Looking for old PC to mess with

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  1. Posts : 2,409
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit/Windows 8 64-bit/Win7 Pro64-bit
       #1

    Looking for old PC to mess with


    I am looking for a place where I can buy a old used PC that is cheap so I can try practicing repairing on it. I also just want it for retro computing purposes Retrocomputing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Is a Goodwill store a good place to look?
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  2. Posts : 21,004
    Desk1 7 Home Prem / Desk2 10 Pro / Main lap Asus ROG 10 Pro 2 laptop Toshiba 7 Pro Asus P2520 7 & 10
       #2

    Hello mate sound like a sort of fellow tinkerer person I have six that range form old school ones to ones that I have acquired from the local recycle centre. I still have my old Dell all with XP of course so not that old.
    The only problem is mate if you stuck into it as you want to it gets rather expensive looking for and if you can find them - spare parts especially the older CPU's and RAM.
    Having said that knowing what we can do these days and the amount of expertise in here for instance it does make it fun:)
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  3. Posts : 24,479
    Windows 7 Ultimate X64 SP1
       #3

    If you can find any like an old Sinclair or Tandy, they will likely be expensive if they work at all. Part to fix them will bring a high price too, those old machines are becoming collectable and prices are going up.

    Search your local Craig's list. You'll have to visit your local stores to see what they have. Goodwill in my area never has computers.
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  4. Posts : 2,409
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit/Windows 8 64-bit/Win7 Pro64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #4

    The whole reason I want it is if its not working, so I can mess around with it to try to get it working.
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  5. Posts : 24,479
    Windows 7 Ultimate X64 SP1
       #5

    See posts 2 and 3, the problem is if you try pre-1990 stuff parts will be nearly impossible to find. In those very early machines hardly anything was replaceable because it was all soldered to the motherboard, even various types of RAM in some.
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  6. Posts : 165
    Windows 7 Ultimate x86 and x64
       #6

    They come to me all the time. If they're dead (mobo dead) or older than a late P4, I keep what's worth having (mostly RAM these days) and recycle the rest (10 cents/lb.=lunch money). Try an E-waste recycling center, it's amazing what people throw away.
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  7. Posts : 2,409
    Windows 7 Professional 32-bit/Windows 8 64-bit/Win7 Pro64-bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Well I'm going to Goodwill anyway since I'm so curious what stuff they have since I've never went to one before.
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  8. Posts : 12,012
    Windows 7 Home Premium SP1, 64-bit
       #8

    Computer0304 said:
    The whole reason I want it is if its not working, so I can mess around with it to try to get it working.
    Sounds like a good idea, but.......

    If it needs a motherboard and it's more than 6 or 7 years old (socket 775 and older), you'll find it tough to find a motherboard. Newegg only has 3 socket 775 boards right now.

    DDR2 RAM is around $30 for 2 gigs.

    I know you were thinking about getting a boutique PC and have said that you are spooked about building.

    I assume you don't want to start rebuilding what you have now.

    Therefore, in your shoes, I'd buy a working refurbished computer manufactured say in the last 5 or 6 years, for say $200 or less with Windows 7 license and 4 GB of RAM. Then raise hell with it. Take it apart, put it back together, swap hard drives, reinstall the OS, fiddle with the cooling, etc, etc.

    That's the quickest way to get a knowledge base and give you the confidence to build.

    If instead, you bought a non-working PC for $10 bucks, you may never be able to get it running, at least not for less than a working refurb would cost.
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  9. Posts : 3,371
    W10 Pro desktop, W11 laptop, W11 Pro tablet (all 64-bit)
       #9

    You can check Goodyear but I believe they changed their policy a few years back and now any old machines like that get sent to a recycler instead of being put out for sale.

    As suggested, Craig's List is pretty good although spotty for the older, collectible machines. You could also try Ebay but shipping will cost you a bundle.
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  10. Posts : 5,956
    Win 7 Pro x64, Win 10 Pro x64, Linux Light x86
       #10

    There are also a few Old/Vintage Computer Forums out there that may have systems for sale :)
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