REALLY cheap computer

[DaveSimmons]

My server 2003 box is a Biostar TForce 6100 mATX (socket 939) and has worked well for ~3 years now.

mATX is fine.

 

[AkumaX]

dumpster diving?

 

[narzy]

Foxconn A74MX-K AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G for 45.99 brings the total down to 172 before shipping

 

[DaveSimmons]

Be sure to up the RAM to 2 GB though, 512 MB is going to be painfully slow and crashtastic.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Are there no used computer stores where you live?

 

[narzy]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Are there no used computer stores where you live?

there might be,

and I do plan to add more memory I need to look around to see if I can find some better prices

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: narzy

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Are there no used computer stores where you live?

there might be,

and I do plan to add more memory I need to look around to see if I can find some better prices

I thought memory was the most amazingly cheap component of a cheap build. 2GB for $20 is pretty amazing if you ask me. I remember paying $180 for 2GB only a few years ago.

 

[lyssword]

garage sales?

 

[tasmanian]

Craigslist. Goodwill also has computers.

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Craigslist. Goodwill also has computers.

And garage sales/thrift shops. For $20 to $0 (curbside on trash day -- don't laugh, I've picked up entire working systems with working monitors that weren't THAT old this way before) you should have your case, power supply and optical drive. If you're lucky, the mb might even support an upgraded processor. Memory is cheap.

You can definitely do this for relatively small change. It just depends how "ghetto" you want to go.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Buy a more expensive computer (quad core mid end cpu, 8GB of ram, two 1TB drives, for maybe 1k) then run VMs on it. Install your favorite Linux distro and install virtualbox or vmware server 1.0. 1.0 is hit or miss as far as if it lets you install, and don't go 2.0, its very unstable and the gui sucks on it.

You could maybe get lower end PCs such as emachines for a few hundred bucks though.