Re: Putting together a computer from old components

On Mon, 29 Nov 2021 14:34:56 -0500
Paul <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 11/29/2021 6:26 AM, Spiros Bousbouras wrote:
> > The Intel management engine and the analogous from AMD creep me out so I
> > want to put a computer together using old processors from before these
> > facilities came into the picture. Operating system will be Linux. I
> > already have AMD Sempron and Athlon processors and now I need the rest.
> > www.pcupgrade.co.uk  sells old motherboards. I have a few questions
> > related to my endeavour :
> > 
> > Is there any notion of compatibility between computer cases and
> > motherboards ? If yes , how do I ensure that I get a case such that an old
> > motherboard (one with an AM2 socket) fits ?
> > 
> > Are there any issues related to my efforts I should be aware of ? I mean
> > issues specific to putting a computer together from old parts.
> > 
> > The only experience I have in putting a computer together is adding
> > components to a barebones computer but I've never done it from scratch.
> > 
> 
> How many computers do you currently have ?

1 desktop and some spare parts.

> Is there a specific objective this computer has to meet ?
> Is it running the heating system, recording security video,
> stuck in the loft ?

General desktop usage : writing text , computer programming (nothing too
long) , watching videos and DVDs , listening to audio CDs , internet browsing
(mainly with a text browser.I'm not worried about slowness with a graphical
browser so lets not get stuck on that) , running chess engines (I don't need
maximum performance). See also  <[email protected]>  in this
thread.

I also have an external hard disk which I connect through a USB port. The disk
mostly has videos in 360p or 720p resolution and I want the transfer rate to
be good enough that I can watch them at normal playback speed (using  mplayer) .

I also want to be able to connect a DVD reader/writer ; no need for blu-ray.

> People don't usually start building computers for no reason.

The central point is to avoid a CPU with a management engine rather than
build one , I simply thought that building one is a promising approach to my
central goal. My current desktop (on which I do the aforementioned
activities) has parts whose age ranges from 14 to 6 years. During this period
it has seen almost continuous usage. There's no indication that it is close
to giving out but it is only wise to have a plan B and I want this plan B
computer not to have a CPU with a management engine. So for example , a used
computer with a CPU without a management engine and which has been used less
than mine would suit me fine.

> Perhaps if you described your objectives and provided some
> background, we could offer some suggestions.
> 
> *******
> 
> One of the problems with older motherboards, is the "bad cap" problem.
> For example, a regular poster here, he bought a "spare" motherboard.
> His original motherboard failed. Well, the spare only operated
> for a short time before it failed too. Viewing a picture of the
> new failure, it had a leaking capacitor on it, and that's why
> it is unstable and won't behave properly.
> 
> When buying the old stuff, you want materials not of that
> generation, to reduce the risks involved in "investing in junk".
> 
> If it were not for the "bad capacitor era", I could be a bit
> more encouraging about Smithsonian-style compute projects.
> But as long as scumbags are willing to sell broken goods to
> people, it's sometimes safer to buy newer kit.

Ok , thanks for the information. Is the "bad cap" problem affected by age
or time of total usage ?

[...]

> You could do an RPi 4 and use an SSD for storage with it.
> There's no ME on that. Some of the Pi models are in shortage
> right now, and only the higher end ones might be available
> (like the one with max RAM).
> 
> https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-4-ssd-test,39811.html

Higher end is fine.

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