Munx wrote on 2026-02-02, 15:01:
AndreaColombo86 wrote on 2026-02-02, 12:55:
Just pulled the trigger on the Intel QX9770 for my Socket 775 build. At 200€, it was pretty expensive but still cheaper than other listings for the same processors. I saved about 80€.
Wait, those cost WHAT? I picked one up from a random parts sale a while ago, thinking I could use it in a WinXP build or something, but didn't get around to doing anything with it.
This just might pay for my last car repair 😁
Though I would encourage people to make the financial choices that are right for them and do with their own stuff what they want, I will say with tongue in cheek....
The disadvantage of selling computer parts for car repairs is that it makes your car more valuable and your total value in computer hardware less valuable. One of the noted "hacker cred" metrics of years past, (Seriously, you can find it in "The Jargon File") is that a hacker's vehicle is worth less than the value of his computer hardware.
I am not sure how harshly a lapse is judged, like whether I am on probation or now in violation since I went from a several year old Kia to a new vehicle 6 months ago, especially since "value" of a retro collection is like nailing jello to a wall. Possibly I still just about qualify if "crazy eBay prices" the highest sold prices, are used, or give it a year depreciation one side and a year appreciation on the other and I squeak back in. Not that I have gone mondo insane paying out the ass collecting things, I just picked up things I thought were cool then a long time later they were cool and expensive. Though some later pickups happened because I got lucky on low price with something that was already rising.
Though pondering things volume wise, I guess if I needed the cash, the first 10k would fit in a tote, the next 10k would take a palette, then a whole van load... not sure if it's going by 2s without packing or 4s with. Though typically when I think "may as well cash this out" it's the low value stuff, and would be "as-is"-ing it by the box load, lot of work for minimal gain, apart from freeing the most space. Though long term plan is really to compare "slightly later middle" against "high end" and convince myself there's no difference in playing on one vs the other, thus keeping a curated bunch of good enough machines.
So, nonsense aside, I'd be inclined to (eventually) sell a QX9770 if I had one, and run a 771 Xeon, like an E5450 with the bus speed higher. (It not being coincidental that I picked up several E54x0 Xeons cheap the other year)
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
