best cheap/free scores 1.1

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

made another score after i posted that... found an a complete ibm netvista 6790 for $10... runs, 2 of the choyos bloated... its sff but looks like it uses a standard uatx board... if i found a low wattage board (the prop. psu is a 160 astec), then i could use the case for a sleeper mod...

[Agent24]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

They had a 100 pack of CD-Rs (Kodak 52x) marked 50% off... it was missing 4 discs. 50% off, but only 4% loss...

Yeah that's always good. I got a good deal on an instrument case at Jaycar as one of the panels was missing. Didn't matter as I got laser-cut custom ones anyway!

[pfrcom]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Kodak used to actually make their own CDR's rather than the rebranded stuff you got (Probably CMC Magnetics - get an ATIP reader to check).

Kodak branded CD-Rs bought here in Melbourne Australia are Made in India

According to Nero InfoTool - Manufacturer ID: "unknown (code 97m17s06f) (97m17s06f)"

They were from a stand in a supermarket aisle, cheap, and I got what I paid for - not something you can rely on

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Picked up a dell e173fp for $20... and it actually works (i will resolder the transformers anyway, been there fixed that).

my plan is to eventually find a second one and run a dualie setup...given how many of those bomb over 2 second to black issues, maybe I'll get lucky...

[c_hegge]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Does that mean you can stop using Can't Read This monitors?

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Does that mean you can stop using Can't Read This monitors?

partially. it means another one gets taken out of use. This time, it will be tyhe 20" CTX... although I may give it to may dad to replace his dying 18" samsung CRT.

Posting this using said LCD... It is doing 1024x768 @ 75 HZ. the brightness is good.

I also recapped the PSU and desoldered the transformers... between hermei caps, iffy transformer joints, and a well tanned PCB , I'd say it had 2-4 months left w/o any repairs.

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

It's finally in use with the main rig... Off the bat there is one improvement; the form factor of the LCD seems to have made my audio system rock again... perhaps the hollow nature of the CRT was absorbing some of my audio.

[SuperDuty]

Re: Your Best Dumpster Finds

I go to the recycling center about once a week, and I always come back with at least one thing. Those last three weeks, I found :
- A HP Pavilion a1407.fr computer with a Sempron 3000+, non RAM, a 160Gb SATA hard drive, an ECS motherboard (OEM), works fine, but the ATi chipset seem to get hot sometimes. Using it with a graphics card is better.
- A Bélinea 19" wide screen with bulged CrapXon caps, recapped and works fine now.
- An unknown 17" screen, seems to work fine (tested it for an hour), I haven't opened it but I have no clue why it was thrown away.
- A cheap PROline portable DVD player, the wire of the adaptor connector was cut, took me 5mn to repair it...works fine but the drive is a bit noisy.

But my best find yet (in July of last year IIRC), are two computer thrown away by the same guy (same owner on the installed Windows) :
- A Packard Bell iMedia : Core 2 Duo E8200, 3Gb of DDR2, 320Gb Seagate HDD, GeForce 8600GS. The Fortron PSU was on of those elcheapo FSP 250W, it was dead. Replaced it with a LiteOn PSU and sold it quickly at a nice price.
- A Sony Vaio VGN-A417M : Pentium M750, 2x256Mb of DDR2, 80Gb Fujitsu HDD, Radeon X600M, 17" screen, the brick came with it ! It had a back light problem, a CCFL wire was burned, a single weld and voilà ! Replaced the HDD with a 160Gb Seagate, put 2Gb of DDR2, installed Windows 7 and now it's my main computer.

[SuperDuty]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Three weeks ago, I bought a lot of ten S775 CPUs for 15€ ! There are five Pentium E2140, a Pentium 4 515, a 524, a 531, a 630, A Pentium D 945.

[momaka]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Someone just gave me 2 socket 939 CPUs the other day: Athlon 64 3500+ and Sempron 64 3400+.
Great. Now I have 4 socket 939 CPUs and only 2 motherboards (1 being dead).

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

you think that's bad, I have about a dozen LGA775 P4 2.8GHz CPU's that I cant seem to find homes for....

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Someone just gave me 2 socket 939 CPUs the other day: Athlon 64 3500+ and Sempron 64 3400+.
Great. Now I have 4 socket 939 CPUs and only 2 motherboards (1 being dead).

I think I also owe you a 939 3800+ A64 x2 and a CM hyper3 cooler... Want a sketchy ASUS A8N32-SLI with that?

---

Topcat- use the CPUs as LGA protectors when storing boards. heck, that's what I did with the one you sent me (until I traded the system including the CPU to a buddy).

[SuperDuty]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

you think that's bad, I have about a dozen LGA775 P4 2.8GHz CPU's that I cant seem to find homes for....

Pentium 4s on this socket aren't great. I wouldn't buy one to use it since I have better ones. I bought them for my collection, since I don't have many S775 CPUs and I don't find them often in the dumpster.

[momaka]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I think I also owe you a 939 3800+ A64 x2 and a CM hyper3 cooler...

Wait, you owe me?
... Maybe if I was a bank

Want a sketchy ASUS A8N32-SLI with that?

Oh yes, it will go perfectly with my dead Abit AT8-32X motherboard .

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Wait, you owe me?
... Maybe if I was a bank

I'd rather see it used then be used to collect dust...

Oh yes, it will go perfectly with my dead Abit AT8-32X motherboard .

At lest the ASUS boots half the time... with a dead PCI-E 16x slot...

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

WOOHOO! was just given a Dell precision M6300 notebook. Battery is bad (will only run about 10 minutes without being plugged in), otherwise ok. It came with win7 COA, but has XP x64 drivers on Dell's site! New batt on the way for $20 bucks. Its in awesome condition!! I needed a new laptop badly, my netbust wonder is starting to get flaky...

System specs:
C2D T8300
4gb RAM (probably upgrade it to 8gb)
quaddro 1600 256mb RAM
120gb HDD <-- meh....but free...

[Scenic]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

quaddro 1600 256mb RAM
120gb HDD <-- meh....but free...

I'd be way more worried about the Quadro FX 1600M than the HDD. That's a G84 based GPU, i.e. you've got a Geforce 8600GS/GT turd right there

other than that.. nice setup. Much faster than anything I currently own (in terms of laptops) >.>

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

4gb should be fine, even under x64... That's what I recently UPGRADED my Dell Latitude D630 to. Unless you are running 100 tabs of youtube or get a few virtual machines rolling, it isn't worth the $80+

Also be careful with the GPU... that's a bad generation (so is the NVS 135M in my D630). If you haven't yet, take out the main heatsink and clean it...

for a single OS install, 120GB will work... Mine has a 160GB evenly split between vista Home Pre. x86 and Mageia 2 x64... and it works. heck, even the 60GB drive in my D400 works for a XP-only install.

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I already cleaned the sink, it really wasnt that dirty....but I could see where it could be a problem if it clogged up. I know the quaddro line is not the best end-user video chip in the world (sucks for gaming)....but compared to my inspiron 5100, its a godsent....I dont use laptops for much more than laying in bed web browsing or diagnostics on cars.... Occasionally, I'll use it on the road and do a little more with it....but GPU power is not a critical for what I use one for. I was thinking of a SSD to replace the slow 5400rpm spinner...

Its the sturdiest laptop I've ever seen next to a toughbook....it has a metal casing and is quite girthy. 16:10 1920x1200 17" display too!! I like!!

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Topcat, you missed the issue

the GPU issue is a manufacturing defect. when making the GPU chips thye used the wrong underfill material and as a result the chips can't take as much heat as they were designed to... Nvidia never admitted to it; they would have gone broke over a recall.

Hence why making sure the BIOS (updated fan control curves) is at the newest revision and that the heatsink is clean is critical if you want the laptop to last.

They are sturdy... as are Dell Latitudes D series and newer... same magnesium construction. They make the Inspirons look like complete junk and netbooks look like dog crap.

Don't do an SSD. It will KILL your battery life. I'd keep the HDD if it is in good condition... as it is, that laptop's battery life will be in the toilet with all of the high-power components.