Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!think.com!samsung!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!bronze!silver!ntaib From: ntaib@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Nur Iskandar Taib) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Subject: building a clone: good stuff vs. trash? Keywords: clone,homebuilt,motherboard Message-ID: <1991Feb15.000423.26009@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> Date: 15 Feb 91 00:04:23 GMT Sender: news@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (USENET News System) Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington Lines: 42 I am about to start construction on a clone, and would like some advice about where to begin. First of all, there are something like 50 ads in Computer Shopper for compo- nents, but precious little advice about what to buy. Has anyone else built a clone? Any advice to give me? What companies should I avoid? JDR has a good reputation, but their prices are a little high. The cheaper companies are relatively unknown. How far can you trust a company called "Bulldog"? A couple friends have done this before and suggest MicroLab in Minnesota and CompuTrend in California. Are these good places? What motherboards are best and what should be avoided? Which bioses are best? What about those $40 keyboards (even those with the "Alps switches")? What about video cards and moni- tors? Are major brands (Orchid, Paradise) better than something like "Great Tek VGA"? How would one find drivers for these generic boards? Are Samsung monitors any good? Then there are the hard drives. What to buy and what to avoid? Are Kaloks, for instance, any good? So if you've built a clone, or know of someone who has, please share your experiences. (If you've had a bad experience, here is your chance to vent your spleen!) Mail is welcome, and I'll post a summary after a while. And thanks in advance. By the way, the system I have in mind is a 25 MHz 386 on which I intend to run Windows 3, so I suppose Bios and video compati- bility are major considerations. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iskandar Taib | The only thing worse than Peach ala Internet: NTAIB@AQUA.UCS.INDIANA.EDU | Frog is Frog ala Peach Bitnet: NTAIB@IUBACS ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------