Radius System 81/110

[Damian Ward]

I wasn't sure where to post this question, so apologies if it is not the correct place.

I have a Radius System 81/110 that is going to go up for sale. I also have a potential buy for it already. The problem is neither of us have a clue what it is worth. I know Radius is a good name and these systems don't come up for sale very often. Does anyone here have an idea of price or seen one up for sale recently?

The computer boots fine without any problems, and it is in good shape too. The only thing wrong with it is the front panel is loose, but this could be stuck back on somehow. if you need to see some pictures of it, I'm happy to provide them.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I'd ask at least 2-3 times as much as the last PowerMac 8100/110 sold for at auction on eBay. Most folks aren't even aware of the differences that make it so much better a machine, especially these days..

There's absolutely no comparison between that big metal can with DA-15 from Radius vs. Apple's disintegrating plastics with that craptastic x100 series video connector requiring a DA-15 adapter cable hanging off the back. The Radius 81/110 is more expandable, having room at the bottom of the big can for an HPV card cabled up to a G3 in its PDS while retaining use of all three NuBus slots at the same time.

Apple's 8100 (and 7100) must sacrifice a NuBus Slot to HPV Card Adapters, no dice there. Tried to work out the same kind of HPV installation in an Apple box, but there's just no room for it.  

 

[Damian Ward]

Thanks for that. I agree it is a much better-built machine than a Power Mac 8100, it is rock solid. 

The last 8100 sold in May for £30 /$37, so not a huge amount of money. 

 

[Compgeke]

I've got an 81/110 and I paid $75 for it last year, working. They aren't too common but unlike a Daystar Genesis MP, they aren't super desirable either. Absolutely worth grabbing for ~$120 or under, imo. 

 

[mattsoft]

oh yeah, if you were in the US, I'd be knocking on your door with a briefcase full of cash for the Radius.

 

[Damian Ward]

Thanks for your help on this guys. It's a shame that it isn't easier to send it to the States. 

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

I say ditch your 8100/100 and keep the metal can. It won't disintegrate, you can retain the third slot and add the HPV as a fourth card if you go G3. The 81/110 will be worth a lot more in the long run, especially when all of Apple's cases from that abominable period (abominable cases from that period?) have crumbled into ABS sand. Did I mention that beautiful DA-15? :lol:

 

[Cory5412]

I'd say it's probably worth ~120-130% of what an 8100/110 would be worth, if you had two in the same kind of shape/condition/functionality status with basically the same stats. There's a little bit of a clone tax because they are less common. There's also a bit of a /100+ tax on the NuBus machines. By far and away the absolute vast majority of 8100s seem to be the /80 kind, because that lasted longer as a product and was more affordable/attainable even once the 100 and 110 existed.

It's a machine that has some slightly better quality of life improvements if you intend to upgrade it, but I'll also argue that G3 upgrades should be reserved for the 80MHz 8100s anyway. And so the onboard graphics on any first-gen NuBus PowerMac only matters if you need a palette display or if you have something else filling that HPV slot. (i.e. the 6100's PC Compatibility slot)

PowerMac x100 onboard video is bad and if you have any way to avoid using it at all, you want to. Plus, the HDI45 adapter isn't that bad. Have you ever used SCSI? It's roughly comparable, especially to Apple's own SCSI cables, which often had very long connectors.

As another data point:

I bought a Power Computing Power 120 for roughly $78 (USD) shipped on eBay last year, and that's a similar machine in a similarly reasonably good case with a DA15 connector instead of the HDI45 one, although I didn't receive it in booting condition.

I'd argue that these machines are the most interesting when you leave them as 601 boxes, even if that means they're not actually great Mac OS 9 computers. Which, is fine! They're examples of transition-era computers.

To add: Vintage Macs aren't really priced based on functional value. Even if you think a Radius 81 is 2-3x more productive than an Apple 8100 (I'd argue that that's extremely generous, and that an 8500 will whup them both out of the water so hard they may as well not exist to begin with), that doesn't mean that that's what it should cost at 25+ years old.

 

[Lagruaja]

oh yeah, if you were in the US, I'd be knocking on your door with a briefcase full of cash for the Radius.

I know this is late, but I’m in the US, and I have a door… and a COMPLETE, fully-functioning Radius 81/110 VideoVision Studio. It’s been boxed up in storage for the last 15-20 years or so. The specs: 300MHz Sonnet Technologies G3 Upgrade Card, 264Mb RAM, 2 GB HD, 32X CD, the original Radius PrecisionView 17" Monitor, RadiusThunderIV/GX 1600 Graphics accellerator with AdobeCharged PhotoEngine, Radius VideoVision Studio Video Digitizer with Hardware JPEG compression duaghterboard, an internal Iomega 1GB Jaz Drive and the 4GB Radius VideoVision Studio ArrayRAID with a FWB JackHammer Fast & Wide SCSI controller. I also have all the original books and software and a TON of vintage software for it. I have been wanting to part with it but I don’t want to just recycle it, so I wanted to find a “True Believer” as it were. If you are interested I’m sure we can work out an unbelievable deal. Text me at (951) 970-0695 (Jeff). I’m in the process of moving so I want this to be the last time I move this system.

oh yeah, if you were in the US, I'd be knocking on your door with a briefcase full of cash for the Radius.

 

[mr_atomic]

I know this is late, but I’m in the US, and I have a door… and a COMPLETE, fully-functioning Radius 81/110 VideoVision Studio. It’s been boxed up in storage for the last 15-20 years or so. The specs: 300MHz Sonnet Technologies G3 Upgrade Card, 264Mb RAM, 2 GB HD, 32X CD, the original Radius PrecisionView 17" Monitor, RadiusThunderIV/GX 1600 Graphics accellerator with AdobeCharged PhotoEngine, Radius VideoVision Studio Video Digitizer with Hardware JPEG compression duaghterboard, an internal Iomega 1GB Jaz Drive and the 4GB Radius VideoVision Studio ArrayRAID with a FWB JackHammer Fast & Wide SCSI controller. I also have all the original books and software and a TON of vintage software for it. I have been wanting to part with it but I don’t want to just recycle it, so I wanted to find a “True Believer” as it were. If you are interested I’m sure we can work out an unbelievable deal. Text me at (951) 970-0695 (Jeff). I’m in the process of moving so I want this to be the last time I move this system.

Jeff is this still a thing?

-Mike