Reply 21420 of 27685, by Merovign
I got sidetracked into what I'd call a KoOGOKoNS (Kind of Old Games On Kind of New Systems) thing to try to save some space, but a 10-year-old Optiplex seems to have a dead mobo and an even earlier one seems to have a dead CPU. So thos projects go on hold (for the mini 980 I even had a low profile video card lined up, and I do technically have two other i5-650s but they're in AIO systems and I don't want to strip one of those just yet, they're actually nice).
I even got all the XP drivers lined up for the SFF Optiplex 980, the i5 650, with a GT 720 for now and maybe a 745 later. A compact late XP system. The 980 is actually about 2/3 the size of a typical SFF system, but bigger than a USFF, so I like the for factor. I have an i7 2600 that would serve fine but I'm annoyed because I like the smaller case - but the i7 has a better PSU and can fit a 3.5" HDD.
I really want compact systems that can serve as horizontal desktop-style systems, which I've actually had a hard time finding other than the SFF Optiplexes. If they were more common (and easier to search for since everything but laptops is a desktop now, there's no practical desktop/tower distinction), I would be looking for some cool older desktop ATX cases like Netvistas, but they're rare and pricey around here - and I'm trying to trim down my collection not spend money growing it. I'm also about out of DDR3, but BOY do I have PC1xx, DDR, and DDR2.
I checked craigslist and everyone was listing laptops, so I listed some newer desktops for sale, and within 24 hours about 40 other people did the same. Filled the whole front page. So far I have an offer to trade for a bicycle.
I did get my 3D printer running again after a disastrous experiment with PETG (I think the reel was bad) and clearing out 3 print heads. I printed a short bracket for a low-profile card but I had to trim it a lot to get it to fit, the 980 case requires a paper-thin bracket.
I don't feel very energetic but I did a lot of stuff. Hopefully tomorrow will be a green light day.
Here's a pic of testing a Radeon 3870 in a low-profile socket 775. Janky enough?
*Too* *many* *things*!