Old, dead PC wanted - just for casing

[tomdhu]

Hi,

I'm working on a project and need some thin flat metal to make up a prototype. The ideal metal is like what PC computer or serer casings are mage from - particularly the old mini-tower types.

If you have an old PC (or two) please get in contact by texting on 07708215233.

Something like these...?????.

[se22cat]

Hmm kind of a big waste as even "dead" PCs can easily be fixed up and given a new lease of life...That's something I love doing, you could always visit a scrap merchant rather than condemning something still save able..

[tomdhu]

It's always fun fixing up old PC's but in reality unless you are a specialist in motherboard repair, then pretty much all you can do is swap out the processor and memory modules. Hence lots of empty cases are left over.

A few years ago I had a hobby resurrecting old IBMs that had the proprietary Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) as used in PS/2's (Not PS2 !).Had a couple of Server 500s which were the ultimate in that range. MCA parts are now very collectable

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro_Channel_architecture

https://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/all/2017/04/04/30_years_ago_ibms_final_battle_with_reality/

But in the real world today, hundreds of thousands of PCs are sent to landfill every year. The number of enthusiasts who want to fix them is very, very limited. Who wants a PC that can run Windows 3.11 or Netware?

It begs the question, what do you do with your old casings and dead motherboards?

[se22cat]

Motherboards can often be recoverable, but even if you need to install a new one, you've saved all the other components from being dumped, the real issue is people not making the simple effort to build their own deck & instead buying a pre built every 3-5 years...

[tomdhu]

se22cat Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Motherboards can often be recoverable, but even if

> you need to install a new one, you've saved all

> the other components from being dumped, the real

> issue is people not making the simple effort to

> build their own deck & instead buying a pre built

> every 3-5 years...

Sure, motherboards are repairable but it is a specialed skill. Plus you have to find the right chips etc etc.

So who wants to repair an old motherboard that is only ever capable of running Windows 3.11,xp, or Vista?

It can be fun to build your own machine from new parts - paticularly if you are into gaming but if it is not a high performance machine then buying all the components for self-assembly is going to work out more expensive than getting a standard machine that was mass produced. Same way people dont build their own cars from spare parts.

I would guess that more than 99.9% of all PCs are mass produced. They are now disposable items with a 3 to 5 year cycle and millions go into and fill every year.

I'm quite happy to do my bit for recycling by making the request a scrap PC so that I can recycle the casing.

Tell me , out of interest, how many motherboards have you repaired and still use?