Original post:

> Hi folks, I am going to replace my mothers old 486 system but I can't
decide
> between a barebones ASUS a7v133 and new monitor or simply get a
complete
> system. I have done the 'replace mobo' on my system but I'm no tech and
I'm a
> bit scared about getting into installing the hard drive and unsure of
> what might come up. Any experience or guidance would be appreciated.
Also any
> advice on online buying experiance. The 'pricewatch' thing seems to
offer
> lowest bid but also lowest quality with no return or service. Kind of
like take
> it and  shut up even if it doesn't work. Has it worked for you?

Amen - more or less - to what Joel said (below). However, if you *only*
want email, surfing, and wordproc, you could even keep the 486 (or get a
CPU upgrade to pump it to a 586-133 - about = Pentium 90). The biggest
need would be adding RAM and ensuring you get a compatible 56K modem.
Modern 56K modems tend to be "PCI" modems (which require a Pentium 166 or
better to function correctly - techies can explain further), so you may
have a problem finding a compatible, inexpensive 56K modem. Compatible
RAM sticks could be a problem as well, but using Win95 (Win95 OSR2 =
Win95B recommended) you wouldn't need anywhere as much RAM as Win98 up.
Your Mom could get along with as little a 16Mb or 24Mb, although *my*
90-yr old Mom successfully uses 48Mb RAM in her P100 system with Win98SE
to do exactly what you want for your mom. She'll need at most a 2G
harddrive, so humongous HD compatibility is unnecessary. (Mom has a 4.3G,
partitioned into four more or less equal 1g partitions.)

On Thu, 14 Jun 2001 07:33:09 -0700 "Joel M. Blackman" <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
> If you can put in mobo you can install a hard drive. The question I
> would
> ask is what is she going to use this computer for? If only e-mail,
> surfing
> the Internet, and word processing, it would be very cheap to buy her
> a low
> cost system that comes with what she needs, tech support, and a
> warranty.
> You could also build one since the software installation would be
> minimal
> and she'd only need a printer.
>
> If it were my mother I'd get her a minimalist complete system so she
> would
> have tech support without having to find and call me all the time.
> I've
> bought a couple things from companies listed on Pricewatch.  Most
> companies
> have return policies, but they are so onerous it can be virtually
> your
> life's work trying to return something.  You need to avoid companies
> like
> this one: www.atacom.com.  They charge a 15% fee for returning
> something
> that is defective, and they charge you $19.95 an hour to test it to
> make
> sure it is defective.  It has cost me $63 so far to buy a dead on
> arrival
> mobo from them. I got stuck with $29 s & H, $24 for the 15% ding,
> and
> another $10 to ship it back. As of yet I don't know how much of the
> $19.95
> an hour they will try to stick me with.  Problem with them is that
> they will
> not accept any package without the "return merchandise
> authorization" (RMA)
> number on the outside of the box, and they won't give you an RMA
> unless you
> download their RMA request form, fill it out, sign it, and fax it to
> them on
> your dime.  Where you sign it the form says "I have read and agree
> with the
> above policies".  Read the return policies before you buy.  That
> dead mobo
> may wind up costing me as much as a new working one. I went to my
> local Best
> Buy to get the mobo to replace that one. Unless you have a good
> local
> discount parts store that has decent return policies, I'd suggest
> buying a
> complete system that meets her needs.

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