🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4ikjqq$iv4@ecom1.ecn.bgu.edu>,
Michael Strahl <gmstrahl@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu> wrote:
>I am looking into buying a Packard Bell or Acer PC from Best Buy.
>The attractiveness of these systems are their price and that
>Best Buy will give 1 year free financing.
>
>With my needs in mind, will the Packard Bell or the Acer prove
>to be reliable.
>

As you can see from everyone else's followups, in general Packard Hell
and Acer machines may not be the best investment.  I would highly 
recommend going with a respected brand like Micron.

From what I see in this weeks ads, the 120 MHz Packard Bell will cost
you $1989.98.  This is a machine is spec'd as follows:
    
    120 MHz Pentium
    1 Gig hard drive
    8 Meg RAM
    1 Meg video memory
    MPEG-1 full motion video
    4x CD-ROM
    16 bit sound
    Speakers
    28.8 internal fax/modem
    Telephony stuff (answering machine, speakerphone)
    Various Software
    15 inch monitor

Did you hear about the lawsuit that Packard Bell lost because they were
sticking (broken) returned hardware into their machines and selling it
as new?  Stay away from a company that does or has done that.

The Acer sitting right next to it in the ad costs $2649.98 has the
following:
    
    133 MHz Pentium
    1.6 Gig hard drive
    16 Meg Ram
    1 Meg video memory
    6x CD-ROM
    16 bit sound
    28.8 internal fax/modem
    Telephony stuff (answering machine, speakerphone)
    Various Software
    15 inch monitor

Please note that on this machine the front panel is designed such
that you are pretty screwed if you want to replace the CD-ROM drive
or floppy drive in the future.  You also wouldn't have the option
of adding another internal CD-ROM, tape drive, whatever to this case
because they designed it such that only *their* hardware will fit
into this case.  That means that in the future they will be the only
ones that can sell you replacement parts or upgrades for those items.

Now if you take a look at a Micron computer that is similar to these
in price at http://www.mei.micron.com/Products/Micron/sheets/p100mpc.htm,
you will see that you can get a *quality* machine from a *respected*
manufacturer for $1999.00.

    100 MHz Pentium
    1 Gig hard drive
    8 Meg Ram
    2 Meg video memory   (This is more than either of the above have)
    6x CD-ROM
    16 bit sound
    28.8 internal fax/modem
    Telephony stuff (answering machine, speakerphone)
    Various Software
    15 inch monitor

For another $440, you can add another 8 meg of RAM, upgrade to a Pentium
133, and get a 1.6 gig hard drive instead of the 1 gig, making it spec
out the same as the Acer for less money.  If you need/want more than
1 gig of hard drive space, I would get it with the 1 gig drive and add
another drive.  I think that for what they charge for larger drives,
you would be better off buying a second hard drive and installing
that.  Take a look in misc.forsale.computers.storage or any of the
vendors listed at http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~wharmon/vendors.html
if you are looking for a hard drive.

One other thing to watch out for when buying a computer is whether or
not you will be able to use your existing case, CD-ROM, floppy, and 
cards when you decide that you need that P-6 or P-7 motherboard.

Good luck with your Micron!  (I hope)

--
Mike Gerdts
gerdts@cae.wisc.edu
CAE Unix Systems Staff
University of Wisconsin, Madison