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Journal Chacham's Journal: Verbiage: Looking to build cheap computers. 18

Journal by Chacham

$100 computer, heard the talk, i want a few.

Well, actually, i know a number of people to whom a Pentium II would be an upgrade. With so many people on modems and older systems, the idiocy of removing the floppy becomes aggrivating. No, USB does not fill the void.

Gamers need the latest, office workers would be screaming on a PII with 256MB RAM and Win98.

Most of them have monitors, keyboards, and mice, and if they don't, placing those is cheap or trivial.

So, i just need a box with MB, Processor, Memory, Video, Sound, Hard Drive, Floppy Drive, CD.

The processor can be a PII, but i'd consider 256 MB memory a must. Video and sound can be built-in, the cheapest hard drive will likely be just fine. The floppy should be cheap enough (or grabbed from their old computer), and a cheap CD reader.

Pre-built would be better, but i haven't looked anywhere or for anything just yet. This is my introductory effort beyond just talk.

For the most part, i'd give these to a few people that need them. This has nothing to do with making money. I just wonder if i could get away with it for $100.

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Verbiage: Looking to build cheap computers. More

Verbiage: Looking to build cheap computers.

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  • Fry's cells 2ghz+ computers for $189.

    The problem with a slow old computer is lack of new OS, which means lack of security updates, which means that unless the person is VERY tech savvy, they are going to be doomed to a slew of viruses and spyware. More so than normal that is!

    Unless you are willing to set them up with a rock solid Linux box, but even those need updates from time to time, and sometimes the auto updaters break... Though I haven't had SuSE's auto updater break my box in quite a few years, SuS
    • Fry's cells 2ghz+ computers for $189.

      Unfortunately, that's a bit too much. But, it's a good sign. :)

      The problem with a slow old computer

      Ahem, a *fast* old computer.

      they are going to be doomed to a slew of viruses and spyware.

      Did i say modem or NIC anywhere?

      Out of three people i can think of without thinking (does that even make sense?). One is *very* tech savvy, one does not have Internet acess (nor does he want it), and the third has dial-up used basically for email (websites is via a phoned-in white-list.

      • One is *very* tech savvy, one does not have Internet acess (nor does he want it),


        o_O

        I remember owning a computer BEFORE having internet access, but I cannot remember what I used it for!


        and the third has dial-up used basically for email (websites is via a phoned-in white-list.)


        That is a very... odd situation. phoned in white list? Strange. Makes research kind of hard...
        • phoned in white list?

          Actually i think its emailed.

          Strange. Makes research kind of hard...

          And makes finding porn impossible.
          • If a person cannot be trusted to the point of not searching for porn, they either need better parenting or to be fired from their job.

            • Re:Umm. NO DON'T!!!! (Score:3, Insightful)

              by Chacham ( 981 ) *
              If a person cannot be trusted to the point of not searching for porn, they either need better parenting or to be fired from their job.

              And what if they are married, and don't want the illicit ad, the popup porn, or they're inexperienced kids to be safe?

              There are many ways to keep it in check, but if the basic use is for email, and an occasional website (like software downloads from Microsoft) a white list is an excellent resource.

              • And what if they are married, and don't want the illicit ad, the popup porn,

                Then they need a more trusting spouse who understands that the world has pornography in it.

                Imagine white listings "known" streets it is safe to drive down because you know ahead of time that they do not have any adult video stores on them. ...

                or they're inexperienced kids to be safe?

                I've been on the net since I was, umm, 12 or so. Been on BBSs before that. Porn ads always got in the way of the warez. :-D

                Seriously, by the time I wa

                • You seem to have no appreciation for a controlled environment. I'm not saying that you should live in a controlled environment, just that a controlled enironment is different than a non-controlled environment, that many people want it, and there are services that provide it.
  • 229 for the tower. The same model brand new with a 17" crt is 300 flat
  • If you're really that bent on $100 max, I know Goodwill takes old computers, you might be able to buy old systems or parts dirt cheap.
  • I work for a subcontractor for local government (County). Our surplus store has a full rack of P II and P III computers. IIRC, the 266MHz P II's are $40, and the 450 MHz P III's are $60.

    On the downside, many of them have zero RAM, or 128 MB RAM. And they look used. No guarantees at all. I couldn't bring myself to buy one, and then know that I'd be shelling out even more money to make it decent. A few dollars here, a few dollars there, and I've spent half the money a unit from Dell (that runs at 2800 MHz) c

    • Heh, interesting, thanx.

      The memory is important. I think 256 needs to be the minimum. And, given memory hardships and expense, the system better come with it.

      A few PIIIs on ebay seem decent. The plan is to check tomorrow when they come within minutes of closing, to see what they're final bids are. Some of the histories look interesting.

      BTW, on Dell, the cheapest comp i saw right away was under $300, and it was nice. I don't think i could purchase anything used for near that price coinsidering what i can get
      • Used to be that my desktop at work was one of those 450MHz PIII machines now in surplus. Running Win2K on 256 MB RAM was pretty painful. I finally talked my boss into getting me an upgrade to 512 MB RAM - and it made a substantial difference. I ran on that machine for a good year longer than I would have, if the RAM upgrade hadn't come through. (Those machines came with only two DIMM slots - so the memory 'upgrade' was a DIMM replacement. The PIIIs were near enough to end-of-life that my boss didn't want to
        • Running Win2K on 256 MB RAM was pretty painful.

          Methinks you don't know how to setup a system. :)

          • Or my job entails so many different tasks that I have to keep seventeen different windows open at once. (OK - that was the maximum. One day, I'm furiously working, look down at my task bar, and go "wow that's a lot of windows", so I count them, and there were seventeen. Big programs, too.)

            My job used to be very interupt driven. So it mades sense to open a new window for each new task, and just let it sit there until I had enough slack time to deal with it. Of course, I coudn't just get twelve requests for

            • Sorry. I don't mean challenge you.

              NT2k itself works fine on 256 MB. IRC, it grabbed 90-160 MB on bootup, so anything more than that and its runs smoothly. If you open that many windows (and that depends on the application) more ram is needed for that, but not "standard use" of the OS. 256 MB RAM is great for the average user.Besides, a little waiting never hurt anyone.

              *ducks, runs for cover*

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