1. Forum
  2. DOVE-Net
  3. General

  • Rate my Thrift Store Haul

    From Shinigami@VERT/NET247 to All on Sun Feb 12 07:14:52 2017
    Hello. Couldn't help but to read the previous thread of messages about hitting the thrift store, something I can completely relate to. I love hitting up the thrift stores looking for the AS-IS computers that are missing hard drives and/or memory. Since I have plenty of spare parts around, its a pretty cheap turn around. Any who, moving on to today's purchases.

    1) Dell Optiplex 170L (Service Tag: BFBV81) 2.4 Ghz Celeron, missing ram and hdd - $5 USD. - I had an old 40GB IDE drive and 2-512MB DDR Memory and its up and running, ready for an OS.

    2) Dell Optiplex SX280 (Service Tag: 5CFBM81) 2.8Ghz P4, missing ram, 40GB SATA drive, missing external power brick (external power supply model) - $5 USD - Currently Awaiting $9 USD power brick from eBay to power up and test. I have faith its going to work. Examining contents of hard drive suggests it was a public access computer from either a tax collectors office or DMV. Have full confidence computer will POST once power adapter arrives.

    3) Dell Optiplex 380 (ST: FKJDKN1) Intel Dualcre E5400 2.7Ghz, No RAM, No
    HDD. - Installed 40GB HDD from entry #2 and a single 1GB DDR3 module. Posting and booted up linux from my USB thumb drive. Explored contents of HDD to find aformentioned info. Ready for an OS.

    Total - $15.00 USD. $24.00 if including power brick.

    Not sure what I'm going to do with the machines, may make them Linux server boxes just for fun, especially number 1. Number 3 has a windows 7 certificate on it and Windows 10 still accepts those on clean installs. May go that route on that one, when I order some more RAM on the cheap or come across it in the open.

    Not my best haul ever, but it feels good when you can get more than one working unit on a single day for super cheap.

    ---
    þ Synchronet þ NET247 - bbs.net247.com.au
  • From Mro@VERT/BBSESINF to Shinigami on Sat Feb 11 20:18:39 2017
    Re: Rate my Thrift Store Haul
    By: Shinigami to All on Sun Feb 12 2017 07:14 am

    Hello. Couldn't help but to read the previous thread of messages about hitting the thrift store, something I can completely relate to. I love hitting up the thrift stores looking for the AS-IS computers that are missing hard drives and/or memory. Since I have plenty of spare parts around, its a pretty cheap turn around. Any who, moving on to today's purchases.

    1) Dell Optiplex 170L (Service Tag: BFBV81) 2.4 Ghz Celeron, missing ram and hdd - $5 USD. - I had an old 40GB IDE drive and 2-512MB DDR Memory and its


    we dont have any thriftstores that sell computer stuff like that due to people thinking it's worth several hundred dollars and they put it on craigslist.
    ---
    þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::
  • From KK4QBN@VERT/KK4QBN to Shinigami on Sat Feb 11 23:43:07 2017
    Re: Rate my Thrift Store Haul
    By: Shinigami to All on Sun Feb 12 2017 07:14 am

    Not my best haul ever, but it feels good when you can get more than one working unit on a single day for super cheap.

    Yes, I love it, I hate that I have to go 3 counties over to get a great deal at thrift shops (for some reason the shops around here think they are sitting on gold mines with electronics) but it is worth the trip.

    I saw some satelitte radio equipment there and some other stuff I have my eye on yesterday, I'm going back when they have a 75% off day and see what I can haul in :-)

    --

    Tim Smith (KK4QBN)
    KK4QBN BBS

    ---
    þ Synchronet þ KK4QBN BBS - (706)422-9538 - kk4qbn.synchro.net, Chatsworth GA US
  • From Shinigami@VERT/NET247 to Mro on Sun Feb 12 17:29:49 2017
    Re: Rate my Thrift Store Haul
    By: Mro to Shinigami on Sat Feb 11 2017 08:18 pm

    we dont have any thriftstores that sell computer stuff like that due to peop thinking it's worth several hundred dollars and they put it on craigslist.

    Yeah, even local stores around here will attempt to sell complete units for much more, but even then its $50-100. My main computer is a Core i5 that was listed for $95 as a working unit, marked down to $50 when the hard drive died in the store, then purchased by me on discount day for $37.50. But I guess there is always some stupid sucker who see's a cheeper than retail price tag and grabs up a junk computer from craigslist or local second hand stores for way too much. I've made plenty of service calls to people who have bought these units for them to die weeks later or better yet, to have a copy of Windows XP or something with no drivers installed and they wonder why the color is so bad or why they can't connect to the internet with it.

    ---
    þ Synchronet þ NET247 - bbs.net247.com.au
  • From Shinigami@VERT/NET247 to KK4QBN on Mon Feb 13 00:57:28 2017
    Re: Rate my Thrift Store Haul
    By: KK4QBN to Shinigami on Sat Feb 11 2017 11:43 pm

    I saw some satelitte radio equipment there and some other stuff I have my ey on yesterday, I'm going back when they have a 75% off day and see what I ca haul in :-)
    What kind of satellite radio equipment is it? Are you talking about commercial satellite radio like Sirius XM?

    ---
    þ Synchronet þ NET247 - bbs.net247.com.au
  • From KK4QBN@VERT/KK4QBN to Shinigami on Sun Feb 12 13:14:19 2017
    Re: Rate my Thrift Store Haul
    By: Shinigami to KK4QBN on Mon Feb 13 2017 12:57 am

    What kind of satellite radio equipment is it? Are you talking about commercial satellite radio like Sirius XM?


    Yeah, a sirius receiver antenna, I have a couple different antennas around for my rc aircraft, don't believe it will hurt to pickup more "junk" for a buck or so.

    --

    Tim Smith (KK4QBN)
    KK4QBN BBS

    ---
    þ Synchronet þ KK4QBN BBS - (706)422-9538 - kk4qbn.synchro.net, Chatsworth GA US
  • From Poindexter Fortran@VERT/REALITY to Shinigami on Tue Feb 14 09:19:20 2017
    Re: Rate my Thrift Store Haul
    By: Shinigami to Mro on Sun Feb 12 2017 05:29 pm

    Yeah, even local stores around here will attempt to sell complete units for much more, but even then its $50-100. My main computer is a Core i5 that was listed for $95 as a working unit, marked down to $50 when the hard drive died in the store, then purchased by me on discount day for $37.50.

    My thift stores are junk. I keep seeing Celeron e-machines systems for $35. Usually Compaq or e-machines, usually a triple-digit celeron with less than a gig of RAM.

    ---
    þ Synchronet þ realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org
  • From Knightmare@VERT/P99BBS to Mro on Thu Feb 16 03:35:40 2017
    Re: Rate my Thrift Store Haul
    By: Mro to Shinigami on Sat Feb 11 2017 08:18 pm

    we dont have any thriftstores that sell computer stuff like that due to people thinking it's worth several hundred dollars and they put it on craigslist.
    -+-
    I always have a friend that wants me to look over a machine before they buy it. There was this one time (ay band camp... no, not really), she was looking to buy what was being sold as a Mac Pro.

    So we get there and I act as if I don't knw any better and fucktard goes on about this Mac he's got and he's wanting $1K for it. Thrity-two gigs of RAM, etc, etc, etc... So we ask where it is (we are at the seller's place...) and they point to a PC running macOS on it.


    So I ask - where is the Mac? They again point to the PC. I look at it, top to bottom, it's got no badges, no stickers, nothing on it. I ask him "are you sure this is a Mac? I only ask because it looks different from what I've seen before..."

    They both assure us it's "the newest version. There is no badging on it, and their kid removed the stickers on accident."

    Of course I know better and look on it. (I know full well this is a Hackintosh, I've built a few already...) I ask if I can reboot it so I can just see "how it takes to boot up"... then they got nervous and offer us coffee. We decline, and ask again. One of them distracts as they reboot the machine, but I see the MSI logo come on in the corner of my eye...

    When the Apple shows up we focus on the screen, and I act as if nothing is wrong and comment "Wow, that boots up really quick!"

    The ony guy smiled, as if he thinks it's gonna be payday...

    I drop the bomb and ask "did you need to do a lot of tweaking in BIOS to get to boo that quick?" As planned, one of them says pretty proudly, "Yea we went through every single screen to make sure we didn't miss anything!"

    Five seconds after he said that, he looked at his buddy and realized the error he has just comitted.

    "Yea, we're done here..." I say, and we left.

    ---
    þ Synchronet þ Precinct 99 - p99bbs.homenet.org:2323 - Lewis Center, OH USA
  • From Nightfox@VERT/DIGDIST to Knightmare on Tue Mar 21 20:29:18 2017
    Re: Rate my Thrift Store Haul
    By: Knightmare to Mro on Thu Feb 16 2017 04:35 am

    Of course I know better and look on it. (I know full well this is a Hackintosh, I've built a few already...) I ask if I can reboot it so I can just see "how it takes to boot up"... then they got nervous and offer us coffee. We decline, and ask again. One of them distracts as they reboot the machine, but I see the MSI logo come on in the corner of my eye...

    When the Apple shows up we focus on the screen, and I act as if nothing is wrong and comment "Wow, that boots up really quick!"

    The ony guy smiled, as if he thinks it's gonna be payday...

    I drop the bomb and ask "did you need to do a lot of tweaking in BIOS to get to boo that quick?" As planned, one of them says pretty proudly, "Yea we went through every single screen to make sure we didn't miss anything!"

    Five seconds after he said that, he looked at his buddy and realized the error he has just comitted.

    "Yea, we're done here..." I say, and we left.

    lol.. Funny that people try to advertise something as different from what it really is. It seems to me that Apple/Mac users are savvy enough to know the difference between a real Apple and a hackintosh.

    Several years ago, there was a company I had heard about called Psystar that was actually selling hackintoshes. I believe Apple went after them though, and they were shut down:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psystar_Corporation

    Although I'm not a big Apple fan, I think it would be interesting to see Apple let OS X run on any PC legit out of the box. I'm sure they'd probably never do that though..

    I also remember when Apple let other companies make licensed Mac clones in the mid-late 90s, but Steve Jobs shut those down when he rejoined Apple.

    Nightfox

    ---
    þ Synchronet þ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.com