sc1u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Stephen Chan) (06/18/91)
This is a question similar to the "Building a cheap AT system" question. I'm in the market for an inexpensive PC. Looking at the way things are going, I'll need to get something with at least a 386SX in order to run the software I'm interested in (OOL software devel & database work). But I'm in no rush, so I plan on waiting until prices drop a little (once AMD's chips hit the market). The plan I've been kicking around is to buy a used PC-XT class machine (around $200), and putter around on that until the 386/486 machines come down in, and then pick up a new motherboard and drop it into the case. In the meantime, I'll shop for cheap, used components (disk drives, displays, stuff like that) Does this seem reasonable? Are there any pitfalls which I've overlooked? Thanks for your help, Stephen Chan sc1u+@andrew.cmu.edu
wilhelm@elements.rpal.com (Robert Wilhelm) (06/19/91)
here's my opinion : buying a used PC-XT class machine is a bad move if you want a 386SX machine. here are several of many possible pitfalls you may face 1. power supplies fail and don't always match all motherboards. 2. older machines may or may not have the controller for the disks and performance you seek. 3. display cards that work well in an XT class machine may not work well in a 386 class machine. there are many other pitfalls. I would consider buying a very sparcely configured 386 machine and adding to it as the money is available. bob wilhelm