[Elecraft] Question please

[Kevin Stover]

Hello John,

I build all of my own machines and have never purchased a factory built 
computer.
I get to decide what I want for hardware/software.
I can't build a consumer grade PC as cheaply as the factories do but the 
machines I've built aren't consumer grade.
I start winning the value battle at their mid-grade and up.

As you have no doubt noticed it is getting nearly impossible to buy a 
factory built computer with a 32 bit operating system. The reality is we 
will be switching to 64 bit whether we like it or not. I jumped in with 
both feet five years ago. None of my machines run 32 bit OS's. Back then 
it took some work to find drivers, not so much now.

The windows OS's will have 32 compatibility mode for quite sometime to 
come. Most all the mainstream applications have 64 bit versions and I 
haven't run across a single piece of windows ham radio software that 
won't run on Windows 64 bit Ultimate. I run DX Lab, N1MM, DX Atlas, 
Faros, CW Skimmer, FlDigi, MixW, Win-EQF* and a WinkeyUSB (driver).

As for hardware.
Most motherboard manufacturers have switched over to the PCI-e bus with 
an avaiable plethora of connector formats and bandwidths, PCI-e 1x. 4x, 
8x, 16x, etc....The machine I just built has one legacy PCI slot which I 
use for my sound card. I remember the grumbling that ensued when the 
manu's switched from ISA to PCI.

Thankfully peripheral manufacturers have caught up with the bus change 
more rapidly than usual. I've got a 4 port PCI-e 1x serial card 
installed, something that I'm sure doesn't get purchased by the masses 
in large numbers. I like real serial ports!

-- 
R. Kevin Stover
ACØH,SPAR, ARRL, SKCC #215, NAQCC #3441, FISTS #11993