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Time to give old reliable the send-off! Edit: Repurposing?

VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
My Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R v1.0 motherboards have really served me well. Running under 100% 24/7 CPU load, and more recently, also 100% GPU load with a GTX460 1GB OC card, they keep on truckin'. Purchased in 2007, still running great to this day. One of the first "Durable/UltraDurable" boards on the market (unless you count the 965-DS3). Also one of the first S775 boards that could easily fully support both the 65nm as well as the 45nm CPUs, with just a BIOS flash.

Originally, I had E2140 CPUs, which I overclocked 100% from 1.6Ghz to 3.2Ghz, and then I bought a pair of E5200 CPUs, but never bothered to upgrade those. Later, I picked up a pair of Q9300 CPUs on special from Microcenter for $100 + tax ea, and upgraded to a quad-core. They overclocked trivially from 333 FSB to 400 FSB, one of them didn't even need a vcore boost at all.

I'm wondering if I should mothball them, in case I need a good, general-purpose computer in the future, if everything 10 years from now is all horribly locked-down with DRM, and free computing is no longer possible.

Or will they become as horribly obsolete as a Pentium III 1Ghz system is today?

Disclaimer: I do have them listed in my FS thread too, in case anyone wants a grab at them.

Maybe I'll keep them though. I figure, yeah, newer Intel CPUs 10 years from now might be faster, but as long as we're still on x86/x64, they should still be a viable platform. (Edit: As long as RAM demands don't exceed 8GB.)

PS. If I mothball them, should I take the precaution of removing the CMOS coin-cell battery, just so it doesn't have a chance to leak out?
 
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There's no reasonable justification to "mothball" your old components.
Dump them and move on with your life.
 
Agree with Blain. There's always someone less fortunate you can give it to and feel good about it.
 
Mothballing does nothing but collect dust and take up space. I have several PCs cluttering up the workroom that aren't useful to me anymore. I have my workbench PC, but I also have 2 PCs that previously were workbench rigs (every upgrade filtered down to the next PC down the pecking order).
At some point, I don't need 5 'spare' PCs doing nothing, so I need to get off my @ss and sell them locally. Good luck with the FS stuff, Larry. If I needed any gear, I'd buy from you in a heartbeat.
 
I would take out the hard drives/ssd's and maybe a power supply and sell everything else. I always like to have a backup HDD or PSU in case mine die.
 
Here's a related question - should I put money into these computers, to refurb them into "gaming rigs", to try to sell on Craigslist or something?

I was primarily thinking of using my still BNIB Antec EarthWatts 500W PSUs (2x) that I picked up at Staples on clearance for $50, and buying some new "Gamer" kind of cases (Maybe HAF 912?), and putting things together for someone.

I haven't had any bites on the FS forum here for them.

I still have a pair of HD4850 512MB cards, I could put one in each machine.

Would a Q9300 @ 3.0 and a HD4850 be a reasonable mid-range/entry-level gaming rig these days? I know that GPU is kind of weak for 1080P gaming, but perhaps with lower res it would be OK? Maybe for SWTOR?
 
If you can get your money back by refurbing them, then you absolutely should. You could also get some mid-range cases with really visible LED fans. Those generally sell better to the mainstream crowd.

Not everyone is playing at 1080p or WUXGA, so those specs would be enough for SWTOR at a lower resolutions like HD, HD+, or UXGA.

SWTOR Sys Reqs:
What are the system requirements for the game?

Processor:

  • AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better
  • Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz or better Operating System:
  • Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later
RAM:

  • Windows XP: 1.5GB RAM
  • Windows Vista and Windows 7: 2GB RAM
Note: PCs using a built-in graphical chipset are recommended to have 2GB of RAM.
Star Wars: The Old Republic requires a video card that has a minimum of 256MB of on-board RAM as well as support for Shader 3.0 or better. Examples include:

  • ATI X1800 or better
  • nVidia 7800 or better
  • Intel 4100 Integrated Graphics or better
DVD-ROM drive – 8x speed or better (required for installation from physical editions only) Internet connection required to play.​
Click to expand...
 
I think that these cases should have sufficient cooling, as well as "bling" for your average early-teen gamer. Plus they're relatively cheap.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147159

$35 FS after promo code.

Two 120mm fans, one Red LED intake, and one exhaust.

Two USB 2.0, Headphone/Mic, and even an eSATA.

If I add the Antec EarthWatts 500W PSUs, which have two PCI-E 6-pin power connectors, then the customer could upgrade their video card.

I'm almost toying with the idea of splurging a bit and getting a couple of these PSUs, if they're still $60 tomorrow.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817815010

Reasoning: Some people look at the PSU on the computer, and think that a bigger PSU means a more powerful computer. Just a though.
 
Yeah, that case would definitely work. You could get better results with green LEDs though (the target group will be subconsciously thinking of Alienware).

I wouldn't go spending more on PSUs now though... it may not increase your profit margin at all.
 
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Great! Jedi Edition it is (for one of the two). Thanks for your assistance.

Edit: Parts list is thus:
Q9300 $110
GA-P35-DS3R v1.0 $130 -> $65
CM HyperTX2 FAR -> $10
8GB (4x2GB) DDR2-800 $35 x 4 = $140 -> $90
VisionTek HD4850 512MB $165 -> $55
XigmaTek 700W PSU $60
Case (as discussed) $35-45
USB3.0 card $15
WD 500GB SATA2 HD $100
OCZ 30GB SATA2 SSD $40 -> $50

Total cost: $810 -> $595

Win7 HP 64-bit $50

Total: $860 -> $650

Think that will sell, for $650, with a 3.0Ghz quad-core, an SSD, 500GB HD, 8GB RAM, and a HD4850, and a 700W PSU?

Edit: Checked Newegg, refurb 500GB WD HD is nearly $100, adjusted price upwards.

Edit: Checking Newegg's selection of Gaming PCs, and I'm not too far off the mark.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229285

Edit: I could install a brand-new 1TB Seagate 7200.12 SATA6G HD too. I bought a couple of them for $68 at BestBuy, after the flood, but before they raised their prices.

Maybe I can list that as an upgrade option, along with the USB3.0 card.
 
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mfenn said:
You might be able to sell one for $650, but it isn't worth that much. For example:

i5 2400 + DVD Burner combo $197
MSI H67-G43 $60 AR
DDR3 1333 8GB $34
6870 $145 AR
7K1000.D 500GB $80
430CX $18
Same case $35 AR
Windows 7 HP $100
Total: $669 AR

I'm thinking that $450 is more reasonable.
Click to expand...

Uhm, you forgot something - the SSD.

Add an SSD, and forget about the AR prices, and then compare.
Btw, does the 430CX have TWO 6-pin PCI-E power connectors?

Because if it doesn't, you should bump up to the next reasonable PSU that does.

Edit: I didn't order the XigmaTek PSUs, I'm going to be using the two BNIB Antec EarthWatts 500W PSUs, with two 6-pin PCI-E connectors.
 
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I think you could realistically expect something like 600 per machine, 650 if you get a buyer who needs it sooner rather than later. You're only being fair by asking something for the assembly as well.

You could start at 649.99 + shipping or equivalent.
 
I don't think you could get anywhere near 650. The people on craigslist are not looking for something nice that would be near retail price. They're all looking for good deals. If retail price on it would be 650 then they would be looking to get it for ~450.
 
VirtualLarry said:
Uhm, you forgot something - the SSD.

Add an SSD, and forget about the AR prices, and then compare.
Btw, does the 430CX have TWO 6-pin PCI-E power connectors?

Because if it doesn't, you should bump up to the next reasonable PSU that does.

Edit: I didn't order the XigmaTek PSUs, I'm going to be using the two BNIB Antec EarthWatts 500W PSUs, with two 6-pin PCI-E connectors.
Click to expand...

30GB SSD, big whoop. I intentionally left it out because it is next to useless. The 430CX only has 1 PCIe 6-pin, but it has more than enough on the 12V to power a 430CX, just use an adapter.

Also, what's wrong with rebates? I'm not suggesting that you buy that machine, I am just showing you what somebody could buy for about the same price as what you're trying to sell.
 
Well, I ended up going with a few Antec VP-450 PSUs. They got a great review on HardwareSecrets, and are just enough for the HD4850. (In truth, since they were able to pull 550+W out of it, it's probably fine for a GTX460 or HD6870 too, just need to use the adaptor.)

Here's some pics:
"Sith Edition"
Sith_front.jpg


"Jedi Edition"
Jedi_front.jpg
 
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Just reminded me. I need to see what old computers and parts I can get rid of as well. I've got WAYY to much stuff just sitting around.
 
Well, I've still got those two Q9300 rigs, both the "Jedi" and "Sith" models. Didn't manage to get any bites on them on CL when I tried to sell them.

Have since upgraded them, with 240GB OCZ Vertex Plus R2 SSDs (refurb from Newegg for $86 ea), and 3TB Toshiba 7200RPM HDDs. They have the HD4850 512MB GPUs in them, and the Antec VP-450 PSUs. Very reliable machines.
 
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