jimm@cbnewsi.att.com (james.mumper) (03/27/91)
In article <1337@b1.babss.UUCP> uunet!wadswort@babss.UUCP () writes: >I'm considering buying a 386 or 486 pc and would like info >on some companys. Good and bad experiences. Any company >info would be appreciated not just the ones listed below. >I've seen the product file mentioned in the faq. >The companys I have in mind are : >Ares Microdevelopment > looks like a decent machine at a air price >Gateway > This is the one to beat, I guess. I've seen a few >bad reports but also a lot of good ones. > >Insight > Low prices. Lots of queries in the products file and >one favorable responce. Anyone else actually buy one ? > >SAI systems > good price and a local office. They don't seem to >be mentioned much in any of my reference material. Anyone >heard of them / dealt with them? > >Thanks John H. Wadsworth uunet!babss!wadswort John (and others), In the last month and a half I spent many hours doing what you're doing - trying to find the best deal from a reputable company. I began buying magazines and speaking with friends who have more experience than I do with PC's (which is actually 90% of the world!). After reading articles and gathering info from friends I developed a form to fill out as I read the ad's and eventually called all the company's (thank god for 800 numbers). The form I filled out included the following info: Company Name and Address Company Phone Number Company Phone Number for Tech Support Warranty Info Tech Support Info Motherboard Size (my way of reporting 286, 386, etc..) Megahertz Keyboard Video Controller (Make, type, and size of onboard RAM) Video Monitor (Make - interlaced/non-interlaced, capacity) Hard Disk Size (Standard as well as optional larger disks - include access rate) Floppy's (Number and Capacity) MBytes of RAM (Standard, available as options, and maximum) Cache Size Ports Available Slots (Total and whats left for me to use) Power Supply Type of Box (Desktop or Tower) Shipping Charges Surcharge for Credit? Software included Price of System After I filled out as much as I could from the ad's, I then called each company and requested more in-depth info. Of the 15 companies I spoke with, only one said the price had changed from the ad (it had gone up about 100.00). Most were very polite, helpful and knowledgeable. Some wanted to tell me what they had to say but I politely said that I would prefer to ask the questions. As I gathered info, I began to rate them on price, equipment, stability of the company, etc.. into high, medium, and low deals. As you look through the different offers and write down this kind of info, you will notice very quickly who has a standout offer and who has a nice glossy, useless ad. Now, after I decided that one offer was head-and-shoulders above the rest, I began to assess the company - after all, I wanted them to be around when I needed help. I found out they appear to be a good company, been around about 3 1/2 years and provide the best warranty I found. Before I tell you who, I'll tell you what magazines I used; PC Magazine, PC Sources, Compute, BYTE, and a couple others I can't remember right now. I felt that I had a very well rounded look at the industry and what was available to me. Now, what I consider to be the good news! DISCLAIMER - I am not associated with this company other than as a consumer. The system is a TRI-STAR FlashCache 386/33. Let's answer my questionaire and see how they did: Company Name and Address: Tri-Star Company Phone Number Company Phone Number for Tech Support Warranty Info: 2-year warranty on parts and labor. 60 day money back guarantee. This is twice as long as anywhere else in my survey. Also, we purchased the PC using our AT&T VISA which extended the wrranty for another year. Tech Support Info: One-year onsite. 24-hour tech support lifetime and a BBS. Motherboard Size (my way of reporting 286, 386, etc..): INTEL 386 Megahertz: 33 Keyboard: Enhanced 101 key Video Controller (Make, type, and size of onboard RAM): SpeedStar SVGA with 1 MB of memory. Video Monitor (Make - interlaced/non-interlaced, capacity): MGA Non-Interlaced 14" .28 pitch SVGA supported monitor Hard Disk Size (Standard as well as optional larger disks - include access rate): I purchased an optional HD - 210MB. 80NS access rate. Floppy's (Number and Capacity): 2 - 1.44 and 1.2 MBytes of RAM (Standard, available as options, and maximum): 4 standard and up to 8 on the motherboard. Cache Size: 64K Ports Available: 2S, 1P, 1G Slots (Total and whats left for me to use): Total = 8, I get 1-8, 4-16 and 1-32. Power Supply: 220W Type of Box (Desktop or Tower): Desktop (Tower available but not Class B). Shipping Charges: 99.00 for next day air via Airborne Surcharge for Credit?: No, not on VISA or MASTERCARD Software included: MSDOS 4.01, Windows 3.0, all drivers for SVGA. Also included was a 3-button Hi-Res (400DPI) Mouse. Price: The total price, including shipping, was 3,190.00. You decide if it's a good deal - but I can say without reservation that NO system at any dealer cost less than this one and came with so much. And I am very pleased with the system. I have a lot to learn and I'm enjoying learning it. I would definitely suggest gathering this kind of data if you're planning this kind of purchase. I also apologize for the length of this, but if it helps you save some money, it's worth the effort. Good luck, Jim