Will there ever be classic “muscle” microprocessors?
There are cars out there that are very old but well maintained. They go for more money then they were originally worth and are often still fairly capable vehicles. I’m wondering if we might eventually see a similar situation with microprocessors. Obviously there are many factors that play into this, but I’m amazed that I can currently sell my gtx 1080 ti that I custom cooled for more than I bought it. Part of me is sad to see it go because it still can handle a huge workload and it looks sweet. Will I one day look back and see my card on the market for 5 figures? Will any generation ever look back and see their old chips on the market for 5 figures?
One major difference is it's hard to "supe up" an old computer. Harder in general for the layman to repair or modify means you are more likely to need a fully functioning device to be able to use it, less gray area. Also cars are inherently harder to store so there are less of them floating around at any given time if they aren't immediately serviceable they might get junked or otherwise rust into pieces.
That being said writing software for "dead" platforms might level that out
Probably not in the fast or powerful sense, but if you’re looking to fire up something old and energy inefficient then I’m sure you can find something.
How did you custom cool your 1080 Ti? I'm sure the chip shortage created a better market for you than you would have otherwise had.
There's definitely a market for rarer, more unusual machines out there. I'm thinking of NeXTcubes, BeBoxes, 20th Anniversary Macintoshes, etc. Heck, the prices for Commodore 64s and Apple IIs in decent condition are skyrocketing.
These machines can't compete with modern hardware, but their rarity and the nostalgia factor are driving their prices.