Used Computers for sale

I am now offering a few refurbished computers:

Standard Package: $150 (details and specifics very with changing inventory)
-Desktop or mini tower form factor
-Intel i3 or i5 processor
-8gb ram
-500gb 7200rpm SATA hard drive
-wired and wireless networking
-legal copy of Windows 10 (Windows 7 & XP also available)
-keyboard and mouse included
-shipping to the Continental United States (FYI shipping is about $70 of the total price!)
-monitor NOT included

Right now the standard machine is a HP Pro 4300 with Intel i3-3220 CPU @ 3.3ghz OR a HP Pro 6305
AMD A6-5400b CPU @ 3.6ghz with AMD Radeon

Here is what to know:

These machines come from businesses that have retired them.  Many businesses will discard perfectly working machines for several reasons (but limited to...):

1. Warranty has expired
2. The operating system is being phased out and it is easier to replace the machine vs. upgrade (aka Windows 7 being replaced by Windows 10)
3. Accounting, the fixed asset has been depreciated

Often times these machines still have plenty of life yet to give.  When I get computers that I deem worthy to live another life; the data from the previous user is securely wiped clean with no chance of previous data being recovered.  Then install the operating system that the machine is licensed for by hand, install necessary drivers, and updates.  Doing these tedious steps gives the machine a good work out and any hardware issues will be reviled. So at the time of refurbishing, I can in good conscious give them a clean bill of health. 

These machines do NOT have 3rd party Anti Virus software nor Microsoft office, or any other licensed software.  I cannot legally install these, even if the computer used to have such software on them.  Microsoft Office for instance costs something like $300!   One needs to provide your own software.  If money is a concern, there are several free anti-virus programs out there like AVG.  I also recommend Open Office as a free alternative to Microsoft; it has a similar look and feel and has 95% of the same capability.

These are not intended gaming machines.  They might work find for a game you have in mind.  We are talking about roughly 3~6 year old machines with usually built-in/on-board video cards.  While they work just fine to play most games, don't buy one thing they will play the latest VR shoot-em-up game that requires a really high frame rate.

I am not a computer business!  I sell a few machines here and there as a hobby.  I am not making money at this, if the goal was make money, I'd be better off getting a 2nd job flipping burgers. I'd rather see these perfectly good machines be put to work than recycled; and save people a few bucks at the same time.  That being said, I cannot be your tech support. 

Monitor is NOT included!!!!  The picture shows a sample machined hooked up to a 32" LED TV.

As seen on the Clarey Podast

Less than desirable network cabeling

I have been working from home recently and decided that for several mental/psychological reasons it was better to turn the empty bedroom into a makeshift office versus using my main home machine.  Just to provide some separation of work and non-work.  Since there is no end insight for working at home,I thought it better to run a "hard wire" to my work machine vs. using wireless, in order to a connection with potentially higher speed and more reliable. 

The previous owner of this house had wired this place up to be a small call center.  The downstairs living room has something like eight RJ11 jacks.  The bedroom with my office has four.  There is even a "58-block" (aka a punch down block for RJ11 wiring) in the furnace room.  The cable used is a CAT3, 6 pair.   Well RJ45 is four pair....hmmm....I am not proud of it, but over the years I have converted these RJ11 jacks to RJ45, and just wrap the unused pairs around the outside of cable.  Yes, I know this violates all sorts of best practices, it really bothers my inner OCD, and I am even embarrassed by it.  However, it works, and works fairly well.  I had a chance this week to benchmark the differences.

First benchmark is the of the office machine connected via WiFi, the WAP is a 5ghz "N" that advertises up to 300Mbps, it is physically located in the next room over.  

Second benchmark is using the ghetto Cat3 cabling.

Last benchmark is using a proper Cat6 cable plugged directly into my switch.

The Loss section of the benchmark can for the most part be ignored, as it is an instance reading vs. a running average.  Although just from watching it, the loss did seem to be a bit higher on the Cat3 vs Cat6.  It would seem that at least in this test the cabling makes little difference.  That being said my servers are all directly plugged into the switch using at least Cat5e if not Cat6.