on its side that nice keyboard plug-in location would kink the cord big time.
Fit Fogey Exactly! I was hoping Clint would say something about it when he turned it upright..
Looks like they left a gap in the little chase for the wire. Idt it would kink at all actually
I was thinking the same.
Making a lesser version, yet naming it Apex: _all product names should be required to pass a sanity check with a teacher of the relevant language._
My parents bought me one of those when I was a kid. Had the one with the 20MB HD. Man what a flashback.....thanks LGR!
... I just watched the beginning 3 times, because I couldn't wrap my head around your signature hand greeting immediately followed by you carrying a box into the frame
Grəətings :D
A well-engineered computer for being a down-graded clone!
LGR.. the only channel where I always hit the thumbs up button, before the video even started to play. thank you clint!
I have this computer in this same configuration! First family computer growing up. Got to take it with me when I moved out of the house and will always hang onto it.
I know it's a shitload of work, but why only 12 minutes :(
HOURS I want HOURS of retro PC porn :D
Our computer lab had these when I was in first grade. These many years later, I didn't remember what computers we had (they eventually upgraded by, probably, third grade or so) but a long Google search led me hear. Love this!
Tbh I clicked on the vid then I saw Test Drive on the thumbnail.. one of many games that I've played as a kid that made me love tech in general. Thanks for the upload.
Ayyy! This was great, Clint! I was born in the summer of 1989 as was this machine. Super fun/weird to see hardware that someone could have bought at the time of my birth. I always hated that "almost white"- look we had on everything when I was a kid but I've grown to love the color. So much nostalgia
Yours is the one channel in my Subs that I don't even need to know the content before deciding I have to watch it!
Definitely like the clean look of it too and it looks so new!!! Great video
This PC brings back a lot of memories. Playing games at school and at the library.
Fantastic video! Thanks! Ah the memories...
This is one of the best old school computer channels on the YT platform. If you don't like this kind of hobby, why the hell come here to give dislike? why?
Thank you for actually showcasing the switches the keyboard had, so many vintage reviewers completely skip past that
Memory blast. I used to service those, and their printers, in the late 80's when I worked at a small computer store.
If you find an Epson QX-10 to have a look at, it might be interesting for you. It was a Z-80 CP/M machine, but I think I remember a PC compatible add on card for it.
Thank you for the subtitles!
Jesus, Clint. This episode was a rollercoaster for me, you've actually shown 3 of the first games I've EVER played as a kid. Prince of Persia, Test Drive, and World Class Leader Board are the titles (along with Grand Prix Circuit) that my first PC came with and I still remember the feelings of excitation while launching those gems (not without the help) plus the exact spot and time of the day it happened. Thank you for reminding me!
Thanks for covering this. I had one of these, it was my first PC I ever bought. I remember the day vividly, sadly I have zero idea what happened to it after I moved a couple times. :(
You always excited with retro pc’s . It’s like you gonna climax at any second. Great video thumps up
I have an Equity 1+ AND ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT
Also that monitor switch for colour is absolutely wonderful
Ah memories! The first PC I ever used was an Epson Equity I (although it had a 20 MB hard card upgrade). Thank you for sharing this system with us.
Grew up with that machine, those blue-green and red-heavy graphics really take me back.
Hey, I just got this on my recommended videos and I'm really glad you enabled subtitles as I'm not native english speaker and sometimes I don't get all the words. By the Way, loved the video, new sub!
My first computer was a Commodore 64, in '86 or so...let me just say that I loved and laughed while watching this video...the nostalgia and limitations are just alarming here in 2019....and speaks of the times and age and how we must and do adopt to technology. Thank you!!
everything about this computer is so satisfying. those clicks...
My grandpa has a Epson Equity 1 that he still uses to this day to write his book, using a program called First Choice :)
Which is the program that came with the computer out of the box!
LGR.... the NPR of youtube tech reviews. And we love you for it.
this was another great video love it! :)
I love the lounge music intros you use now. It's kind of jarring watching your old videos from like 10 years ago with the cracking of soda cans and low quality video....lol.
Loved this video! This was my first computer. Had the whole package with a dot matrix printer.
Looks great and love those loading sounds!