• Tag Archives Computer Direct

  • Computer Direct (May 1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Computer Entertainment – May 1985


    It seems like in the 1980s there were more mail order places for computers and computer parts then there are internet sites for such things today. That’s probably not really true but it just seems like today it’s best to get everything from Amazon or maybe Amazon. Or possibly Amazon. Ok, once in a while Newegg…or eBay of you are brave. This ad is from a popular (it seemed so to me at the time anyway) mail order business called Computer Direct that sold various computers and accessories.

    Computer Direct was where most of my Commodore stuff came from. While my Commodore 64c itself probably did not come from here (it was a Christmas present), my 1541-II disk drive, monitor, printer, printer interface, my first modem and even a replacement power supply for my Commodore 64 all came from Computer Direct. Their prices were good and the support was great as well. You could return anything within 15 days for any reason and they offered a 90-day replacement policy. They even provided technical support if you gave them a call. Try getting that from Amazon. At least the returns are easy.

    Computer Direct’s later ads were a very hard to miss bright yellow. However, earlier ads (or maybe it was just a limitation imposed by this particular magazine) were a little more subdued. This particular ad happens to be from the May 1985 issue of Computer Entertainment, the short-lived successor to Electronic Games. It features Atari 8-bit related items though they sold stuff for most computers available, including the Commodore 64 of course.

    I’m not sure whatever happened to Computer Direct. I know they were founded in 1979 and I found ads for them through at least 1993. This 1985 ad is one of the earliest I have run across so far. There seem to be a bunch of businesses out there today with the name “Computer Direct” but none of them appear to be related to the original. I think the Internet ultimately put a lot of these companies out of business…at least the ones that could not adapt fast enough. Anybody remember the massive phone book sized Computer Shopper?


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  • Atari 800XL (Computer Direct, 1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Ad on page 73 of the Oct 1985 (Issue 65) of Compute! (Vol. 7 No. 10)

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/163640696477/pages-from-the-80s-ad-on-page-73-of-the-oct-1985

    The above ad is from the October 1985 issue of Compute! In 1985, the Atari 130XE had recently been introduced as the successor to the Atari 800XL. Here, it looks like we have Computer Direct trying to unload the rest of their 800XL inventory…

    As I recall, I had pretty good results dealing with Computer Direct back in the day, though it was for Commodore related stuff, not Atari. Their advertising is a little questionable though. I like how they advertise the 800XL as an “88K Computer”. I believe they are just combining the 64K RAM size with the 24K ROM size but that’s a weird way to do things. Bigger numbers make for a better ad I suppose. They do the same with the Atari 130XE in this ad. It’s a “152K System” because of its 128K RAM and 24K ROM.

    Even though the 130XE is newly released, it is the 800XL being pushed in this ad, particularly as a package with a bunch of XL themed peripherals. While XL peripherals were generally compatible with the 130XE, the color scheme changed from browns to greys. They were offering the same deal for $50 more with the 130XE instead of the XL. However, this would have still been with the older peripherals. I’m not sure if the newer XE versions were out at this point. No doubt they were also trying to unload their remaining XL stock before it became too hard to get rid of. Ironically, by this time Atari 8-bit computers weren’t really doing that well. There was very little software support compared to what was available for Commodore and Apple. The XE systems would continue to sell through the early 1990s though.





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  • Computer Direct (PC, 1987)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    compute_pc_issue_01_1987_sep-45

    Source: Compute!’s PC – Issue Number 1 – September 1987

    Computer Direct was a popular (at least based on their advertising) mail order computer company. I remember getting some stuff for my Commodore 64 through them (I think that’s where my printer, monitor and modem came from…possibly the C64 and 1541-II disk drive as well but I can’t remember). They sold Commodore, Atari, Apple and PC compatible equipment.

    You had to be a little careful ordering from them as their ads weren’t always specific as to what brand you were getting but I never had a problem getting something I didn’t want (e.g. the monitor I ordered was a Magnavox). In the ad above, the PC was probably one of the Laser XT models but it is unclear what brand the monitor is. The “Big Blue” printer is a thermal printer which isn’t clear from the ad. But their prices were pretty good and they had a 90 day money back guarantee.

    The above ad is from the September 1987 issue of Compute!’s PC magazine.


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