QOTD: What Do You Do With Your Old PCs?

[Guest]

The majority of the hardwareive had over the last 12 or so years is all still in operation.

Whenever i upgrade my main computers,the stuff that comes out finds it way into a work computer, or a family members computer. Or i buy a case/power supply and make another computer for one of the above uses.

Ive still got a buncha old cards and mbs etc from the late 80s and early 90s lying around as well. Some very expensive hardware in their day that ae just paper weights now. I should probably throw some of that away one day...

But nothing ever gets thrown out unless its dead. Even then ill scavange components from things. Like removing the fan and chopping out all the wiring out of a dead power supply before tossing it.

The oldest system ive still got running, serving as a firewall, is a k6-3 400mhz based computer with 128 megs of ram running linux. Plenty for its purpose.

 

[viometrix]

[citation][nom]Ossy[/nom]Calm down VioMeTrix!!! You might pop a blood vessel and all that machismo is for naught. Seriously, get a life and quit trash talking. Ossy[/citation]

computers are my life.... been in the industry for over 27 years, and i am an environmental activist, and a major child advocate in my community....and yes i am high strung, but those that know me look past that and see my passions with great respect.... i am one of the few realists left in this plastic coated world we live, and i point blank tell things as i see them.... but for you guys since i value these boards, ill candy coat my responses and statements.... though i didnt think i needed to pamper people, but ill be a good boy....and yes sarcasm is one of my own personal negatives i need to work on

 

[renz496]

scrapped already in 2007.too lazy to replace the broken part.i know where can get the old part but buying a new one was easier for me.

pentim 3 1.0ghz, 192 SDRAM, 20 GB HDD, TNT64 pro 32mb then change to geforce 4 64mb, win xp home

 

[pazh]

I turned my old computer into a motor oil cooled PC:
http://pazhameiri.tripod.com/
Works like a charm.

 

[dannyaa]

I create shrines for them. My house is like a museum of performance computers over the last 20 years. I charge neighbors for admission and on weekends I give guided tours.

 

[rambo117]

usually just get all the important stuff of the HD and then give/sell it to a friend. out with the old and in with the new! : )

 

[Caffeinecarl]

My old HP that I bought back in 2000 basically got hacked apart after a while. I gave working parts to friends who could use them, then turned the mobo into a wall decoration! I still have the PSU and case hanging around waiting for a trip to the recycler.

For the most part, when I get new parts, good old parts get use to upgrade friends and family's old machines. If I accumulate enough parts, I'll use them to build another PC and actually use it for something. Nothing ever gets wasted.

 

[batkerson]

Wipe the hard drives before taking them to the local electronics recycling center in Houston, at least when I'm not keeping them on life support by replacing individual parts. That said, I kept an old 286 computer purchased about 1986. A few months ago I plugged it in and turned it on for the first time in about 10 years. . .worked perfectly. I'll bet current computers are not so reliable. So I kept it. I'll try it again in 2019.

 

[xapemanx]

give them to family members for their upgrades, and keep a couple spare parts for troubleshooting

 

[mjello]

Usually i sell them seriously discounted to friends and family

 

[Guest]

I give my old PCs to family, who would otherwise wait indefinitely to replace something.

 

[ElectroGoofy]

The old computer I had years ago went to my Granddad's house. He takes apart and builds computers, so he could use the hardware.

Currently using an obsolete computer.... after I get a new one, I will probably OC it and use it as a secondary, for network rendering, or if friends come over to play on it.

 

[broiled049]

Since I build my own computer, instead of going out and just buying one at some store, I save the old parts when I upgrade to newer ones. when I have enough pieces to build another computer, I'll pick up an inexpensive case, at one of the online retailers and put together another computer. I'll install an OS, usually Ubuntu, and donate the machine to a local charity that provides computers to people that need one but can't afford to buy one.

 

[gorehound]

I sell my home made workstaions to friends for cheap or to them as parts for cheap.

 

[jsloan]

I donated them to an up-and-coming company named Skynet. ;-)

 

[Guest]

First I still have my first PC an AMD 386 running Win 3.11 that still runs well with no problems. It has a very expensive Plexor CD drive with a tray/caddy and another CD drive that holds 4 CD's. The reason I've kept it is that by 1995 I had added a Childproof keyboard and mouse and this computer has more than 20 games for children under 10 from all of the Busy Town titles to Sesame street. Over the years several hundred children from family and friends have and still enjoy playing the games. The machine has not been connected to the internet since 1993. The machine works, children love it and so I keep an image of the disk drive in case it goes bad. The machine still has the original power supply. I'll keep this machine running because it keeps small children from messing with MY PC.

All of the other machines I've had from Pentium II's to P4's and various AMD chips have become Linux servers, from IPCOP to Trustix to a fancy LDAP setup. Linux is so very stable and efficient these machines continue to serve me well. I've helped several friends take their old machines and make them IPCOP firewall/routers/backup mirrored servers. So a lot of these older machines continue to provide useful service much later than many would expect.

 

[Guest]

Convert them into Soft Thinclients. run Windows 7/Vista/XP - 32/64Bit on your new rig and keep your old PC and run it like a thinclient. Contact iSpace - arpan@infospacetech.com for cool thinclient solutions. We saved nearly US$ 10000 by converting our LAB into thinclients by salvaging old hardware lying around. iSpace guys are simply fantastic. Thanks Guys.

Vinod K

 

[loneninja]

I give my old stuff away once I have no use for it. I have a number of friends and relatives running on hardware from 4-5 years ago or older.

 

[gr33nf00t]

Assuming everything is in good order, I give my old towers to friends who want them. I ran my last tower into the ground though. Poor guy was struggling for months until he finally threw in the towel.

 

[lrh9]

I've given a really beat up laptop away. The network port was broken. Case was dirty and broken. I offered it to family member. They took it. No questions asked.

I have an old desktop computer left from when I built my new one. I salvaged the h.d.d. and optical drive out of it so I wouldn't have to buy those parts. All it needs is those and it would make a back up PC. I wouldn't even buy a burner for it. Just a 19.99 dvd drive and a cheap h.d.d.

 

[jwl3]

The "trickle down strategy. " Older family members aren't so interested in the latest and greatest so my old computers find a home with them, more than satisfying their needs of web browsing, MS Office, and digital photo viewing. I, of course, absolutely must have SSD drives, dual video cards, etc.

 

[jwl3]

viometrix,


You know, you sound like one of those self-righteous p*ssy tree-huggers. I guarantee that I am more "eco-friendly" than you are. I walk to work, don't own a car, turn off every appliance on my way to work, etc. I just don't keep screaming about it. I do it not to be self-righteous but because it's a damned waste of energy and I don't want this great country to be beholden to some but*tf*ck hellhole in the Middle East. So calm the he*ll down and stop attacking half the people on this site. We're not all nerds here that you think you can bully.

 

[nachowarrior]

I get a lot of random parts from people. I tend to try and refurb them and sell them on the cheap to people who need something to do schoolwork on or just surf the web, or for their younger kids to get started learning on. With my personal machines, they generally find a use around here as a test bed or get used as a server for media or just hooked up to a random tv. on occasion i'll take em out with my handy dandy projector and some speakers to run video and music for 'events'. 'events' being more of a casual nature, social gatherings or lan parties and what not. As of right now my most stable machine is out of commission due to some busted capacitors that need replacing. it's an old socket A that's been tried and true throughout the years, a tear came to my eye the day that i realized the mobo was going.

 

[Guest]

For years any hardware updates have resulted in multiplying my PC count.
Currently i have half a dozen of workstations and almost just as much "servers".
Lately used hardware or entire PCs i sell or give to friends, nephews, cousins.
But the oldest or first hardware i've left in storage as reminder of days when smth so meaningless, for todays standars, costed so much.

 

[matt87_50]

I use all of my computers to death (some of this is attributed to good recycling, but most comes from a less than patient approach to my hardware )