parts leftover from upgrade, what do you guys do?

[topaz22]

I'm a enthusiast when it comes to hardware, upgrading machines from time to time, and i have a considerable number of machines, and i usually have a day of hardware trickling/shuffling, but through the years, i ultimately end up with extra parts, a sound card here, a cpu, etc. Sometimes when i have all the parts i need (or close), i put together a new machine and find a purpose or give it to a friend or family member.

just curious what people on this board do.. especially when you just buy a new cpu, and don't have a home for the old cpu.

 

[chizow]

Put it in a secondary or tertiary machine or give it to my bro or bro-in-law. Second hand from me is like a brand new component to them. Depending on how recent it is or the current resale price I may try to sell it.

Chiz

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

i just build more computers. can never have too many

 

[tomstevens26]

Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey
i just build more computers. can never have too many

I second that

I don't know about ya'll, but with the number of machines I have to try and keep running (mine, wifes, kids, parents, etc...) I don't really know the meaning of spare parts!

 

[arcenite]

i either put them away or give them to friends

Bill

 

[Gibson486]

You have nay you wnat to give away? I am need a new motherboard.

 

[PCMarine]

The vast majoirty of the time I just keep swapping the parts between comps because as soon as I get a new part in my comp, the old part becomes a hefty upgrade for another comp. Other times I just sell the stuff on ebay or the FS/T forum.

 

[topaz22]

yeah, but it seems like with me, when i have parts, they are usually sooo old and obselete that they're not really worth the time to sell, like 10 base nics, k6-2's, duron 600, ... every once in a while a spare comes in handy in a pinch(good for part swapping for diagnosing problems), or an old vid card turns out to work really well in a MAME box with an arcade monitor.

i just find it interesting to watch the ebb and flow of misc parts come and go.. sometimes i even have no extra parts laying around.

 

[spanky]

pretty much the same as u... when i get enouch parts to build another pc... i will do so and just kinda hoard it until someone i know needs it. sometimes i might also just sell the extra parts on FS/FT

 

[DaveSimmons]

Right now I have 4 spare motherboards (LX, BX slot-1) I've been too busy to get rid of

 

[RossGr]

I still have a AMD 286 in a mobo with a wopping 1M ram and to sweeten the deal it has a 80287 chip!

Any one interested?

 

[PCMarine]

lol, not me

 

[lorlabnew]

I've got 2 industrial racks with old computer stuff (adapters, tons of cables and wires, modems, old cases & monitors - including 2 amber and monochrome models, heh).

If the spare parts I have are newer, I use them in my secondary, tertiary etc. rigs; when they get too old (but still fully functional and like new - I care, no rough handling), I can't really sell them for any significant amount, so I just keep them, they come handy time to time; or when I go to the storage room, I look at all those treasures and enjoying all that old junk

Almost every component comes handy once a while; 2 weeks ago I gave a friend 2MB AGP ATI RageIIc for testing of his malfunctioning slot.. perfect part for that job; a week ago I dug out old ISA SCSI2 adapter to test out HP JetStore6000 tape drive.... if I wouldn't have these parts, I'd have to give a friend almost new AGP Radeon 7500DDR to put in and out of the AGP slot 100x so pretty much write it off, and I'd have to go out and buy expensive Adaptec SCSI adapter plus cable converter, just to find out whether the tape drive works or not.....

But, in the spring I may do a radical sweep, and will junk at least old cases (to free up space for "fine" parts) ....

 

[Paulson]

I put them in an endless amount of boxes I have downstairs... why? I have no idea. So far I've got about 10 different old modems that I'll never use and never bother with, but yet I still have them... odd.

I find a use for the stuff every now and then, but most sits in my basement.

 

[RalfHutter]

I upgrade pretty frequently and most of my newer, cutting-edge stuff I sell to my buddy. That way his upgrades are a generation behind mine and all my benchmarks are higher than his. That's very important.

The more mundane stuff I end up keeping around. Sometimes it ends up in my second rig, but mostly it comes in handy for troubleshooting potential hardware problems, either on my own boxes or on other peoples rigs.

Sometimes I'll help out a friend in need with a donation. I just gave my friend's ex-wife a 10GB Maxtor HDD to replace her 1.xGB drive in her computer.

 

[warrenpeace]

Trickle down economics. Most of my stuff goes directly into my dads computer (he got my Radeon 8500 last week when i put a 9700 pro in). He gets the first tier, as i use the computer at his house quite a bit to entertain myself when i'm there, and keep a lot of my own stuff backed up on his machine. His entire system including the 19" sony and ProMedia 2.1's moved from my desk to his, and my sister gets what is replaced at his house (she got the radeon 64ddr that i removed from his machine last week).

Keeps everyone happy.

-My goofy gf is a mac user. I keep pointing out all the cool stuff she would be getting if she had a pc, but then, she's always using mine for her video editing and photoshop work anyways.

 

[ProviaFan]

When I upgrade something in my main system, the parts sometimes trickle down to my server / parents' system if they would be useful there; otherwise, they just get stuck in my closet or in the garage.

 

[eplebnista]

eBay

 

[mjolnir2k]

Being an upgrade junky, I usually get new parts avery 4-6 months. The beauty of the computer world is that if you can stay away from bleeding edge technology, then everything else is very affordable. I watched my MP 2100 drop in price from 1 gazzilion dollars just 6 months ago to a very affordable $200 +/-. And if you frequent the FS/T forums here and on other sites, you can get some great deals. Remember when the GF4's were $300 plus (all of 6 months ago!!)? Now I have seen them as low as $105....Just picked up a GF4 Ti4400 for $150 last month. This card was $275 when I first looked at it.

So when I make a swap in parts, I just turn around and sel what I replaced. It minimizes the financial impact of upgrading and gives someone else a chance to get a good deal on parts.

HOWEVER, I always keep a spare of these parts on hand:

1. AGP Video card. Currently I have an 8mb Vanta that I use for emergencies and Test purposes. I will never get rid of this thing as it's idiot / bombproof. I have used this more times than I care to remember.

2. CPU: They are so cheap that it's worthwhile to have a spare just in case. I picked up a XP1600 for $40 and it's just hanging out in my drawer waiting to come off the bench if the starter (MP 2100) goes down.

3. PSU: 250W generic unit that can be used in a pinch. paid $25 for it.

ps. I also have a spare Rig (Compaq US5000 with a 950mhz T-bird) that has saved the day more than once. In fact it is currently being used as I fried the MoBo on my main rig (Which gave me the impetus to upgrade from an XP 2000 to an MP 2100 as I got a great deal on the FS/T forum for a cpu / mobo combo )