straycat19 Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 While reading about the new 60 TB SSD and reading some of the comments on users first drives brought back memories of 1991 in San Francisco. You could go to a computer store, and there were a lot of them especially in China Town, and build you own computer. Inside there was a horseshoe shaped table that went around the entire room. You started at one end by selecting a case, then slid it down to bins holding motherboards (with cpu soldered on) and selected the motherboard/cpu you wanted and screwed it in, then slid your case to the next bin to select a power supply, and so on. A clerk kept track of what parts you selected and assisted you as needed with installing them. When you reached the last bin you had a complete computer with keyboard and mouse and the option of selecting a monitor, if you needed one. You then plugged your computer in and tested it before leaving the store. You still needed to buy an OS at the Egghead store on Lombard. I never built an entire computer but I did buy components from these stores if I was in a hurry, though they were not cheap. As more stores and mail ordering became the norm these little mom and pop shops disappeared. They were the first white box stores at a time when Packard-Bell was earning a bad reputation as cheaply made cheap computers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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