N
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I prefer local shop support to put together a computer to 'my' specs.
My new build 98SE, not ready for XP, <$500. This included installing
my old 3 gig HD in a removable drive. Very handy.
I find good good buys around here on "previously owned" PCs My
present Hp Pavilion with a PIII 900 mhz cpu, 43 gig h.d. and Win ME
only cost $150. I also use a backup drive on a removable tray. Mine is
6 gig split into D: and E: each 3 gig. I treat two different backups
differently. The one on my E: partition I'm most careful with.
The other approach is to buy an el cheapo whizbanger with an AMD cpu
built by one of the kids who make a business out of building and
selling them. Right now I can get a 1.2 ghz for $250 without a
monitor. But I've gone that way before and I don't like cheap
hardware. It isn't worth the aggravation. And I don't need\want any
more cpu or bus speed anyway. I doubt if I'd notice it for what I do.
I have always used local ISP's. For 10 years I had $25/yr access via
a University connection. Presently for $10 month, access with two
email accts, 12 hr/day telephone support with 4 hrs on Sundays. About
10% of the time it dials twice before getting access.
I'm stuck for DSL here with just one available provider which is owned
by the telco who won't let anyone else in. It costs me $49 + change
per month. If I drop it and use dialup I'd have to pay $17 or $18 per
month for an extra phone line ... plus the cost of dialup service.
Good ISPs with unlimited service get $19 to $21 here. So my added cost
of DSL is only about $11/month or so. I hear that out west (here in
the U.S.) DSL is quite a bit cheaper. The only real competiton here in
the near future will be cable, which I'll consider when it comes if
it's cheap enough. It would have to be really cheap for me to consider
fooling with it though. I don't like the idea of shared bandwidth at
all.
Art
http://www.epix.net/~artnpeg