Originally Posted by
matador
Ironically, sometimes you want to leave the motherboard with the processor. Especially if you want to sell the RAM out of them- a little trick I've done many times (And I'm sure others have too) on vintage stuff is to find a working machine and use it to test the parts from the other stuff. Offhand, I don't know if EDO and SIMM modules have much worth (I buy vintage stuff sometimes, but it's not really my area of focus), but if you can test them, you can tell what you have at least. As for complete systems, desktops are bulky and hard to ship, so you have to find the right buyer for the right system, and often there's no rhyme or reason for that. Case-in-point, I had a guy come in looking for an old Gateway 2000 desktop in the style of one he used when he was a little kid. Selling vintage Gateway stuff isn't as easy as some brands, but I happened to have what he needed and it netted a nice payday. Saving "the usual suspects" is usually the best you can do though, since you can't store everything forever. Ironically, Apple and Packard Bell stuff are liked for polar opposite reasons. Apple was (is) known for making super-nice, quality products. Packard Bell is like the Yugo of the 1990's computer market- they're so awful that they have a little value on that ground. I have a Packard Bell that I use in my business, albeit very little. Don't discount novelty items like that- people will pay more for a Packard Bell than the good systems of the time