small form factor PC $149

WayneW

WayneW

Senior Member
as I saw reported on HS

http://www.surpluscomputers.com/store/main...l&item=COM10676
COM10676 - Compaq EVO SFF Celeron 1.3GHz/128MB/20GB (Desktop) w/ XP Pro
Condition: Refurbished

Warranty: 90 Days

Is space limited on your desk? We've got the solution for you! This has got to be the SMALLEST desktop system we have ever seen! This unit takes up a little more space than a ream of paper and measures just 13" x 14"x 4" inches!

Processor: Intel Celeron 1.3Ghz
System Memory: 128 MB of RAM
Hard Drive: 20 GB
Drive: CD-ROM
Network Card: 10/100 Integrated Network Card
Sound: Stereo Sound
Ports:
- One (1) Parallel Port
- Five (5) USB Ports (1 Front, 4 Rear)
- One (1) Serial Ports
- One PS2 Keyboard & One PS2 Mouse Ports
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Click to expand...
the USB appears to be only 1.x, otherwise not bad for those looking for small
 
I would get it but memory is a little low for me. I would like atleast 512. It does seem like a good deal for the price. I need a cheap PC so that I can do my homework on. The problem is that my homework is programming which tends to hog alot of memory running those IDE applications.
 
Poove,
Welcome to Cocoontech. What link are you using now as the original link isn't working anymore.
 
With "surplus" in their name and knowing that it was a refurbished unit, I am not surprised that they are out of them or the deal has changed in 6 weeks since the original post.
 
If you mean THIS Dell OptiPlex GX150 proceed with caution as some Dell OptiPlex's are noted to have defective capacitors on their motherboards (you can see them swell and some actually leak).
 
Thanks for the replies guys! You have steered me away from the "bargain". It did seem too good to be true.

Does anyone have any suggestions for an inexpensive alternative PC to dedicate to Home Automation? I have Dell laptop that I use for my computing 99% of the time. But, I take it to work everyday so it's not on the z-wave while I'm at work. We also have a desktop that is on 24/7 at the house but, my wife is on that most of the time at home. So that won't work because I don't have access to that machine.

So I guess I'm trying to justify a third computer to be able to focus it on the z-wave.

Maybe I'm missing something in my thought process here. Could I put multiple machines on the z-wave net and have them all controlling the same devices? As I type that idea it doesn't seem like a good one but, I'll put it out there anyway. I guess it would work with multiple machines if the devices are being polled.

As you can probably tell I'm new to z-wave, homeseer 2, and automation.

Thanks Again,

Curt

P.S. I'm interested in learning about writing scripts, Does anyone have any suggestions on tutorials or books etc. that would be helpful? I have been "Dogpile"ing VBScript but as of yet haven't found anything that really tripped my trigger!
 
Skibum said:
Correct

Defective caps are a MAJOR problem. Just like 3 years ago.
Click to expand...
Man, someone on this board has been cranky a lot lately! :unsure:

Our subcontractor ordered five Dell OptiPlex models and yes, I believe they were ordered a few years ago or so. We did not use these everyday as they were assigned to a "specific" task. Well, when I tried to turn them on a few weeks ago three out of the five would not power up. When we opened their cases we found the capacitor problem I posted above. Since Poove pointed to a link that showed a "refurbished" model, I was just wondering if they previously had a similar problem.

Perhaps we can contact a "knowledgeable" board member before we make our next PC purchase... ;) ;) ;)
 
Poove, not sure why you would need multiple computers for the tasks you are describing.

As far as learning code take a look at Planet Source Code, browse the VB sections and search on some simple tasks you want to try. Lots of good examples there.
 
Poove said:
Thanks for the replies guys! You have steered me away from the "bargain". It did seem too good to be true.

Does anyone have any suggestions for an inexpensive alternative PC to dedicate to Home Automation? I have Dell laptop that I use for my computing 99% of the time. But, I take it to work everyday so it's not on the z-wave while I'm at work. We also have a desktop that is on 24/7 at the house but, my wife is on that most of the time at home. So that won't work because I don't have access to that machine.

So I guess I'm trying to justify a third computer to be able to focus it on the z-wave.

Maybe I'm missing something in my thought process here. Could I put multiple machines on the z-wave net and have them all controlling the same devices? As I type that idea it doesn't seem like a good one but, I'll put it out there anyway. I guess it would work with multiple machines if the devices are being polled.

As you can probably tell I'm new to z-wave, homeseer 2, and automation.

Thanks Again,

Curt

P.S. I'm interested in learning about writing scripts, Does anyone have any suggestions on tutorials or books etc. that would be helpful? I have been "Dogpile"ing VBScript but as of yet haven't found anything that really tripped my trigger!
Click to expand...
Curt,
A good reference site for VBScripting and other languages is http://www.devguru.com. One of the best ways to learn scripting is to look at examples that are posted in the script library on the HomeSeer forum. Take a look at a few and you'll soon catch on.

Tiger Direct has some good deals on refurbished pc's from time to time. I just bought 3 of the mini Compaq pc's they had a few months back. They are perfect for kitchen computers or kids rooms. They were around $200 if memory serves me correctly and came with XP Pro. They were 1.8 GHZ PCs and work perfectly for server type roles. They are whisper quite as well.
 
Guys,

Thanks for the guidance. I'll be checking out the suggestions for VB information and also the PC source information.

I really appreciate the help. So far all I have is one lamp module but I have a dimming switch and an outdoor module on the way. Ultimately I want to get a z-wave thermostat.

Maybe by the time the thermostat is available I will have my feet underneath me well enough to really put it through it's paces.

Thanks Again,
Curt
 
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