>>When I'm not sure what I want, I buy from someone with more of a clue than I have - complex SCSI cable plants, the first call out of the box is www.scsipro.com - Granite Digital. They have multiple techs who've forgotten more than I know about SCSI. I take notes, ask questions, and buy what they recommend when it makes sense. If I know I need absolute top-flight parts, I'll buy from them, too, becuase I know I'll get the best possible product from them.
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>You mean they know more than you!??!! Wow! I'm shocked that you could even bring yourself to type that.
>

Being a professional means at least as much knowing what you -don't- know as knowing what you do. Knowledge is finite, unknowns may not be.

>>Clueless local vendors are not in this league.
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>Some local vendors know more about hardware than you Ed. There are local hardware gurus around here that I call when I have a problem that I need help on. I can solve most things, but nobody knows everything.
>

I'm sure there are real experts running small shops - I used to be one, and I buy from some. Most are smart enough to recognize that there is not enough margin in the mundane retail market to compensate them adequately for their talents. Two I deal with frequently, whose owners know and love the stuff they do, are MIND and PC Nut. I've known both Mark and Humphrey for years, respect their opinions, and realize that they spend as much time keeping current with their areas of expertise as I do in mine. If I get stuck, I know who to call who has more of a clue than I do, with the firm belief that they'll tell me when they don't know.

>BTW, rolling you own isn't a big deal. Anybody that can work a few basic tools and can read a manual and follow instructions will do fine. You know it and I know it. And anyone that's tried it know it.

Getting it right is not. YMMV. I think my hardware foundations are good enough to still qualify me as a journeyman system integrator; I pick and choose components carefully, and don't just slap my stuff together and pray. The vast majority of small shops do not have the talent on staff, and do not stay current enough in their fields, to be seen as master artisans. The few that I know are the ones I call when I get stuck. Not J Random TechServiceSlob, CNE from Computer du Jour Boutique and Lighting Fixtures, Inc.