From: jchen@wind.bellcore.com (Jason Chen)
Subject: Please Help with Purchasing a 486
Nntp-Posting-Host: wind.bellcore.com
Reply-To: jchen@ctt.bellcore.com
Organization: Bell Communications Research
Lines: 47

The last time I was in microprocessor lab was in 1980, using Z-80.
So I don't know a lot of buzz terms in PC hardware.

Now I need to purchase a 486, help me to ask the right questions.

Motherboard:
    I need 486-33 with 8 MB ram, with additonal slot for 8 more MB.
    I would like to get two VESA Local Bus. One for video, not sure
    what am I going to do with the other. 
    It must be able to run Unix.
    
    What are other questions that I should ask to ensure getting a
    quality stuff? What are other important features ?


Monitor:
    I want a 14" non interlaced svga, but not sure about what brand
    to get. I can't afford NEC or SONY. What brands should I consider?
    Acer? Touch?

    What else should I ask?

Video Card: 
    I would like to run Framemaker. So I need a fast video card. Is Western
    Digital worth the $20 over Cirrus Logic?  Do I need more than 1M of 
    V-RAM?

    One company wanted $50 more for a local bus video card. Is this normal?
    

Hard Drive:
    Segate, Western Digital, Conner all have the same price. Which one is
    more liable? which one has better performace?

Case/power supply:
    Given the choise of desktop and minitower, which one is better?
    What is the adequate power supply?
    Is cooling a general problem or a non-issue?
    What features should I ask for?
    
Did I miss anything?

I am sure that there are a lot of semi-PC-literates reading this group.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Jason Chen