kuro68k Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I've seen s Panasonic FS-A1F MSX2 for sale for 20,000 yen. Is it a good buy? I'm expecting to replace the drive, re-cap it etc. I have never owned an MSX but I do speak Japanese and can read it at basic level (hira/katakana and some kanji). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I know that MSX and in particular MSX2 are much more expensive than they ought to be, but 20000 yen doesn't seem like a steal to me. Perhaps if you can talk it down by 50%, in particular if you're buying it somewhat untested. It is a MSX2 model with only 64K RAM and 128K VRAM: https://www.msx.org/wiki/Panasonic_FS-A1F Many other models have 128K + 128K, though of course if you pair it with a MegaflashROM SCC+ SD with 512K RAM option, it might not be that much of an issue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuro68k Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 Thanks. It was Hard Off, they are randomly cheap or expensive and I didn't have a benchmark. I'll see what else I can find today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.Cade Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 That seems high for one bought in Japan, but I am no MSX2 expert. Maybe that is a special one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuro68k Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 I had a look in BEEP and they didn't have much either, just an A1 for 15,000. I guess that's the price you pay for one that they have tested and warranty for a bit, rather than in an auction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Yeah, even the Japanese have learned the value of retro now. For a long while they seemed to be as forward-looking as Apple users, but both groups now have plenty of nostalgic people with big wallets. However I believe those FS-A1F and regular FS-A1 will sit there for a while until someone really longing for a MSX2 computer stops by. If the itch is greater than you can fend off, by all means get one as most likely the value will not drop in the near future but the price is far from a bargain IMHO. I just looked and found that I bought my Philips VG-8235 MSX2 back in the end of September 2007 for 11.50 Euros + shipping 20 Euros which back then was a fair price. I don't know if they go for ten times as much but surely 7-8 times what I paid. Yes, I know the market has changed completely over the past 12-13 years so it is a poor benchmark but still... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuro68k Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 Good for you. Looking on eBay these prices seem reasonable, given I don't have a time machine. So about the Panasonic, it looks like it could be upgraded with more RAM. Any other issues? It has RGB out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuro68k Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 Well I bought it. I'll report back how I get on with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuro68k Posted February 15, 2020 Author Share Posted February 15, 2020 Good news is that it boots okay and all seems to be working, even the floppy drive. I am going to open it and check all the caps. 128k RAM upgrade also looks like a good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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