Much "heaper"? More a heap of junk? Just kidding. I've only been to a
couple, and they both sucked. Not like you described - basically more like
flea markets with "fly-by-night" looking vendors. Bad assumption on my part
about what computer shows in general were like. If they are local vendors
with return policies, then sounds good to me.
Oh man, you need to find a good show then. You'll love it, though you might
not buy much there. The real bargains at a good computer show are software.
Yes, you'll find some gray market mixed in there, but you'll also find legal
software sold for ridiculously low prices. On the hardware side, you will
find a great selection of monitors cheap, if you aren't shopping for
high-end specs. The average home user should be able to find a really good
monitor cheap at a show. For most other components, you will also find a
good selection at good prices, though much of the selection will be
lower-end components. You can't blame the vendors for that, as they stock
what SELLS at these shows. Still, if you know hardware, you could build a
pretty decent system using just parts from the show. Good luck finding a
decent power supply, though. If you are lucky enough to find a good brand
of power supply at a show, it is their very cheapest model. At least that's
what I've observed at many shows. I mainly go to the shows about once or
twice a year for the entertainment factor more than anything else. It's fun
to see some of the latest hardware components that you won't see anywhere
else . . . or if you do, it'll be in a box. At the show, you can see that
new motherboard you've read about, sitting right on the table. Shows are
also good for miscellaneous junk. If you build a lot, you are always
looking for LONG hard drive cables and miscellaneous standoffs/screws, for a
couple of good examples. Buy a bag of each for about a buck or two and you
are set for the next five years. (!) I even manage to drag my wife along
sometimes. She always says she hates the shows, but ends up spending more
than I do. (!) Yeah, I've never been to a show that seemed to have shady
dealers. The many shows I've been to, the businesses showing there were
LOCAL, with name/address/phone clearly displayed on overhead signs and on
receipts that they give you when you purchase something. Oh, another thing
about the shows is that they are a GREAT place to purchase a whole system if
you know what you want but (for some odd reason) don't want to build it.
You can easily get a system that will beat the "Dells" with better specs and
lower prices. But you've got to know exactly what you want, as the default
configurations are always lacking in something (but they will customize to
your order, of course). If you know exactly what you want , probably better
to build yourself. Still, the shows are great. As I said before, they can
be entertaining, at least, even if you don't spend much money. -Dave
