# Would it kill computer salespeople to know something about computers? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 24, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759 "2009-01-24T03:56:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/81 "2009-01-28T23:36:43Z")
> [@not\_alice](#): > > Myths. > > I have been building machines since Intel 286 days and never once “grounded myself” or did anything like that. Nor did anything untorwards ever happen to any equipment. > > By the time I finished working at an early dot-com server manufacturer as a software manager, I had learned from the hardware guys that cases were not really needed if you were going to be inside the machines all the time. My home network then lost its cases and was spread all over the place, dust and all, for the next 5 years or so. More then one of them actually required me to adjust jumpers to turn them on or off at that point. Never a blip. > > Frankly, the replacement motherboard in most machines likely costs less then a decent case these days, so what is protecting what exactly? Clearly your results vary from mine, as I’ve seen both the things I mentioned in my post happen first hand in my time dealing with computers (first time was a friend not paying attention to what they were doing, second one was a customer return because the RAM they bough off us didn’t work). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/82 "2009-01-29T06:10:37Z")
> [@not\_alice](#): > > I have been building machines since Intel 286 days Noob. I remember having to use the Turbo switch because some of my games were unplayable after I upgraded my XT board from a mere 4.77 MHz to a blazing 8. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/83 "2009-01-29T09:54:32Z")
Woohoo! Glad it all worked out for you Olives 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/84 "2009-01-29T10:06:04Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Noob. I remember having to use the Turbo switch because some of my games were unplayable after I upgraded my XT board from a mere 4.77 MHz to a blazing 8. Noob. I remember soldering RAM chips on top of ROM chips to increase the memory of my TI/99-4A. And the first 286 I got… I remember the Salesman telling my parents something. I’ve never forgotten it. I looked at a game. It had four or five floppies. And I said, “Are you sure a 30 megabyte hard drive is enough?” And he said, “30 megabytes is all you’ll ever need.” Salesmen have never known jack. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/85 "2009-01-30T03:16:33Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Is it supposed to take more than an hour? I didn’t expect installation to go this slowly. Well, if I tried to do what you do for a specialty or a living I could probably get it done, but it wouldn’t be nearly as smooth as if you did it. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/86 "2009-01-30T03:18:31Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Noob. I remember having to use the Turbo switch because some of my games were unplayable after I upgraded my XT board from a mere 4.77 MHz to a blazing 8. I had one of those two, but I remember buying it from some guy with a shop. It might have even had a “hard drive” to go along with the floppy! ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/87 "2009-01-30T07:54:57Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > TRIUMPH! (I downloaded the drivers from the website since the install disc didn’t work – took 5 minutes.) > > It took me seven hours but I now have a fully functioning Oblivion on ULTRA HIGH graphic settings! That card is fucking huge. It barely fit inside my CPU… it has a freakin’ fan attached to it. It’s crazy, man. > > _sighs dreamily_ > > Would that all Pit Threads come to such happy endings. > > If you could excuse me, I’ll be off closing the portals to hell… in vivid detail. I put an Nvidia 8800 card in my kid’s Compaq PC and it worked fine (spectacularly actually) for about a year until it simply burned out the PC’s 350 watt power supply due to the power load. We replaced it with slightly beefier model. Be sure your power supply has enough oomph to drive the card properly or problems may be down the road. With 2 connectors required yours sounds like a huge power hog. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/88 "2009-01-30T14:58:12Z")
1. **olives** , next time, just build your own damn computer. It won’t come with piles and piles of stupid-trial-software-cum-data miners, it won’t come with a instructions in Mandarin and a “quick setup guide” in Finnish, it will cost ~ half as much, and you’ll be able to sit back at the end and think, “Man, I’m fuckin’ awesome.” That feeling of “woot!” you got from installing your own video card? It’s the same, times twenty. 2. **drachillix** , where’s your store? I will be in the market for a new semi-homebuild this year and it would be awesome to support a Doper business (You might want to PM me if you’re worried about Board rules on pluggin’ your stuff or something). ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/89 "2009-01-30T15:24:47Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I put an Nvidia 8800 card in my kid’s Compaq PC and it worked fine (spectacularly actually) for about a year until it simply burned out the PC’s 350 watt power supply due to the power load. We replaced it with slightly beefier model. Be sure your power supply has enough oomph to drive the card properly or problems may be down the road. With 2 connectors required yours sounds like a huge power hog. I’m not 100% sure WHY the 4870s have dual 6-pin imports, they’re not too hoggish. Granted I have an 850W power supply with mine but it’s also driving a dvd burner, a blu-ray reader, 2x1TB drives, and a Woodcrest 3.13 overclocked to something or another. =P ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/90 "2009-01-30T20:37:45Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > (from way back upthread): > Oh, and I didn’t intend to inslut **olivesmarch** with the “why the fuck would you expect…” business, I just generally hate salespeople and got carried away because we’re in the pit. Somehow at SDMB we got out of the habit of insluting people the way we used to. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759/91 "2009-01-31T01:52:33Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Somehow at SDMB we got out of the habit of insluting people the way we used to. Asslicker Feel some nostalgia?🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-computer-salespeople-to-know-something-about-computers/482759.md?page=4)