best cheap/free scores 1.1

[BigTroll]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

No HOME button. And, seems bigger than the iPads I've seen in the past (like maybe 13" instead of ~10?)

Nice those are pretty much the newest ones, I hear they bend easy if your not careful with them but very much so a good machine, My newest iPad is a 2017 10.5 inch Pro 2nd gen.

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Use the time to SHED stuff! I'm normally busy finding places to stash stuff and am enjoying the "lull" to look over the "mess" and see what I can discard!

I've actually parted with a lot of stuff the last few months....I had way too much laying around.

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Scored a free ASUS Radeon HD4850 512MB GDDR3 (256bit).


If I'd tell you the issue that this card had, you'd be all rolling on the floor laughing.

Previous owner never connected the power cable? Cracked power jack solder joints?

[Curious.George]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I've actually parted with a lot of stuff the last few months....I had way too much laying around.

The problem is, you come across something and start thinking about where you're going to put it (or, how you're going to get it home!) -- before thinking about "do I really NEED/WANT this thing??"

My latest criteria for "no thinking required" decisions, in this regard, is: will it go/fit INSIDE something that I already have? (e.g., more memory, CPU upgrade, video card, HBA, etc.). If the answer is "yes", then I don't fret adding it to the "collection".

OTOH, if it WON'T fit inside something, then I have to consider "what can I discard to make room for this thing?" Usually, that question requires so much thought that it acts to discourage me!

[TechGeek]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Previous owner never connected the power cable? Cracked power jack solder joints?

Installed into the case, but not where a PCIe slot was on the motherboard?

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Previous owner never connected the power cable? Cracked power jack solder joints?

Nope.

Passive DVI-D to VGA adapter. Yes, such thing exists.

Card uses DVI-I (which has 4 pins for analog that the DVI-D adapter is missing) for VGA output.

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

The problem is, you come across something and start thinking about where you're going to put it (or, how you're going to get it home!) -- before thinking about "do I really NEED/WANT this thing??"

My latest criteria for "no thinking required" decisions, in this regard, is: will it go/fit INSIDE something that I already have? (e.g., more memory, CPU upgrade, video card, HBA, etc.). If the answer is "yes", then I don't fret adding it to the "collection".

OTOH, if it WON'T fit inside something, then I have to consider "what can I discard to make room for this thing?" Usually, that question requires so much thought that it acts to discourage me!

I've just been parting with the common & more worthless things...atleast what's worthless in my mind.... The more unique/rare hardware stays. The calm before the storm perhaps, once all this virus crap passes, I'll go tech junking....and I'll probably bring back several loads. I actually sold off a couple of the less rare retro gamer builds (single CPU or common dual, with easily found GPU's). The rarer ones, I guess I'll leave them to someone in my will....

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Another score. ASUS K70IC lappy.

nVidia MCP79D chipset, Intel T4300 CPU (Pentium Dualcore), 4GB RAM, no HDD, Sony/NEC-Optiarc DVD-RW drive.

Has a bad GPU (removable MXM-II Geforce GT220M 1GB, which is actually a 9600GT) but otherwise the chipset (MCP) works fine (tested with a spare 4650 I had from an Acer). I've already ordered a Radeon HD4570 (512M but DDR3 over the GT220's DDR2) and should have it running soon, depending on postage times.

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Scored a GC Electronics Degaussing Coil for $35 shipped.

Came in today, works great. My poor FD trinitron (HP A7217A) gets jacked up a lot. Very sensitive... but it's also by far the highest resolution monitor I've ever owned. Running at 2304x1440 right now.

[momaka]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Got the RAM for my T7500 about a week ago. 12x 2 GB registered modules for a total of 24 GB. For a little over $20 shipped to my door... that's less than $1/GB!!

Had a bit of a hassle getting the RAM to work at first, which was mainly due to Dell's crappy implementation of the mechanism that releases and latches the 2nd CPU daughter card to the motherboard. Using just the latch to insert the card (as is supposed to be done) did not seat the connectors on the card all the way in the motherboard's connector. Made the system not boot at all. For a moment, I thought the RAM I was sold was bad. But then noticed the issue, reseated the CPU daughter card, and tried booting again. This time, the system booted... after a long wait, that is. I suppose it was testing out the new RAM configuration? I still haven't ran a Memtest yet, but PC is stable so far. Did a bit of modern gaming (Fortnite), and it ran OK. Will do more testing later on. And I think I am more or less settled on getting 2x Xeon E5649 CPUs: same TDP as my current CPUs, slightly faster core clock, and two more cores per CPU.

Nope.

Passive DVI-D to VGA adapter. Yes, such thing exists.

Why does such contraption even exist? VGA is always analog, so this passive "converter" will never accomplish anything.

Nice score on that HD4850! Just keep it cool, and it will last a long time. That stock cooler may or may not be good enough. Definitely use RBE to edit BIOS so that fans run at 100% when GPU temp reaches 60C or over. My usual setup is 30-40% for temperatures under 35-40C (depending on card cooler capabilities and noise) and 100% for anything above 60-62C. Using the linear ramp of the HD series in the BIOS should let the GPU cool pretty well if the cooler is adequate.

Speaking of which, I have a very similar looking ASUS HD4870 that I bought from eBay for $7 shipped to my door. Can't tell from your pictures if the cooler on yours is the same or smaller. On mine, I think it uses a 90 mm fan. Otherwise it's the same style cooler (maybe thicker.) Works just well enough to cool the GPU when room temperatures are 18C or lower and GPU load is 70% or less.

Previous owner never connected the power cable?

That was my first guess too. I've seen it too many times.

The other thing I have seen way too many times: knocked and/or broken off SMD components. Just about 2/3 of the cards I buy on eBay came with SMD components knocked off. Most regular folks don't know how to handle hardware, I guess. This is why I always keep a few of my parts GPUs and motherboards close to my bench - I pull stuff from them on a regular basis, almost.

Scored a GC Electronics Degaussing Coil for $35 shipped.

Came in today, works great. My poor FD trinitron (HP A7217A) gets jacked up a lot. Very sensitive... but it's also by far the highest resolution monitor I've ever owned. Running at 2304x1440 right now.

Nice!
Amazing that technology from nearly 20 years ago can still be relevant. Granted it has it's caveats.
That said, I have never had any of my (CRT) monitors need an external coil to degauss them (save for my Hitachi CM814, which developed a bad contact/joint midway through degauss, and now that monitor is really jacked up. Need to open it, but it's a packed 21" and not as user-friendly to open as the pro Sony's.)

You may want to look at the bracket that holds the cards in place before settling on video cards. I had to modify mine to accommodate the coolers on the cards.

I played with my T7500 more last weekend, and that bracket that I see people mention wasn't there on my model (not sure if it got removed or if I got a later revision T7500, as I don't see where one would have been installed before.)

But either way, I can install any GPU I please, and there's nothing to get in the way.

You might also find a "base" for the machine that makes it a bit more stable (esp on a carpeted floor). Most are sold without it.

Hmm... I see that you are right about that now. Previously I though (and mentioned above) that it shouldn't be an issue, but when I worked on that PC last weekend, I nearly had it tip over when I removed its side. Will likely just cut out a piece of thin laminated sheet to place under it. Should allow the PC to slide over it easily, as I'm thinking I will "incorporate" this in my "Empire PC Building".

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Nice!
Amazing that technology from nearly 20 years ago can still be relevant. Granted it has it's caveats.
That said, I have never had any of my (CRT) monitors need an external coil to degauss them (save for my Hitachi CM814, which developed a bad contact/joint midway through degauss, and now that monitor is really jacked up. Need to open it, but it's a packed 21" and not as user-friendly to open as the pro Sony's.)

Amazing that CRTs are still relevant. It's not as crisp as an LCD or LED... but it still works. Posting from it now actually (as was the post you quoted).

Another score. ASUS K70IC lappy.

nVidia MCP79D chipset, Intel T4300 CPU (Pentium Dualcore), 4GB RAM, no HDD, Sony/NEC-Optiarc DVD-RW drive.

Has a bad GPU (removable MXM-II Geforce GT220M 1GB, which is actually a 9600GT) but otherwise the chipset (MCP) works fine (tested with a spare 4650 I had from an Acer). I've already ordered a Radeon HD4570 (512M but DDR3 over the GT220's DDR2) and should have it running soon, depending on postage times.

Too bad you aren't local, I have a spare 512mb 9300M out of an Asus X83V. Out of my old one that fried (bought another one and combined them). If yours is like mine, there's no BIOS whitelists and it will mod up really easy. The only mod my X83V wouldn't accept is a C2Q upgrade (Topcat and I tried, no good).

[Curious.George]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I've just been parting with the common & more worthless things...atleast what's worthless in my mind.... The more unique/rare hardware stays. The calm before the storm perhaps, once all this virus crap passes, I'll go tech junking....and I'll probably bring back several loads. I actually sold off a couple of the less rare retro gamer builds (single CPU or common dual, with easily found GPU's). The rarer ones, I guess I'll leave them to someone in my will....

I've been tossing cables -- 30pounds of SCSI (various connector flavors) cables last week. Only need one of each, worst case. And, of course, the true oddballs (old SUN cables).

I'm working hard to convince myself to toss some of the more "unique" boxes... my SB2000, Compaq Portable 386 (w/expansion chassis), Voyager, etc. They just take up a lot of space (and can't risk being stored in the garage!)

Also hard to get rid of the pintables and slot machines...

[Curious.George]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Hmm... I see that you are right about that now. Previously I though (and mentioned above) that it shouldn't be an issue, but when I worked on that PC last weekend, I nearly had it tip over when I removed its side. Will likely just cut out a piece of thin laminated sheet to place under it. Should allow the PC to slide over it easily, as I'm thinking I will "incorporate" this in my "Empire PC Building".

The weight distribution is wrong in the case. Drives, power supply and opticals up high. (and I tend to sit a UPS on top of each tower to power the tower).

And, it's REALLY tall -- too easy to tip.

I rescued some wooden shelves from a bookcase that I found on the curb on one of our "bulk pickup" disposal days -- who cares what "color" wood they are if they're going to be under something!

As most bookcases are ~30 inches wide and 10-12 inches deep, this is a perfect platform for the larger towers that I tend to have.

Previously, I'd tried scraps of 3/8" plywood but found they weren't stiff enough or would develop "curls".

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Too bad you aren't local, I have a spare 512mb 9300M out of an Asus X83V. Out of my old one that fried (bought another one and combined them). If yours is like mine, there's no BIOS whitelists and it will mod up really easy. The only mod my X83V wouldn't accept is a C2Q upgrade (Topcat and I tried, no good).

Mine might have some whitelist of sorts - nVidia cards work regardless of manufacturer, but the only Radeon HD4650 that I have locks up the system (though it works fine on the Acer it came from).

My guess is the BIOS only knows of certain VID_PIDs for MXM GPUs, and hence why for the HD4650 it uses the most appropriate dev. IDs to determine what GPU it is. Because of that, I'm assuming it's using the 4570 device ID and that's why it locks up - my 4650 doesn't like that, and locks the ASUS up.

I happened to find someone selling an ASUS branded HD4570 out of a K70AB (so the closest model possible - it's same as the K70IC except AMD instead of Intel) and now I'm waiting for it to arrive, along with an Acer 6530 mobo. I didn't want to take any more chances with other manuf. cards, especially since the HD4570 is also listed on Aliexpress (I think) as working on the K70IC (and wouldn't be surprising, considering it cane from a K70 series laptop)

Why does such contraption even exist? VGA is always analog, so this passive "converter" will never accomplish anything.

Nice score on that HD4850! Just keep it cool, and it will last a long time. That stock cooler may or may not be good enough. Definitely use RBE to edit BIOS so that fans run at 100% when GPU temp reaches 60C or over. My usual setup is 30-40% for temperatures under 35-40C (depending on card cooler capabilities and noise) and 100% for anything above 60-62C. Using the linear ramp of the HD series in the BIOS should let the GPU cool pretty well if the cooler is adequate.

Speaking of which, I have a very similar looking ASUS HD4870 that I bought from eBay for $7 shipped to my door. Can't tell from your pictures if the cooler on yours is the same or smaller. On mine, I think it uses a 90 mm fan. Otherwise it's the same style cooler (maybe thicker.) Works just well enough to cool the GPU when room temperatures are 18C or lower and GPU load is 70% or less.

I have no idea why does it exist in the first place. What's more bizarre is that it does work on other laptops or GPUs that have DVI-D, but on nothing that uses DVI-I. I don't know what weird juju happens in there that makes it work on regular DVI-D ports, but I'm keeping it nevertheless, it looks interesting.

As for the HD4850 - I just repasted it (the original paste was literally stone dry) with some Arctic MX4, cleaned the fan of all the dust (T&T by the way, but it seems it's working fine now, just needed a dab of bike oil) and so far it doesn't have any issue. I haven't checked the temps on it, just put it on a test bench (MSI G41T-P26, 3GB DDR3, Q9400) and it POST'd on first try with no artefacts, using a old DVI-I/VGA adapter I have from a Geforce 9500GT bundle (Gigabyte + Leadtek, great cards as well).

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Mine might have some whitelist of sorts - nVidia cards work regardless of manufacturer, but the only Radeon HD4650 that I have locks up the system (though it works fine on the Acer it came from).

My guess is the BIOS only knows of certain VID_PIDs for MXM GPUs, and hence why for the HD4650 it uses the most appropriate dev. IDs to determine what GPU it is. Because of that, I'm assuming it's using the 4570 device ID and that's why it locks up - my 4650 doesn't like that, and locks the ASUS up.

I happened to find someone selling an ASUS branded HD4570 out of a K70AB (so the closest model possible - it's same as the K70IC except AMD instead of Intel) and now I'm waiting for it to arrive, along with an Acer 6530 mobo. I didn't want to take any more chances with other manuf. cards, especially since the HD4570 is also listed on Aliexpress (I think) as working on the K70IC (and wouldn't be surprising, considering it cane from a K70 series laptop)

Never tried swapping GPUs, wouldn't know. I suspect it might be a video connection issue... not sure how the LVDS and external video ports connect. Mine has an external VGA and HDMI.

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I've been tossing cables -- 30pounds of SCSI (various connector flavors) cables last week. Only need one of each, worst case. And, of course, the true oddballs (old SUN cables).

I'm working hard to convince myself to toss some of the more "unique" boxes... my SB2000, Compaq Portable 386 (w/expansion chassis), Voyager, etc. They just take up a lot of space (and can't risk being stored in the garage!)

Also hard to get rid of the pintables and slot machines...

Tossing SCSI cables? You do realize a good 50 or 68 pin with or without terminators will bring $10ea + ship on ebay, right? I mean seriously, if you have that many, and tossing them....that's a lot of money!

[Dan81]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Never tried swapping GPUs, wouldn't know. I suspect it might be a video connection issue... not sure how the LVDS and external video ports connect. Mine has an external VGA and HDMI.

Nah, it's probably down to what chipsets the BIOS accepts. In this case, it's all G8x and G9x chipsets made for the MXM2 platform, and for ATI, it's only certain cards ASUS specifically used for these. In this case, M92 is included (Mobility HD4530/HD4550/HD4570) but M96 is not. (Mobility HD4650/HD4670)

[Curious.George]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Tossing SCSI cables? You do realize a good 50 or 68 pin with or without terminators will bring $10ea + ship on ebay, right? I mean seriously, if you have that many, and tossing them....that's a lot of money!

There is a cost to selling:
Inventorying what you want to discard
Making the listing(s)
Answering questions/Processing the payment
Packing and shipping
Dealing with "returns"

$10 doesn't buy very much of my time.

If I had a bunch of identical cables and could make one listing and pack one per padded envelope (i.e., no discount for multiple purchases), it would still be too costly.

I've probably a dozen different varieties of cables (DB25, 50 pin Centronics, 50 pin narrow, 68 pin wide, VHDCI, SUN-1 and combinations thereof) and lengths -- having pruned my collection to just support variety instead of "quantity". It's just too much work to justify the little bit of cash it would generate.

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

There is a cost to selling:
Inventorying what you want to discard

They're already sitting there, that's already done.

Making the listing(s)

Copypasta is your friend. Takes less than 60 seconds.

Answering questions/Processing the payment

I don't see many people asking questions about scsi cables...payment is automatic. Hell, you can print a label in ~7 seconds.

Packing and shipping

slip in padded envelope, slap some tape on it....and stick a label on it from above sentence....ohh the horror!!

Dealing with "returns"

Don't accept returns, simple.

$10 doesn't buy very much of my time.

Sorry, I forgot how much you were worth...

Heck, some of the more unusual/higher device cables will bring much more!

[Curious.George]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Sorry, I forgot how much you were worth...

We each place a value on our time -- whether we are conscious of it, or not.

Do you perform your own car maintenance? Maintain your home appliances (stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, washer/dryer, ACbrrr, furnace) -- or, hire someone to do so? Do you dine out? Do your own grocery shopping?

Each time you choose to do something yourself, you've implicitly decided that your time is worth LESS than what a "professional" would charge to perform that activity. Conversely, each time you opt to pay someone, you've decided that your time is worth more (than whatever he/she is likely to charge -- offset by whatever time it is likely to cost you to be inconvenienced by him/her).

Heck, some of the more unusual/higher device cables will bring much more!

In "normal times", I would be doling out items like this to friends/colleagues (at auctions, swap meets, in casual exchanges, etc.) just as part of "being friendly" (not strictly "bartering" but, rather, "buying future favors"). The only "cost" to doing so is remembering to bring <whatever> with me to the next such get-together. But, these sorts of get-togethers have been canceled, for the forseeable future.

So, I "buy future favors" by donating them to local groups that can either make use of them or have in place mechanisms to sell them as "revenue sources". [E.g., so when I want to use the laser cutter folks are happy to "return the favor"]

And, I "recover" storage space in the process!