Hi Bernie and EDTECH,
Thanks to all of you for sharing so much worthwhile info. Now it's my turn
to reciprocate.
I bought a Power Computing Power Center 120 for my personal use in May. I
chose it over an Apple 7500 for several reasons:
1) Rave reviews of Power Computing products in the Mac media
2) Lots o' software. I didn't have Mac software and needed a system with
applications already in place. My other choice was a Apple 7500 stocked
only with OS 7.5X.
3) I could custom configure the system myself and purchased additional
VRAM, for instance, at a reasonable, standard price.
4) The system is upgradable with three PCI expansion slots.
5) The 604 chip and 4x CD-ROM.
6) The purely personal desire to support locally owned businesses (the
systems are built 20 miles from my home) and root for the underdog.
I've not regretted my decision a bit. The system arrived within five days
of my ordering it and the sales rep pleasant and willing to answer all my
questions. The one time I called the product support lines, the response
was fairly fast (only 5 minutes on hold) and, again, the rep quite
courteous and knowledgeable. Local rumor has it that Power Computing lured
away some folks from Apple's Austin service center; if it's true, solid
product knowledge and troubleshooting help is readily available.
On the downside, the case is standard issue clone style, so you sacrifice
the elegance of Apple's industrial design. A reviewer complained that the
system is noisier than Apple's and nowhere near as sturdy, two factors ed
buyers might consider important. Also, I don't know if Power Computing has
a full-blown education sales and support program; perhaps this is a genuine
advantage Apple retains over clone upstarts.
Bernie, if you have other questions, please contact me personally. Haven't
owned the system long enough to address reliability questions. All others,
sorry to have yammered on so long.
Cheers,
Mimi
Mimi Mayer mmayer@sedl.org
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
211 E. 7th St., Austin, TX USA 78701-3281
Voicemail: 512/476-6861 x 212 Fax: 512/476-2286