Dude, you're throwing away a Dell
Jun. 29th, 2002 01:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pseydtonneThe older I get, the less I am afraid of trash. If you still feel that putting something in the garbage means that thing ceases to exist, you have no idea how much free stuff you're missing.
I was taking out the normal trash -- pizza boxes, chicken bones, medical waste (okay, dental floss) -- when I found two amazing scores:
Check out the specs for a free machine:
Why not leave the passive cooling system on the chip? Half because I'd like to see if the cooling fan works (allowing for overclocking joy or the smell of a fried chip) and half because the dust in the computer means the extra tower fan would serve better in the front instead of the back. That fan has to be near the chip with the passive system but it can migrate once I get fresh goo for the heat sink interface.
What are my plans? It's simple. I'm going to make a Linux machine for my bedroom. This will sit at the foot of my bed, where I can type either from the chair near the window or from bedside. Why get up?
It's a project. I love hardware projects. When these free ones fail, I learn something. When they succeed, I get more confidence and I have more toys.
Just think: I'd assumed I'd be a professor my now. I'm so glad I was wrong. I would've had an ulcer by now if I'd stayed in academia. Instead I'm a happy camper.
Mind you, my call to a certain electronics chain store didn't feel so nice. When I asked about goo, the guy said they carry it. When I asked, "and you're in the mall, right?" he hung up. I'll drive to Needham and hit You-Do-It Electronics instead. Why give three bucks to surly f*cks?
Odd thing about that store: I was searching for its phone number online and the first hit was a newsgroup posting by a friend from college. This world just keeps shrinking.
Besides, I've never used a USB port. That could be fun.
-total major joy, Ps/d
I was taking out the normal trash -- pizza boxes, chicken bones, medical waste (okay, dental floss) -- when I found two amazing scores:
- An unused French press, complete with instructions still in the decanter;
- A midtower computer from about 1998.
Check out the specs for a free machine:
- 200 MHz Pentium MMX (i586), meaning it's the same clock speed as the machine I'm using right now;
- 2 SDRAM slots, one already filled with a mere 32 MB slab. Since I have plenty of SDRAM slabs laying about, this could become a keen machine;
- motherboard made special for Dell. I think it's got a MRBIOS chip, but I'm not certain. I know it's not Award;
- weird-ass, no-screws case missing a front but otherwise fine;
- extra cooling fan in the back, which is near the passive cooling radiator for the chip.
- 2 USB ports, built-in video card, PS/2 ports, sundry PCI & ISA slots.
Why not leave the passive cooling system on the chip? Half because I'd like to see if the cooling fan works (allowing for overclocking joy or the smell of a fried chip) and half because the dust in the computer means the extra tower fan would serve better in the front instead of the back. That fan has to be near the chip with the passive system but it can migrate once I get fresh goo for the heat sink interface.
What are my plans? It's simple. I'm going to make a Linux machine for my bedroom. This will sit at the foot of my bed, where I can type either from the chair near the window or from bedside. Why get up?
It's a project. I love hardware projects. When these free ones fail, I learn something. When they succeed, I get more confidence and I have more toys.
Just think: I'd assumed I'd be a professor my now. I'm so glad I was wrong. I would've had an ulcer by now if I'd stayed in academia. Instead I'm a happy camper.
Mind you, my call to a certain electronics chain store didn't feel so nice. When I asked about goo, the guy said they carry it. When I asked, "and you're in the mall, right?" he hung up. I'll drive to Needham and hit You-Do-It Electronics instead. Why give three bucks to surly f*cks?
Odd thing about that store: I was searching for its phone number online and the first hit was a newsgroup posting by a friend from college. This world just keeps shrinking.
Besides, I've never used a USB port. That could be fun.
-total major joy, Ps/d
