Tetrium wrote:

I figure most people won't be using all of their rigs at the same time anyway 😁 (unless you feel like sponsoring your local electrical company 🤣 ).

Actually I use computers to heat my house in the winter. I don't even turn on the furnace.
The place is well insulated and we have mild winters so it works out pretty well.

My limitations would be cases followed by PSUs followed by RAM.
If cases and PSUs were not an issue somewhere around 150, maybe even 200.
They would have to have minimal RAM to stretch it that far.
.

If I had a case and an AMD Duron (or similarly socketed) CPU, I could build one more computer with parts already on hand, as those would be the only things I'd be missing. I have an old motherboard stashed away somewhere which was made specifically for AMD Duron and compatible CPUs, a Riva TNT2 PCI video card with a surprisingly large amount of video RAM, as it was one of the last TNT2 cards ever produced, and I have a plethora of old mice and keyboards, all of which work but not well.

I also have a spare 21.5" widescreen LED monitor as well which I got NIB for dirt-cheap due to a clearance sale a couple years back, so I can even cover that base. ;)

Just one, based on my Asus CUSL2-C motherboard; needs an ATX case and floppy drive (the Asus board also needs a recap), everything else I already have on hand - two S370 Pentium III CPUs w/coolers, my choice of video/sound/memory/HDD/DVD-ROM, cables, case fans, ATX PSU and even a USB2 card. And since I usually have only one PC running I share the same keyboard, mouse, monitor and PC speakers (I do have spares, but I only use them for a very specific task).

I could do at least 33 before I ran out of good cases mostly ATX a few ATs and some older proprietary designs even a 1980s Zenith data systems AT variant, have had a lot over the past ten years at least 400 most of them were good either got scraped or had the parts sold

I gave a few systems away recently, so I am down to 9. 10 counting the one in my trunk waiting to find a new home with a friend. If I had a few more empty cases it would be far more, like 20 maybe.

I'm limited either by PSUs or cases. Not sure about the PSU count. As far as cases, by my count I have enough for 22 computers. I can't believe it's that many. Only about half of those are conventional cases though.
2 EATX
5 ATX
2 MicroATX
2 Baby AT
1 LPX Compaq - I'd have to rig up a PSU that doesn't fit properly, but I think I could do it without buying anything.
4 proprietary cases with working parts - plus another that doesn't have a working PSU so it doesn't count.
2 Macs (G3/G4) - it'll be desperate times indeed. Guess I can install linux though.
2 working laptops
1 Sony PS2 with a hard drive mod, it can be used as a computer, only "useful" function is an obsolete web browser from the days of real HTML
1 Apple IIc - yes it works, 8-bit 5V lead soldered DIP chip computers never break

Out of cases? But I still have cardboard boxes and scissors.

At the moment none, due to lack of any spare cases. Next limit will be PSUs, which I have only three older ATX (with -5 volt) types. Next limit will be motherboards. I have a working Tekram slot 1 board, two Asus socket 754 boards, one moody Asus 939 board, two Gigabyte socket 370 boards with problems (none working floppy controller, etc), and a probably broken Gigabyte socket A board. I will most probably never have any lack of HDDs, controllers, NICs, memory, CPUs, and display adapters for the seven boards I mentioned above. Have only three 3.5" floppies and only two optical drives as spares though.

Gemini000 wrote:

If I had a case and an AMD Duron (or similarly socketed) CPU, I could build one more computer with parts already on hand, as those would be the only things I'd be missing. I have an old motherboard stashed away somewhere which was made specifically for AMD Duron and compatible CPUs, a Riva TNT2 PCI video card with a surprisingly large amount of video RAM, as it was one of the last TNT2 cards ever produced, and I have a plethora of old mice and keyboards, all of which work but not well.

I also have a spare 21.5" widescreen LED monitor as well which I got NIB for dirt-cheap due to a clearance sale a couple years back, so I can even cover that base. 😉

Oh, I forgot about the keyboards 🤣!

With keyboards counted (and mouses also I think), that would significantly trim my maximum number of rigs to around 10 (maybe 15 at the very most). But I'd probably stack as many cases on top of eachother as possible (one at every single monitor) and use just a single keyboard + mouse for each pile.

Interesting to see that PSU's seem to be as much as a bottleneck as cases are.

PCBONEZ wrote:

Actually I use computers to heat my house in the winter. I don't even turn on the furnace. The place is well insulated and we ha […]
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Tetrium wrote:

I figure most people won't be using all of their rigs at the same time anyway 😁 (unless you feel like sponsoring your local electrical company 🤣 ).

Actually I use computers to heat my house in the winter. I don't even turn on the furnace.
The place is well insulated and we have mild winters so it works out pretty well.

My limitations would be cases followed by PSUs followed by RAM.
If cases and PSUs were not an issue somewhere around 150, maybe even 200.
They would have to have minimal RAM to stretch it that far.
.

150 is really a lot! Where do you keep all of it? 😁
Without cases, I'd still max out at around 100 (and that is really stretching it, and provided all the stuff is in working condition) as last time I counted, I had slightly over 100 motherboards, slightly over 100 graphics cards and over 300 CPU's. RAM would be a similar issue and I'd have to cram as many smaller modules onto every board without it getting unstable. I don't even know if I have 100 harddrives, but many of those are less than 1GB.

Tetrium wrote:

Oh, I forgot about the keyboards 🤣!

With keyboards counted (and mouses also I think), that would significantly trim my maximum number of rigs to around 10 (maybe 15 at the very most). But I'd probably stack as many cases on top of eachother as possible (one at every single monitor) and use just a single keyboard + mouse for each pile.

Interesting to see that PSU's seem to be as much as a bottleneck as cases are.

Wouldn't worry about input devices, as KVMs are probably common for most of us I would have thought? have two here and plan for more 😀

currently have six cases so that limits my builds but many more parts, would be close to 80 computers' worth (on top of the 60 built machines). presently developing a hatred of cables - especially power, IDE and parallel - they multiply overnight it seems and are unsightly!

Tetrium wrote:

150 is really a lot! Where do you keep all of it? 😁

I've been rebuilding motherboards (mostly recapping) for a second income (on top of my pension) for the last 10+ years.
I also snap up good deals for later resale when I come across them. I've purchased as many as 36 boards in one order.
And then sometimes I buy boards that won't boot just to see if I can fix them. (A challenge.)
I also do (did) a little bit in the way of building servers for small businesses. 1/3 to 1/2 of my boards are dual Xeon server boards.
HDDs I usually buy in lots of 5, 10 or 20 to keep the per-each cost down. Quite sure I have 150 around.
- I have a big storeroom behind the house.
.

Good question 😀

If I don't count peripherals, PSUs and cases, of which I have limited stock, I could build:

XT
2x 286-10 (both with co-pros 😎)
a 386SX/387SX-40
a 386DX/4C87DLC-40
a 486DX2 VLB
a 486DX4 PCI
5x K5 or Pentium-class machines
3x Slot 1 machines
a Tualatin (nothing fancy though)
a Socket A rig

So that's 16 complete sets of hardware to play with. I only have free cases for 4 AT and 1 ATX systems though.

I think I have parts for at least 50 complete systems (not so many cases though) from 286 up to Athlon64. Still thinking of doing some cataloging/inventory of things... but never find the time and always search through boxes when I need something 🤣

In THE end I hope to have these complete systems (nearly there for most):

- 286 MAX (hope to get to 25MHz)
- 386DX-40
- 486SLC-33 ISA
- 486DLC-40 VLB
- 486DX4 PCI MAX (hope at least 180MHz)
- SS7 Pentium 233MMX MAX (hope at least 315MHz)
- SS7 K6-3+ 400 MAX (hope 600MHz)
- P-III 1GHz
- P-III Tualatin 1.4GHz
- P-IV 3.2GHz (Asrock AGP/PCIe)
- Athlon XP-M (from 400 to 2.2GHz) on Abit KT7A
- Athlon64 3800+ (Asrock AGP/PCIe)

Cases cases, prefebli smaller AT and ATX desktop cases, because i have many 486 to Pentium III era matherboards, ISA sound cards and all else to make computers. Even multitude of AT and ATX power suplies. Put no worries, i put one 486 computer in dvd player case. And now i just finishing a Pentium III 800 computer, that resides in a VCR case. Pictures are coming soon. But i think 6 486 era, 8 Pentium era, and 10 Pentium II/III era computers. I am a DOS nostalgia freak, so i do not need newer machines, the do not add anithing to DOS. And 8088 286 and 386 era, i really do not need, i can run allmost all this stuff on my undercloked 486, disable cache, and 486@8MHz with unofficial motherboard jumper settings.

0, none, nothing. I been trying to get rid of all my older stuff that I don't use. all I have left are a few opl3 cards and some 3dfx stuff.

I could build 50 - 75 complete systems with cases and PSUs but I "only" own ~20 monitors.

If it wasnt for cases and PSUs the number of computers I could build would be twice as high. I own loads of Socket-3, Socket-7 and Slot-1 motherboards but I also have lots of newer gear, for example I have everything needed to put together 10+ complete Socket-1366 systems, 4 of them are dual CPU machines.

I have a feeling I would have collected even more gear if I owned a house with a basement as my apartment limits my hoarding 😉.

Tetrium bro, how do you manage to accumulate so many parts? I couldnt do even 1 pc atm. I only buy what i need and its in 7 towers.

sgt76 wrote:

Tetrium bro, how do you manage to accumulate so many parts? I couldnt do even 1 pc atm. I only buy what i need and its in 7 towers.

This might be a fun idea for another topic hehe 😁
Long story, but I did need 10 years to accumulate all the stuff I have now (I tossed out some stuff from time to time, but most of it was broken).
But I have to say that the limits of my storage space is reaching it's practical limit for me, so don't expect me to get another 50 cases any time soon...or any time at all for that matter 🤣.

Tetrium wrote:

But I have to say that the limits of my storage space is reaching it's practical limit for me

I'm there too. I really need to get off my butt and start unloading things.

Well, I just figured out why my storage space has been so cramped lately.

I counted the one part of every system that always uses the most space, which is of course the case itself.

AT cases: 25 (most are the standard smallish AT towers, 2 are a little bit larger (3 5.25in external bays instead of just 2) and one is full height...I mean it's really high, it seems like almost 2 minitowers welded together 🤣

µATX cases: Only 5 that seem somewhat useful (most are Packard Bell cases which tend to need a bit more work to use with other hardware)
ATX cases: 54, most are beige and around 12 or so are a different color (mostly black or silver)

Well, with 84 tower cases, now it's a lot more obvious to me why storage space has become so cramped 🤣! I thought I would have about 50, but I guess I thought wrong. Not that I mind too much though, most are stacked inside the attic and theres a little bit room left where I could still cram a couple more, but at least this latest count would mean that I could possibly build 25 AT systems and 59 ATX systems.