Awesome bump, KC! All this went on a year before I joined. Wish I'd been here. Looking at the discussion about what was available at Fry's during the sale, with some of the participants here very tech savvy, is a real trip. A window on where things stood in 2001, a year quite a different from what Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Mr Kubrick were expecting. As Spock would say, fascinating.
This is the best bump I've seen. Also makes me realize how many cpu/mobo/ram/optical drives I've gone through via upgrades... I always had amazing luck at Frys regarding their computer parts, but this thread brings back memories. I honestly was just happy to have another spot to buy stuff, I normally had to go to specific computer shops in the 90s - Chipsmart I want to say was one of them ... I'd have to use the business paper of the chronicle/statesman (depending where I was) or various mailers to find the current prices of parts - .. Man have times changed, haha, CD-Rs... It's just amazing the amount tech has changed. Anyway, even though Frys slowly became a place I didn't go often, it was nice to have more competition in the tech space, I mean at the time it really changed things until Newegg and of course Amazon took over.
I'm sure you know, but what's interesting is this practice is still going on, either slightly less yield on a chip / memory and manufacturers make that the lower version (sometimes still where nothing is wrong yield wise, but they just needed to fill that end of the market), and then you can still flash them to a better model with a fw/bios update etc.. For example, the most interesting one I've seen lately is taking an AMD 5700 gpu to the higher priced 5700 XT (or very nearly there, and that's before OC, but the computer fully sees an XT etc, just like the optical drive flash). I know there's been nvidia flavors doing the same and even cpus here and there but just interesting this is still very relevant like your post from 2001 - especially if you like taking some risks for huge gains.
Preesh, but all the glory really goes to melon, as his career will have a closing, similar in fashion.
