- Mar 6, 2004
- 11,488
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Hello all!
Just a LITTLE bit of background here - I work part-time for a student based relief agency, and this summer we took on the responsibility of building a computer lab [10 PCs] for some Haitian schoolchildren.
I thought a lot about how best to do it, since the higher-ups were initially planning on just collecting donated computers. We all know how that works - I did not want to deal with crappy, inefficient [more on that in a bit], big [more on that too] clunkers. I also like uniformity in my work.
So I decided to build one of these, as a proof of concept:
Now, before you freak out - the build went this way for a couple of reasons:
We do have to get these down there. My entire systems weigh 20 lbs - boxed and ready to ship. A laptop would indeed be much cheaper to get there, but I am not sure I want to use laptops? Store bought PCs are 40lbs+. Screw that.
Look up the Antec case - it's $60 shipped, it's smaller than anything [ANYTHING] you can buy prebuilt short of a crappy nettop, and it comes with an external Delta PSU!
I feel like I've done a lot towards eliminating points of failure. That SSD is way less likely to fail in a hot environment than a mechanical disk drive. It's also a lot less likely to get screwed up in shipping. Hard drive space is not a requirement here. All of the units have run LinX & memtest extensively, so I'm convinced they're solid. If the PSU blows? They can find laptop power bricks in Haiti! I also downclocked the processor a bit, turning it into a 2100T for all intents & purposes. And Panaflos are tits.
These are faster than anything they could've found for this price, barring scratch & dent and refurbs. They are smaller. And they boot in 15 seconds.
So I guess I have two questions:
Just a LITTLE bit of background here - I work part-time for a student based relief agency, and this summer we took on the responsibility of building a computer lab [10 PCs] for some Haitian schoolchildren.
I thought a lot about how best to do it, since the higher-ups were initially planning on just collecting donated computers. We all know how that works - I did not want to deal with crappy, inefficient [more on that in a bit], big [more on that too] clunkers. I also like uniformity in my work.
So I decided to build one of these, as a proof of concept:
Case: ANTEC ISK300-65
SAMSUNG 8X Slim Internal DVD Burner, OEM Package Without Software Black SATA Model SN-208BB - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151242
$25.99
ASUS VE198T Black 19" LED BackLight LCD Monitor w/Speakers
Item #: N82E16824236107
$109.99
G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBECO
Item #: N82E16820231317
$31.99
ASUS P8H61-I (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131727
$79.99
Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I32100
Item #: N82E16819115078
$124.99
Rexus NMB-MAT (Panaflo) 80mm Case Fan
Item #: N82E16835705016
$11.99
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820148441
$114.99
Subtotal: $499.93
Now, before you freak out - the build went this way for a couple of reasons:
- Power efficiency
- Size & Weight
- Longevity
- Durability
- Performance
We do have to get these down there. My entire systems weigh 20 lbs - boxed and ready to ship. A laptop would indeed be much cheaper to get there, but I am not sure I want to use laptops? Store bought PCs are 40lbs+. Screw that.
Look up the Antec case - it's $60 shipped, it's smaller than anything [ANYTHING] you can buy prebuilt short of a crappy nettop, and it comes with an external Delta PSU!
I feel like I've done a lot towards eliminating points of failure. That SSD is way less likely to fail in a hot environment than a mechanical disk drive. It's also a lot less likely to get screwed up in shipping. Hard drive space is not a requirement here. All of the units have run LinX & memtest extensively, so I'm convinced they're solid. If the PSU blows? They can find laptop power bricks in Haiti! I also downclocked the processor a bit, turning it into a 2100T for all intents & purposes. And Panaflos are tits.
These are faster than anything they could've found for this price, barring scratch & dent and refurbs. They are smaller. And they boot in 15 seconds.
So I guess I have two questions:
- Would I be better served buying cheap Sandy Bridge laptops? I asked a friend who works at Staples and is arguably a bigger techie than I am, he was impressed with the mITX builds and told me :thumbsup: because $300-400 laptops tend to be :thumbsdown: after a year or two as far as durability is concerned. If these kids trash a keyboard or something, that's less than $10 for them to replace down there. If you trash the keyboard on a laptop, well, you've got a problem.
- Do any of you know how I could save money doing this? I've been buying up SSDs and i3 processors from FS/FT, but supply is limited :'(
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