Computer fairs

I don't know why you'd want to go to one in this day and age. I've been to maybe 3 in my entire life - they're always filled with generic, cheap component, average bang-for-buck builds, overpriced components, or just random cheap tat you'd find in a market stall.
 
Lissy1988 said:
Hello there, does anyone know where I can find out what computer fairs are on in the UK, I’ve tried googling but not come up with much.

Thank you
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What exactly are you after?
They were great in the 90s but by the time I got to 2007 all I used them for was blank CDs and cases.
In the 90s Trentham Gardens and Fenton Manor were a meeting place for geeks and I made so many friends.
Every now and then I'd go to Bowlers in Manchester and visit the sellers with their blankets on the floor so they could pick up their warez and quickly and run off :)
 
Hagar said:
Went to Trafford Park (Bowlers) back in the day. Way out of fashion today, then it was more hobbyists and recycled stuff, none very cheap. I once bought a hard disk proved to be not working when I got home.
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lol i was just about to post exactly that. I used to go to one fair or another most weekends, Bowlers being my favourite. (I sold home built PCs for a few years between university and getting my proper job, mst have been 1997/98
I sold some right dross at the start (cryrix processors, with a vxpro motherboard and a sparkle S3 trio or virge)... (i got better at picking better parts as time went on - the TXpro was heaps better than the VXpro for like a 5er more)

The fairs were decent back in the day but even then they were starting to fall off.

I did get sold a fake pentium 2 processor from a dodgy small company who traded there who are now massive - wont post their name as they are a rival - and they refused to refund me when i went back to the following show with proof................ and also same some hilarious police chases with them running after people selling pirated software out of suitcases.
 
Used to go to these back in the early 2000s. They are still about but they have pretty much died off since a lot of piracy died. Often i would see people taking boxes of CD-R and they used to sell those duplicators with several CD-RW drives. They also used to be the fav place to go for copies of inks for printers. The sometimes had some great deals on odds and sods but pretty much was all junk like horrific cases that could cut you by just looking at them and some truly terrible early stage lighting.
 
bigmike20vt said:
lol i was just about to post exactly that. I used to go to one fair or another most weekends, Bowlers being my favourite. (I sold home built PCs for a few years between university and getting my proper job, mst have been 1997/98
I sold some right dross at the start (cryrix processors, with a vxpro motherboard and a sparkle S3 trio or virge)... (i got better at picking better parts as time went on - the TXpro was heaps better than the VXpro for like a 5er more)

The fairs were decent back in the day but even then they were starting to fall off.

I did get sold a fake pentium 2 processor from a dodgy small company who traded there who are now massive - wont post their name as they are a rival - and they refused to refund me when i went back to the following show with proof................ and also same some hilarious police chases with them running after people selling pirated software out of suitcases.
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:D Similar memories at similar times. I built computers in the nineties for friends and colleagues. All the names you mention ring a bell. I was put off non-soundblaster cards early though through incompatibilities. Good times.
 
I went to Bowlers a couple of times back in the day. You never know if you'll see a bargain that you didn't expect to see.

I'd never buy anything of worth second hand online, unless I knew the person, or they had a trusted reputation.
 
I used to go to one at Wolverhampton racecourse in the early 90's, even then they werent all that cheap.
 
I remember all the CD'r's full of music you could buy!

There was one a couple of months back in a hotel I was staying at, I though I would have a wonder round just to see but they wanted £5 to go in so that was a no from me.
 
Went to the big one at Bowlers in Manchester a few times when I was younger. Never bought anything just walked around with my bro gawking at all the gear!
 
Tinders said:
I used to go to one at Wolverhampton racecourse in the early 90's, even then they werent all that cheap.
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That's the one I went to, sometime around 2016. Paid my £2 or whatever it was to get in, was there about 3 minutes which was the time it took me to walk around the room and back out the door again.

Came home, and ordered the components I wanted from OCUK same day.

It was just overpriced, old stuff.
 
Went to one a few years ago. Just overpriced tat, internet shopping killed them off. They really downsized to one small hallway.

Back in the 90's and early 2000's. They were great for CD Burners and blank CD's. Get a good deal on the new Athlon and Duron CPU's.
 
Also recall carrying great piles of Verbatim CD-R around the place, whilst looking for those few gems in the odd piles of junk stalls.

And the guys with their wares all laid out on the grass outside, as they presumably were not allowed inside with them.
 
Bought/built my first pc from a fair.

shopping around AMD k6-2 CPU here, 8MB RAM there.... got my Voodoo Banshee for £89 quid. 8GB HDD lol

an OEM windows 98 which was obviously pirated, i had zero clue.....

Ran HLDM and CS TFC like a boss.... I was so chuffed.

pressed stamped aluminium chassis that i carried home on a train from Liverpool Street to Romford :P
bad ass.
 
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