 |
 |
At 11:27 AM 7/16/02 -0400, STeve Andre' wrote: >I wish you luck in selling them, but you should know that those >prices are really very high for what they are. If however, you >can find someone to pay those prices, all the better for your >dept's budget. ;-) > >I just helped a friend by 22 166Mhz Dell's for $24 each. The source >had 133MHz units for I believe $19. The price on sub-400MHz stuff >has just about completely collapsed, I've noticed. I help folks buy >older stuff for educational use as something of a hobby so I'm mucking >about with older stuff often. I buy used or refurbished computers now and then. Think of me as the guy who goes around picking through dumpsters and trash cans, looking for lunch. A couple weeks ago I ordered a couple 900 MHz Celeron computers from Gateway's remanufactured bin, for about $550 each. They included 17" monitors -- maybe not the best monitors, but these won't be for people who sit and work at their computer all day. Other than that, the key to these being a good deal was that they came with Win2000 licenses. This particular model sold out quickly. The only stuff remaining in that refurb bin has WinXP Home edition. That makes licensing too unattractive. I also order computers from surplusvillage.com now and then. Once I got a dud when I dug too deep in the bin, but I've bought some good computers now and then, including the one I have at home. These come without monitors, so are attractive mostly when you're trying to find a companion for an old but usable monitor. I've bought IBM PCs and HPs. We've liked the IBMs. There were more possibilities before December 2001, when I could buy OS licenses outright at a good price. Now, given the cost of an outright purchase of a Win2000 license, I have to have a computer with a license that can at least be upgraded, and that limits the possibilities. Some days I can look in that bin and see nothing that I'd want to touch, and some days I can find a good deal or two. The good stuff always goes quickly. I've never bought a used notebook computer from places like surplusvillage. I assume they'll always have a bad battery, for starters, so you have to include that in the cost calculations. With desktop computers I don't mind the short warranty period. I can replace parts if need be or throw the whole thing out and buy another if it comes to that (though I try (fairly successfully) to keep to a bare minimum the amount of time I spend mucking around inside computer boxes.) John Gorentz W.K. Kellogg Biological Station