Why I use a hand-made PC

My opinion of this week(541)

I started using NEC PC8001 in 1979. It was nothing but very primitive BASIC perating machine. It was not such a very high spec application machines as those of today. I remember to pay \180,000 to buy PC8001, main memory of which is just only 32K, at a PC shop in Akihabara. It was the beginning of my PC life. Since then, I have been engrossed in PC in many ways in business and hobbies.

There were some MS-DOS days after BASIC and Windows became a major OS (Operating System)for PC in 1995. PC had become useful tools for business and personal use in any respect first time in the history. I have used a number of PCs during these period whenever there occurred the change of OS and change of communication environment. I have spent a lot of money to buy a kind of expensive machines throughout my PC careers.

Most of PCs I bought at BASIC and MS-DOS days were products of NEC. But since
Windows had become main OS in computer world, I started using hand-made PCs rather than store-bought PCs especially in the past seven years. Two of my Xp desk top machines are hand-made.

I did not make them by myself. My son assembled them based on my specifications
for PC such as type of mother board, CPU, main memory, and other peripherals.

Since Vista was introduced in January, I plan to change the old machine for PC of Vista Home Premium. I finally agreed my son to assemble Vista desktop PC two weeks ago at his summer vacation. It is considerably a high spec machine. CPU is AMD Dual Core 2, 2G byte main memory, 120G hard disc and so on. He proposed me to introduce I/O DATA's 22 inch wide display. The total cost is \110.000. If I bought the same spec machine at store , the cost may exceeds \200,000 easily.

But the reason why I use a hand-made machine is not the cost. Although assembly
of the machine itself is not quite difficult,there involves a lot of troublesome process before final use. Installation of OS, of various peripherals, of various utility software and so on. There is no guaranties for the completed products like store goods although there are guaranties for each parts. I really faced a number of troubles as a matter of facts whenever I use hand-made machines.

Nevertheless, why do I use a hand-made machine? I would rather buy a note PC from some stores for sure. But I would dare to use a hand-made machine in the case of desk-top.

The reason is rather clear. I can learn a lot of things by doing all sorts of troublesome works concerned with new hardware and software to install OS and other utilities software. You have to go into BIOS (BASIC INPUT OUTPUT SYSTEM) world from time to time for initial set-up.

Those works help me to utilize PC fully later on. Such process help me to
understand some of the basic knowhow to solve several hardware and software of PC. That may help me to answer several basic technical questions from member of PC club.

It is really troublesome and time consuming process as a matter of fact. But it is one of a pleasant and productive learning process as well for me.

2007/9/1
Tadashi HAYASE