Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!snorkelwacker!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!Ordania-DM
From: Ordania-DM@cup.portal.com (Charles K Hughes)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Buying a 386
Message-ID: <30299@cup.portal.com>
Date: 29 May 90 20:54:04 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 29


  This has probably been discussed repeatedly here but I'm new to this 
group so I'm going to ask for the discussion again. :)

  I am planning on buying a 386 IBM-compatible computer.  I can put it
together myself so buying it in pieces is no big deal.  My question is
'what should I get?'.  I want the capability to run a decent UNIX.  I 
don't give a damn about OS/2 :).  I want to be able to use the various
disk utilities out there for optimizing a hard drive.  Things I would
like in my system - 3.5" & 5.25" HD drives, a hard drive 65 or 80 MB,
a VGA card (that supports the lower modes also but nothing above 800x600 is
needed), a Multisync color monitor (that supports 800x600), a standard
port card (2 serial, 1 para), and some sort of game card for games.
  My general uses are text processing, telecommunications, and (of course)
games.  CAD, Animation, MIDI, Drawing, etc are of no real use to me.
I do program - C, Assembly, etc - but I don't think this has a whole lot
of bearing on exactly what I buy.
  Given that and a budget of $2000 (preferably a LOT less) what mistakes
have I made above, in assuming what I want/need/can afford?
  A more specific question is - what would be the difference to me, apart 
from speed, of buying a 386SX-16MHz compared to buying a 386-20MHz.  I
do not intend to buy a co-processor (unless they get as cheap as a surplus
ram chip :).

Thanks
 Charles_Hughes@cup.portal.com

Email is fine, but I think others in a situation like mine would prefer
you to post.