On Fri, 17 Feb 2017 00:55:41 -0500, Bill
wrote:

Yes, for the number of hours we run these things, the cost of the
hardware is not that significant (overall, I pay alot more to my ISP!).
So I splurge a little. I rather have a fast computer than a fast car
anyway! ; )

A personal choice also better, that it should offer with the right
selection longer durability over the years -- better products from
more rugged components. Combined with the move to handhelds, cloud
and remote computing, computers as an industry has changed. More of
limited crowd, I'd think, with an interest to learn to build, harness
and explore a "source-assembled" computer, when it's easier a given
convenience from the remote-device interface of a service-[out]sourced
computer. Not a small feat to have obtained the means to say you can
run a source-assembled well, over a wider range of programs,
autonomously more a focus of individual specialty. Certain segments
of the presently industry pointedly call that "your father's computer"
-- of course they'd like the profits by turning that into "one size
fits all" subscription programs, standardized and centralized off a
remote server.