boy, I didn't buy a computer till the late 80's when I got a 486 machine.
Before that, I just used my programmable calculators... a TI-58, which was replaced with a HP-15C.
Still, the hardware of that era is kinda fun! As an electrical engineer, I've always been intrigued with core memory. This was the original non-volatile random access memory and it stored bits on little donuts of magnetic material. Magnetize the donut in one direction and it's a 1. Magnetize it in the other direction and it's a 0.

I know it was used for quite a while in aviation, since it could maintain the data when power dropped out (there was a standard requirement for military avionics to stay functional during power losses of up to 24ms or thereabouts).
Anyway... I was touring the USS Midway museum last year, and they had a display of core memory! It was part of the ship's Univac computer. A nice little display for the electronics nerds in the audience.
The amazing thing about core memory is just how tiny those donuts were, as well as how thin and fragile the wire was that was used to read and write the cores.

"1st generation core memory, 1960"





and a shot of the core memory board as viewed through the magnifying glass that was provided.....


Pretty amazing stuff, although no doubt expensive.
Hopefully it helps people appreciate just how far electronics and in particular, memory technology, has advanced in the 60 years since. (why do I suddenly feel old??)

Steve in Peoria