bristlehog wrote:

I started collecting different video cards for testing purposes. […]
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I started collecting different video cards for testing purposes.

256 Mb Gigabyte 6800GS PCI-E for $8.

512 Mb Leadtek Geforce GTS 250 for $13:

Fun Fact: The GTS 250 is just a rebranded slightly OC'd 9800GTX+.

Good idea to get 6800s now too. I've noticed there slowly creeping upwards in price.

Cyrix200+ wrote:

If it's really cheap I try to buy all AT systems I find. The cases are getting rare these days, also I'm always curious about the config (but it always turns out to be a crappy VX-based board with a Pentium 133 haha. This one has an ALi chipset though. Any idea on the specifications?

Also, I kind of like cleaning old systems. It calms my mind 😀

And I thought I was the only one 🤣!

Not for this thread (this is more retro activity maybe), but been cleaning a box of CPU HSFs, it's therapeutic to me 🤣!

Tetrium wrote:

Cyrix200+ wrote:

If it's really cheap I try to buy all AT systems I find. The cases are getting rare these days, also I'm always curious about the config (but it always turns out to be a crappy VX-based board with a Pentium 133 haha. This one has an ALi chipset though. Any idea on the specifications?

Also, I kind of like cleaning old systems. It calms my mind 😀

And I thought I was the only one 🤣!

Not for this thread (this is more retro activity maybe), but been cleaning a box of CPU HSFs, it's therapeutic to me 🤣!

Nothing like a good before/after. How do you guys go about it? Let's say it's a generic white tower. First thing I do is take it apart, use an air compressor to remove as much dust as I can. Then I wipe it all down with slightly damp paper towels and isopropyl alcohol if necessary. If there are scuffs and marks on the case, magic eraser comes in handy. If it is plastic and there are scratches, sand it down with fine sandpaper. It usually comes out very nice. Also clean the fan(s) and redo the thermal paste if applicable.

oeuvre wrote:

Tetrium wrote:

Cyrix200+ wrote:

If it's really cheap I try to buy all AT systems I find. The cases are getting rare these days, also I'm always curious about the config (but it always turns out to be a crappy VX-based board with a Pentium 133 haha. This one has an ALi chipset though. Any idea on the specifications?

Also, I kind of like cleaning old systems. It calms my mind 😀

And I thought I was the only one 🤣!

Not for this thread (this is more retro activity maybe), but been cleaning a box of CPU HSFs, it's therapeutic to me 🤣!

Nothing like a good before/after. How do you guys go about it? Let's say it's a generic white tower. First thing I do is take it apart, use an air compressor to remove as much dust as I can. Then I wipe it all down with slightly damp paper towels and isopropyl alcohol if necessary. If there are scuffs and marks on the case, magic eraser comes in handy. If it is plastic and there are scratches, sand it down with fine sandpaper. It usually comes out very nice. Also clean the fan(s) and redo the thermal paste if applicable.

I take the entire system apart, clean all the bits and remove as much dust as possible (Will also use slightly damp paper towels, but also a can of compressed air and a paint brush as this is quick at getting dust out of solid (metal) stuff like cases, fans, heatsinks, cables (kinda) and optical drives.
For the internal PCB-like parts I'll use paper towels but with rubbing alcohol (this is not needed for stuff like computer cases and such, so for that water will suffice).
Sometimes I'll do this cleaning in the bath room, or somewhere outside if weather permits because I won't want any runaway dust bunnies start living in with me 😵
I'll typically use rubbing alcohol for at least the stuff that contains TIM.
Afterwards I'll do a (quick) physical check for damages and stuff, google the part numbers so I know what I have, then put all the parts in boxes ready to be tested and sorted. No untested stuff ends up with the tested stuff.
I''ll not usually sand down anything though.

Do you guys "wash" components? I know people who do, and some very famous youtubers basically dishwash everything. It boggles my mind..

appiah4 wrote:

Do you guys "wash" components? I know people who do, and some very famous youtubers basically dishwash everything. It boggles my mind..

No electricity = no shorting = no issue.

Aside from possible corrosion down the line if not dried and maintained properly.

No washing of components here (yet).

I take the system apart first, then if it is really dirty I use the vacuum cleaner with a brush for the big dust bunnies. I am a big user of those cheap throwaway cleaning wipes that are intended for cleaning the kitchen for example. They are very good in removing grease and nicotine and also those black marks that you get on the case from shoes, chairs etc. Also great for wiping off old thermal paste from CPUs and heatsinks. Cleaning spirit for the really tough to remove thermal paste. Take care with that stuff (also rubbing alcohol), it reacts with some plastics.

I never sand any plastic parts, I clean the scratches and then leave them be.

Parts are put on a spreadsheet (it's in my signature), put in a fresh bag and stored in boxes. Sometimes I test, sometimes I don't. I keep record of that in the spreadsheet.

I do wash some of my parts when they are really dirty. I don't use my dishwasher to do this as I fear that some of the crap found on old hardware could be stuck inside the dishwasher and go on the dish. I give them a good shower instead and I use a hair dryer to dry them 10-15 minutes after. I make sure that there is no water left under some of the chips and connectors and then I test it. To this day I've never killed anything

TheAbandonwareGuy wrote:

appiah4 wrote:

Do you guys "wash" components? I know people who do, and some very famous youtubers basically dishwash everything. It boggles my mind..

No electricity = no shorting = no issue.

Aside from possible corrosion down the line if not dried and maintained properly.

And (of course) the minerals present in tap water screwing things up after some time. Use demineralized water instead (don't drink demineralized water, you'll end up in hospital!).

Well, as an engineer my view on this is that it will inevitably lead to calcification and oxidization issues. I mean sure it will look shinier but how good is that when you have obviously lost precious life time from your hardware?

Finally there are things that carry charges in electronics and are very difficult to actually discharge before submerging in water. How do you deal with a board with a Dallas chip for example, or know that no capacitor has any charge left on them? Even ESD is a lot more dangerous when you apply water.

Also the drying thing really irks me.. There are a lot of things on electronics that can leak water into them. Some people resolve this issue by apparently putting their electronics into an oven and baking them (at around 70C or so..) but to that I go wtf.. I can't think of any particular component that will go bad because of 70C temperature but I'm sure a lot of them are not meant to get that hot..

I've seen people who have been handling and fixing electronics for a long long time do these, and they are very reputable people. My engineering knowledge screams NO to me though..

appiah4 wrote:

Well, as an engineer my view on this is that it will inevitably lead to calcification and oxidization issues. I mean sure it wi […]
Show full quote

Well, as an engineer my view on this is that it will inevitably lead to calcification and oxidization issues. I mean sure it will look shinier but how good is that when you have obviously lost precious life time from your hardware?

Finally there are things that carry charges in electronics and are very difficult to actually discharge before submerging in water. How do you deal with a board with a Dallas chip for example, or know that no capacitor has any charge left on them? Even ESD is a lot more dangerous when you apply water.

Also the drying thing really irks me.. There are a lot of things on electronics that can leak water into them. Some people resolve this issue by apparently putting their electronics into an oven and baking them (at around 70C or so..) but to that I go wtf.. I can't think of any particular component that will go bad because of 70C temperature but I'm sure a lot of them are not meant to get that hot..

I've seen people who have been handling and fixing electronics for a long long time do these, and they are very reputable people. My engineering knowledge screams NO to me though..

Usually if I'm washing something its because it has issues so I'm going from no lifetime to some lifetime on the hardware. If somethings slightly dirty but functions I'll let it be dirty.

I wouldn't soley use anything but Isoproppyl for cleaning electronics personally. The reason its easy is because it evapourates at room temp and is a mild solvent (so can dislodge grease and dirt). No prolonged exposure to it though. Purer the better. Any impurities in it could be oxidants or leave some thin conductive film on the surface of the components you are cleaning (the impurities may not evapourate at room temp o.0). And because of these impurities I would stay clear away from tap water (or any distilled/deionized etc for that matter! distilled definately better than deionized, but would probably still have impurities, and in fact deionized is unfit for human consumption in many cases).

I have an ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning mechianical components (cheap, can be had on amazon). I haven't used it for PCB's or other electronic compoentns, but I have heard you can clean them in them in an Ultrasonic cleaner 😀 Unsure if you need a different freq setup or chemicals. I would probably still give it a quick wash/wipe with Iso after anyhows. But if this works, might be one of the best ways to clean, providing the components themselves aren't too sensitive to certain harmonics. ymmv

Nothing special:

Have got a 2nd Voodoo2 this week. The common CT6670 from creative. Have to check if it is OK.

AAEON 486 Single Board computer that surprisingly for an SBC has cache.
80.0Mhz CONNER WINFIELD S15R8 Oscillators to test if the JJ Tech 103 can stably run at 40mhz
24-Pin DIP Sockets
Two Dallas DS12887A's off ebay , the sellers picture had an August 2013 and it didn't look like a random stock photo pulled off the internet, so they should be newer.
Some solder wick so I can remove the existing clock chips and oscillator.

New addition to my CPU family for about 10 euros incl. shipping

The seller had it clever packed, cut piece polystyrene and excavated it precisely for the CPU and then wrapped with cardboard, so all it's legs survided 😎

Picked up a Pentium III 450 system for ~$40.00.

I found an Athlon "classic" (750) on an ASUS motherboard for $15.

I didn't own one back then until the Thunderbird, or maybe XP.

appiah4 wrote:

Well, as an engineer my view on this is that it will inevitably lead to calcification and oxidization issues. I mean sure it wi […]
Show full quote

Well, as an engineer my view on this is that it will inevitably lead to calcification and oxidization issues. I mean sure it will look shinier but how good is that when you have obviously lost precious life time from your hardware?

Finally there are things that carry charges in electronics and are very difficult to actually discharge before submerging in water. How do you deal with a board with a Dallas chip for example, or know that no capacitor has any charge left on them? Even ESD is a lot more dangerous when you apply water.

Also the drying thing really irks me.. There are a lot of things on electronics that can leak water into them. Some people resolve this issue by apparently putting their electronics into an oven and baking them (at around 70C or so..) but to that I go wtf.. I can't think of any particular component that will go bad because of 70C temperature but I'm sure a lot of them are not meant to get that hot..

I've seen people who have been handling and fixing electronics for a long long time do these, and they are very reputable people. My engineering knowledge screams NO to me though..

QFT. Exactly my thoughts.

I just thought back to something else at that one hardware shop where I got all those graphics cards: my loose bin rummaging turned up a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, which I recall being a fairly popular sound card for the day.

However, I'm not sure how that ol' Crystal Semi chipset stacks up, since my general impression for PCI sound cards and gaming is "if it's not Aureal or Creative, don't bother." Thus, I left it there.

Also worthy of note was an old Matrox card, though I couldn't identify what model it was. I just vaguely remember a small active heatsink and dual VGA outputs, the latter being a dead giveaway that there was a Matrox card there in the first place. It was almost kinda tempting, except they're apparently pretty lousy for gaming performance if you look past the dual-head support (which stopped being a differentiator with later ATI and NVIDIA cards) and 10-bit color output (something we're only just now seeing again in digital interfaces with the push for wide gamut and HDR).

I also noticed a SFF Shuttle case, probably mini-ITX, but the included board being SiS chipset-based was an immediate turn-off on top of my general preference for lots and lots of expansion slots.

Another find of note included one of those classic beige Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboards with the +-shaped arrow key cluster and split QWERTY section, but I don't do rubber dome boards nowadays - even if that one did feel surprisingly nice for a dome board. The only reason I got tempted there was pure nostalgia from having seen other people use one, nothing more.

Maybe there's more esoteric hardware in there, and I just gotta look around and see what's worthy even amidst the mess of abandoned desktop towers and littered hard drives, PSUs and keyboards. However, if I'm hard-pressed to find even AGP cards now (most of what's there being early PCIe offerings), it's likely that savvy retrocomputing buyers other than myself already picked out the good stuff.

Active cooling on a Matrox card? It might have been a G400 MAX. Which I would like to own myself 😀

Phil did a video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BinfyV_PdSc

NamelessPlayer wrote:

<snip>
Also worthy of note was an old Matrox card, though I couldn't identify what model it was. I just vaguely remember a small active heatsink and dual VGA outputs, the latter being a dead giveaway that there was a Matrox card there in the first place. It was almost kinda tempting, except they're apparently pretty lousy for gaming performance if you look past the dual-head support (which stopped being a differentiator with later ATI and NVIDIA cards) and 10-bit color output (something we're only just now seeing again in digital interfaces with the push for wide gamut and HDR).
<snip>