[SECC] Re: (*&%#computers

[Ben Coleman]

On Mon, 30 Oct 2000 22:35:17 +0000, Ed Sleight wrote:

>Guys, don't want to stray too far, but if any of you are contemplating
>an upgrade ( other than a laptop ), I just thought I'd mention I just
>put together 2 complete AMD K6 500 mHz screamers for a total cost of
>about $420. ( had the monitors ) For all their ads, and hype, these
>"specials" are a bunch of junk for the most part, mainly because
>everything in the things are "proprietary", which means if your modem
>goes, you replace it with their modem. Same thing goes with the
>software. Windows is NOT the same software in, say a Dell vs a Compaq.

I'll second the motion.  My first PC-'compatible' was a CompuAdd
low-profile system, which suffered (for its time) the same types of
problems.  In particular, given the non-standard case, you couldn't
just drop in a new motherboard in for an upgrade.  Since then, I've
been been sticking to 'clone' vintages with fairly standardized form
factors, and doing piecemeal upgrades, rather than buying whole new
systems.  I've also found that after you do piecemeal upgrades for a
while, you look around and realize that you've got enough spare pieces
to put together another system (the first time I had this happen, it
was a case of I realized that all of the pieces from my second system
were now 'spare', and I put the old system back together again.  I
threw Linux on it, and got useful work out of a computer that would
have been useless in the Windows world.  The case and power supply from
that system are still in use, running my home firewall).

I'll also second Ed's choice of CPU.  The K6-2's aren't the fastest on
the block nowadays, but they give plenty of CPU speed without hitting
your wallet too hard(I have 3 in my house, I guess I must like them). 
In your typical Mom-and-Pop clone shop, the CPU will run about $60-$70,
you can get decent motherboards for $50-$90, and 64MB of PC-100 SDRAM
can be had for around a buck a MB.  Shop around and you can find better
deals(and given that Ed put together 2 systems for $420, I'd say he did
just that).

This typically requires that you do more research than if you just ran
down to the local retail computer store and bought a complete system,
but you'll know what's in your system, and you'll have avoided the
corner-cutting junk that typically goes into full-blown, name-brand
'system'.  I just wish the same choice was available for laptops.

Ben
-- 
Ben Coleman oloryn@mindspring.com    | The attempt to legislatively
http://oloryn.home.mindspring.com/   | micromanage equality results, at
                                     | best, in equal misery for all.



--
SECC on the Web:          http://secc.contesting.com/
Submissions:              secc@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  secc-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-secc@contesting.com