I seem to have a computer part hoarding illness...anyone else suffer from this?

[DigDog]

gibe free vintage keybord plos

 

[BUTCH1]

I think we all do to a certain extent, maybe on a subconscious level it's tough to toss that 256Mb memory stick even though you know it's utterly worthless, probably because these parts cost so much when we bought them new long ago.

 

[pmv]

Main thing is I wish I'd been much more pro-active about selling off old components the instant I stopped using them. I was far too lazy about that, hence now have multiple gfx cards sitting in their e/s bags in the cupboard, which not only are now not worth very much (though I note they do seem to sell for something >0 on ebay), but I can't test them as no longer have a PC with a slot that can take them.
I'd have gotten a reasonable amount for them if I'd sold them on the moment I upgraded...but was just too lazy to get round to it.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I hardly ever sell stuff as I find it's not worth the hassle as by the time it's at a point where I have no use for it, it's not worth much.

 

[BUTCH1]

Main thing is I wish I'd been much more pro-active about selling off old components the instant I stopped using them. I was far too lazy about that, hence now have multiple gfx cards sitting in their e/s bags in the cupboard, which not only are now not worth very much (though I note they do seem to sell for something >0 on ebay), but I can't test them as no longer have a PC with a slot that can take them.
I'd have gotten a reasonable amount for them if I'd sold them on the moment I upgraded...but was just too lazy to get round to it.

I keep an old AMD 3800 series card laying around, it's not worth selling since I won't get squat for it anyway. Since my current Ryzen rig does not have onboard display capabilities I like having a spare around in case thew card I'm using dies.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I keep an old AMD 3800 series card laying around, it's not worth selling since I won't get squat for it anyway. Since my current Ryzen rig does not have onboard display capabilities I like having a spare around in case thew card I'm using dies.

I learned that the hard way when I built my mining rig and went Ryzen. I always assumed that if a motherboard has built on video... well it has built on video. Did not realize it depended on the cpu. Older GPUs will come in handy for Ryzen builds for non gaming machines. I think all my older GPUs are AGP or PCI though.... lol. Pretty sure I have an ISA one that's actually bigger than a GTX 1070. I just kept that one as a relic because it's just hilariously huge.

 

[Muadib]

I quit this club, but not by choice. To you hoarders, don't get married.

 

[skyking]

I'm doing most of my posting and internet work on a new Chromebook. About as far away from using old computer parts as I could get
I can fire up Linux mode and SSH into my servers without using an app. That's pretty cool.

 

[Red Squirrel]

It's all fun and games until your Chromebook expires. Yes, those things expire, and essentially cease to work. Complete BS design. Best to stick with real computers with a real operating system.

 

[whm1974]

So is this deal with hoarding old computer stuff that is so old that no one actually have any use for, if it even still works? Just wondering does anyone here still have any Z80 systems? Why do you even still have it?

Come to think of it, I didn't even encounter any Z80 systems that I know of when I was growing up. Not that I can recall anyway. The 8 bit systems I grew up were the Apple/Atari/Commodore 8-bit lines.

My stepfather did picked up a TRS-80 Model III after I left High School. One of my older friends really become annoyed at me for calling them "Trash 80s" for some oddball reason.

 

[Staples]

I usually get rid of old stuff in the ewaste bin but I have some half way decent stuff (heavy stuff) I am trying to unload on craigslist. I have not had much luck but I realize I am wasting a ton of time just thinking about it. I should just get rid of it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I usually get rid of old stuff in the ewaste bin but I have some half way decent stuff (heavy stuff) I am trying to unload on craigslist. I have not had much luck but I realize I am wasting a ton of time just thinking about it. I should just get rid of it.

Just so you know, eh, @Staples , Staples (the store) recycles most computer-related electronics. They won't recycle LCD TVs, though, only LCD PC monitors.

 

[Exterous]

This thread motivated me to go through my stuff. Now I just need to actually go drop off what I'm getting rid of

 

[whm1974]

This thread motivated me to go through my stuff. Now I just need to actually go drop off what I'm getting rid of

If you happen to have any of the classical microcomputers such as the Atari ST/TT and Amiga, a collector may buy them off you.

 

[Meghan54]

I've got worse.....LOL!

Back around 2007, the Richmond County School system, in Augusta, GA, was moving their hq/admin offices. The Forest Hills golf course and tennis club had finally gotten to purchase the land (it butted up against the golf course and Forest Hills wanted to expand) and the school system had to empty out the dozen or so buildings of the crap held within.

Public auction was the solution. The series of buildings, some of which were a repurposed WWII era hospital, were crammed to the gills with all sorts of crap, mostly computers and such. There were dozens of stainless steel serving tables/steaming tables/etc., but my focus was on the computer stuff.

I "won" several old classrooms full of crap, a basement full of crap, and a length of hallway, again full of crap. And when I say full, I mean a 20x20 classroom waist deep in monitors, towers, printers, etc., from one wall to the other, and blocking the door. Every old classroom was the same....old crap stacked waist deep across the entire room. The hallway I bought was stacked along both walls to the ceiling and only had a one-person slither-through aisle left between the walls, it was so stacked with crap. (Didn't pay over $25-$30 for each classroom and the hallway.)

In the end, I packed and moved for two days and a dozen trips or more, hundreds of towers, dozens of crt monitors, a few printers, and a literal ton of computer crap.....and a few old Dell servers, routers, etc.

Took me almost two years to sell/dispose of all that. Had so many towers, I joked with my wife about lining our driveway with them like a fence. She didn't exactly take to that idea....can't imagine why.

 

[Exterous]

If you happen to have any of the classical microcomputers such as the Atari ST/TT and Amiga, a collector may buy them off you.

Nothing that old. An old P4 computer, a borked i5 mobo and a bunch of random cables. At this point I think 2 VGA cables is more reasonable than the 6 I have sort of thing.

 

[whm1974]

I've got worse.....LOL!

Back around 2007, the Richmond County School system, in Augusta, GA, was moving their hq/admin offices. The Forest Hills golf course and tennis club had finally gotten to purchase the land (it butted up against the golf course and Forest Hills wanted to expand) and the school system had to empty out the dozen or so buildings of the crap held within.

Public auction was the solution. The series of buildings, some of which were a repurposed WWII era hospital, were crammed to the gills with all sorts of crap, mostly computers and such. There were dozens of stainless steel serving tables/steaming tables/etc., but my focus was on the computer stuff.

I "won" several old classrooms full of crap, a basement full of crap, and a length of hallway, again full of crap. And when I say full, I mean a 20x20 classroom waist deep in monitors, towers, printers, etc., from one wall to the other, and blocking the door. Every old classroom was the same....old crap stacked waist deep across the entire room. The hallway I bought was stacked along both walls to the ceiling and only had a one-person slither-through aisle left between the walls, it was so stacked with crap. (Didn't pay over $25-$30 for each classroom and the hallway.)

In the end, I packed and moved for two days and a dozen trips or more, hundreds of towers, dozens of crt monitors, a few printers, and a literal ton of computer crap.....and a few old Dell servers, routers, etc.

Took me almost two years to sell/dispose of all that. Had so many towers, I joked with my wife about lining our driveway with them like a fence. She didn't exactly take to that idea....can't imagine why.

Back around 2010 to 2012 my dad paid ~$350 for a computer and display during an auction at the local community college. He was pissed when I told him he could have a brought a new one at Walmart for that much. That old piece of crap didn't even have a DVD-ROM.

Moral of the Story: Don't used computers and the like at auctions. you will end up paying more then they are worth, even pay what buying new would cost you.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Oh... yes. Talk to my (maybe) 20 PCs in my storage unit, still waiting for homes. (Yes, I know peeps, I'll be contacting you shortly, I should be visiting today.)

-Frankly, I've been waiting for your episode of "Hoarders".

I quit this club, but not by choice. To you hoarders, don't get married.

-My computer stuff: a small corner of the garage. Her stuff: literally the rest of the house. Her: I think you might have a hoarding problem, why do you have all this old crap!!!

- I think everyone has that box of random cables and crap, but I definitely go our of my way to keep old CPU's (basically takes no space) and Video cards (by the time I'm done with them, they're typically too old to go through the effort of selling). Also have a couple old cases.

The most problematic things, I've found, are old iPods and phones and laptops. A lot of times they still work so I don't want to throw them out, but they're too old and slow for anyone to actually want them. Also when stuff breaks, it's usually the track pad or the keyboard or some of the ports, just doesn't seem like it's really broken *enough* to toss, but by the time I've gotten around to repairing it, I've already bought something new to replace it.

Thing is, I find a lot of circuit boards kinda pretty, like they're a weird form of industrial art. After I've used them to facilitate work or gaming or video/picture editing, I feel a weird kind of paternal protectiveness over them, which makes the desire to keep them even stronger. Maybe I do have a legit medical condition.

 

[pmv]

So is this deal with hoarding old computer stuff that is so old that no one actually have any use for, if it even still works? Just wondering does anyone here still have any Z80 systems? Why do you even still have it?

Come to think of it, I didn't even encounter any Z80 systems that I know of when I was growing up. Not that I can recall anyway. The 8 bit systems I grew up were the Apple/Atari/Commodore 8-bit lines.

My stepfather did picked up a TRS-80 Model III after I left High School. One of my older friends really become annoyed at me for calling them "Trash 80s" for some oddball reason.

First computer was a TRS80 Model I. Hung on to it for ages but a friend broke the keyboard by dropping something on it. I overclocked it , as I recall - which required soldering a jumper to the motherboard.

Also had a Video Genie (TRS80 clone) but couldn't even give it away so it got thrown out. The OS had a sort -of 8-bit version of the Millennium bug, in that you couldn't set the year later than (I think) 1988.

 

[JEDIYoda]

I know I'm not the only one.



Forgot the fans.....boxes of fans. 120's, 142's, 92's, 80's and other sizes not typically used. Some are even brand new and never used.

So, time to dispose of all this. Seems I cannot give away any of this crap.....been trying on CL for months....but who is surprised? It's loads of junk. LOL!

I hope the county transfer station (trash/garbage dropoff/collection point for those in the county without city trash pickup and take large crap like sofas, paint, etc. from any county resident) will accept all this admittedly crap that would contaminate by leaching if disposed of improperly.

Anyone have similar packrat/hoarding issues?

Becareful they might laugh at you at the County Transfer Station.....

 

[sdifox]

Just found my ps/2 - usb converter and hooked up my Model M made in 1990. I have three more.

 

[IronWing]

My old case is sitting here on the floor because I'm trying to decide what to do with the 1070 card. Craigslist has gotten weird but the card is probably worth something.

 

[sdifox]

I still have my Pentium 60 tower...ncr mb with on board scsi!

MB was 750, CPU 1000.

And it had the fdiv bug and I got it replaced.

 

[whm1974]

My old case is sitting here on the floor because I'm trying to decide what to do with the 1070 card. Craigslist has gotten weird but the card is probably worth something.

What is wrong with the 1070 dGPU? That would be a nice upgrade from my 970. If you don't want, I'll gladly take it off your hands for free.

 

[ultimatebob]

I quit this club, but not by choice. To you hoarders, don't get married.

I think that you could still be a married old electronics hoarder if you really wanted to, but you better have a pretty big house with a big basement or with a separate detached storage garage or something. Once your crap starts encroaching on "her" closet space or the closet space for the kids, it's Game Over for sure.