At 03:01 PM 5/10/99 -0500, you wrote:
I would like to add one point to this subject.  The thing that I like about
building your own is that your can build a machine at your own pace.  I took an
Old 486 from work and transformed it into a P166 with 48 MB, 2 GB HD, etc.  I
was able to upgrade the machine over a period of 6 to 10 months.  Thus, I did
not have to layout a large amount of money at one time.

Therefore, by building your own machines you can control the your cash flow and
upgrade slowly over time.  This way you never really have an outdated machine.

Just my thoughts. . .


>I agree that upgrades and trouble resolution and system add-ons, the labor
>intensive tasks, are where you will find the greatest savings.  Also, armed
>with knowledge of the components and compatibility, you will likely make
>better upgrade and add-on decisions than you might if you only go to your
>original distributor or local shop.  My relatives save a great deal of
>frustration and cash by consulting me (at no cost and I enjoy the
>conversations anyway) instead of trying to locate a trustworthy and
>price-competitive local shop.  Initial system build is perhaps 10% savings
>at most when you include shipping cost and delay (delay = devaluation).  My
>last system was an 8% save by my estimation, my brother's recent upgrade was
>23%.  My brother's upgrade was 41% less than what he would have bought at
>comparable performance (pardon the statistics but I find numbers relaxing).
>Martin Kurr
>email [log in to unmask]

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______________________________________________
Michael Phipps, P.E.
Project Engineer

Holtec International
Power Plant Technologies Division
Supplier of Condensers, Feedwater Heaters,
and Heat Exchangers to the Power Industry.

Address:  Holtec Center
         555 Lincoln Drive West
         Marlton, NJ 08053

Phone:    (609) 797-0900, Ext. 621
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