ConCen

Ive been Building, fixing and repairing computers for a quite some time. I have never seen a computer crash, error or any kind of catastrophy destroy all pc parts inside including the monitors???? And i have been doing this since 1993. It is almost always one of four issues...
1. HARD DRIVE FAILURE
2. VIDEO CARD FAILURE
3. CPU FAILURE
4. BAD RAM
if you push the button and nothing happens... Not broke, its a ram, cpu or video problem 90% of the time.
If this is our tech and server host then i would have no problem donating as i would really miss this site and its content.
But he needs to do some testing on his equipment not all of the items listed could have went bad at the same time unless there was a fire... not even a power surge will do it...

However, i hand built my pc too it cost $2500.00 in parts with all the bells and whistles that i assembled myself and purchased from tigerdirect. With shipping your list shouldnt cost more than $1400.00 with a legit version of win7 64bit. At your $2000.00 estimate you were at an expensive website or picking todays top of the line parts. I just did a real quick search for the parts i would bet you can get them even cheaper if you take the time.

Intel i7 with 4+ cores = $260.00
24GB RAM = $300.00 for mid performance cheap end.
nVidia GTX 560 or better video card with dual DVI = cheapest GTX 560 $175.00 there are better and cheaper ones available.
2x 1TB+ SATAIII hard drives = $100.00 cheapys
2x 1920x1080 LCD monitors = $200.00 cheapest for 2
DVD9 burner = $20.00
good quality motherboard compatible with the above parts = $270.00 cheapest i found with 24 gig ram capability
Windows 7 = Aprox $100.00 new or download for free
MacOS (can be put on as a hackintosh) (might have to hack a licence)
My Price Info Is From TigerDirect. if they dont ship there have it shipped to one of these guys you trust and have them ship it to you. thats still cheaper than the $2000.00.

I see no Power supply listed = has to be suitable for the parts. at least 500-700 watts Dependant on video card needs and possibly the 24gigs of ram needs.
(unless this is the same as the system that went Down)
I see no pc tower case listed = motherboard and parts have to fit.
not sure why you are asking us for 2 monitors its convienient but not nessesary..
not sure why you want 2 Operating systems from us. you should still have your old CD key for the OS that was lost. if it wasnt legit then no real need for a legit one now is there ?
All that is good from your old system is PC tower case, mouse, keyboard and Power supply ?
I live in northcentral minnesota if you live by me i will fix your stuff for free man... because if it all broke at once it is not broke.

If your system IS completely broke. then for the most part your list is not unreasonable. You just need to hunt down better prices.

(07-28-2011 05:28 PM)April Wrote: [ -> ]

(07-28-2011 05:26 AM)zapoper Wrote: [ -> ]Ends August 31st? Shouldn't it end when you have reached 2000$?

Good points. If we reach the goal before the 31st, maybe we could end the drive early, and if we fall short before the time is up... maybe we can extend it.

doesn't that defeat the idea of a time line... sounds like a bush ism....

if he earns more by the 31st boo hoo as for a vid on the making.... interesting idea. but i think that the need for such "drastic" proof is a bit absurd as like mentione above and for not just a shot=rt time but years from what I've read Yeti has been doing the show here with out payment. if he wants to have a lap dance or two to celebrate or a 40 i say go a head he's earned it.

I think I'll be doing a donation and I'm relatively new compared to some of the old handles on here, but if he doesn't reach the amount by the due date he doesn't reach it, would be a true measure of most here. Hells I'm paranoid bout shit too but not too much to keep a censor & ad free site like this afloat. and not too much a cheep ass that i need to nickle and dime bout the cost of parts. Frankly i think 2000 grand is not so bad, i paid way more to let my home cameras be online and it's just a glorified DVD player.

Like yeti I know Ottawa sux for jobs I also sympathize with that, and I'm sure were not the only region hit hard, but for the cost of a drink, just don't buy a star bucks that day and he'll have no problems raising that cash. My pay is next thursday so for those who r curious why the message is here b4 the cash stay tuned.... just got to load that nameless pay as you go credit card to use, debated using a refund Visa I got from a rebate, but then wife told me she had used it already for gaz..... what a waste of an invisible credit card.

Good luck yeti.

[/quote]
i paid way more to let my home cameras be online and it's just a glorified DVD player.
[/quote]

Seriously? is it the prices in canada that are high?
A 4 hd camera system with a 4 channel HD DVR that hooks up to your PC or TV is only about 800 dollars american. then of course you have the bandwidth cost if any. Better yet Could have just bought 4 hd webcams or wireless webcams and a nice tv tuner card or dvr card for about 500 dollars american. 700 ISH for the wireless cam system.
over two grand OUCH! For the price it must be a nice system reguardless.

I'll chip in... but does this "chip in" link work with Paypal? That's my only option atm.

Yes Mike, it works with Paypal.

Thanks for chipping in ctrl.

(07-28-2011 05:26 AM)zapoper Wrote: [ -> ]Ends August 31st? Shouldn't it end when you have reached 2000$? What if you get more or less money until the 31st?

Will you make a short video of the make and model of your new workstation so that paranoid people will know that the money was spent on it and not other things? proof of purchase etc...?

It could help raise funds if you guarantee proof of purchase.

I'm confident this will be totally transparent. Receipt should (gotta ask to know for sure) be made public. Maybe we'll take some pictures of it once we reach the goal.

If we don't reach the goal within the posted date I'm afraid yeti will eat the disarmed killer kittens and tortured kittens from past donations he's been housing in his closet -- one for every day past the deadline. Actually some of you folks might get some sick pleasure that.. so nix that "threat".

As for the date, it's a mandatory Chipin field I think. We'll cross that bridge if we get to the fated day short of the target.

(07-28-2011 05:43 AM)proteinspill Wrote: [ -> ]You can itemize a workstation for less and people will be more apt to donate if they see exact costs

Good points. We were probably going to have that done anyways. I was thinking $2000 was a bit arbitrary may as well do it to the penny. Maybe it's more and the remainder is out of pocket. Maybe some of it is for future maintenance. Maybe it's because prices fluctuate month to month. I'm confident that the best deal will be found. Maybe we could crowdsource the parts/system shopping to find the most competitive price. Perhaps someone wants to donate a part. All options to consider.

Big thanks to all that donated!

This is myself speaking and not endorsed by any Sasquatches. Yeti will clarify or further explain later no doubt.

I can personally vouch that features are on deck and many are in development but their progression has been monkey-wrenched by lack of resources for our prime time developer. We'll roll them out bit by bit as they are functional, relatively and at least moderately secured if not sooner. I for one am really excited about the new features waiting to explode out of the gate. It'll be a lot of work but anything meaningful needs that; you get out what you put into it.

We're listening, it's my ConCen, it's your ConCen, it's our community.

(07-29-2011 01:42 AM)zapoper Wrote: [ -> ]Yes Mike, it works with Paypal.

Alright... count me in.

[edit] Well I meant to send $50 CDN but PP was dealing in the toilet paper called Federal Reserve Notes, so you're only getting
$48.72 Tom. LOL

Just wondering but... since Tom couldn't do jack shit on the tracker we all know and love w/out a new 'puter, do these donations get your name on the trackers donations list?

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]Ive been Building, fixing and repairing computers for a quite some time.

I've been doing it for over 30 years.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]I have never seen a computer crash, error or any kind of catastrophy destroy all pc parts inside including the monitors????

I've got loads of professional experience in hardware fault diagnosis too. I agree, with the exception of internal power supply fires spreading before you can get the fire out.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]And i have been doing this since 1993.

I've been doing it since 1979. Nya nya nya yeah NYA nya!

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]It is almost always one of four issues...
1. HARD DRIVE FAILURE
2. VIDEO CARD FAILURE
3. CPU FAILURE
4. BAD RAM

In my experience, the PSU should be at the top of that list. Motherboards should also be on there. I've never personally replaced a hard drive, CPU, or video card because of failure. Professionally (working for Compaq) only the higher speed SCSI drives under heavy use were prone to failure.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]if you push the button and nothing happens... Not broke, its a ram, cpu or video problem 90% of the time.

Why not the PSU?

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]If this is our tech and server host then i would have no problem donating as i would really miss this site and its content.

I'm the SysOp for this site, and own the server. I would gratefully accept your donation.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]But he needs to do some testing on his equipment not all of the items listed could have went bad at the same time unless there was a fire... not even a power surge will do it...

A massive power surge with a cheap PSU could fry an entire box with the exception of the disks. It would certainly cause a fire. You may have noticed that replacing obsolete parts is not easy. Why not use the opportunity to upgrade? Why not upgrade to something really kick-ass if the members enabled me to?

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]However, i hand built my pc too it cost $2500.00 in parts with all the bells and whistles that i assembled myself and purchased from tigerdirect.

I built the server myself and saved a bundle. Companies still like to gouge people buying servers.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]With shipping your list shouldnt cost more than $1400.00 with a legit version of win7 64bit.

Links?

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]At your $2000.00 estimate you were at an expensive website or picking todays top of the line parts.

It's an estimate. What's wrong with wanting good parts? Am I not worthy?

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]I just did a real quick search for the parts i would bet you can get them even cheaper if you take the time.

Intel i7 with 4+ cores = $260.00
24GB RAM = $300.00 for mid performance cheap end.
nVidia GTX 560 or better video card with dual DVI = cheapest GTX 560 $175.00 there are better and cheaper ones available.

What would you suggest?

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]2x 1TB+ SATAIII hard drives = $100.00 cheapys
2x 1920x1080 LCD monitors = $200.00 cheapest for 2
DVD9 burner = $20.00

I'm sorry but I don't believe you can buy a decent 1TB SATAIII drive for $50, nor a 1920x1080 monitor for $100, nor a DVD9 burner for $20. You could prove me wrong by providing links.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]Windows 7 = Aprox $100.00 new or download for free

Which version? Anyway, I'm hoping to convince a store to throw in an OEM version for free. I'm not interested in a bootleg version.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]My Price Info Is From TigerDirect. if they dont ship there have it shipped to one of these guys you trust and have them ship it to you. thats still cheaper than the $2000.00.

Sorry, not going to happen. They need to ship here, or I'll buy it locally.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]I see no Power supply listed = has to be suitable for the parts. at least 500-700 watts Dependant on video card needs and possibly the 24gigs of ram needs. (unless this is the same as the system that went Down) I see no pc tower case listed = motherboard and parts have to fit.

I already have a 700 watt PSU recently purchased, as well as a case.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]not sure why you are asking us for 2 monitors its convienient but not nessesary..

Having a workstation at all is "not necessary". I could just use my netbook until it dies too. Using a dual head system would make web app dev with multiple OSs a lot easier, leading to faster rollout, leading to a better site for the members. I see that as a good thing, don't you?

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]not sure why you want 2 Operating systems from us. you should still have your old CD key for the OS that was lost. if it wasnt legit then no real need for a legit one now is there ?

If I did, I wouldn't be asking for one. I use linux, but have an old copy of XP. This will not be useful. I need multiple operating systems so I can do proper web app debugging.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]All that is good from your old system is PC tower case, mouse, keyboard and Power supply ?

Correct. The other parts are either fried (don't know whether it's the CPU or motherboard. The memory is useless. I want a DVD9 burner.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]I live in northcentral minnesota if you live by me i will fix your stuff for free man... because if it all broke at once it is not broke.

Thanks for the offer, but I've got it covered.

(07-28-2011 08:25 PM)TheEar Wrote: [ -> ]If your system IS completely broke. then for the most part your list is not unreasonable. You just need to hunt down better prices.

As I said, the amount is an ESTIMATE. I will gladly accept links from you for prices of parts which will ship to Canada.

Before ConCen was moved to my server, monthly costs were $400. Now they are $150. That's a savings of $3000 per year. I put in several hours each day running the site and server. Am I being unreasonable to ask the members for $2000 to put a kick-ass box together?

I don't think you are being unreasonable, that is why I chipped in.

I just donated $25 to the project. ConCen is a great resource.

Thank for chipping in geogaddi00.

I just donated $50.

Hope you can keep this great site in the air and ad-free!

Thanks everyone for donating. I'm starting to think we might be able to make it! WooHoo!

Thanks for chipping in bandje. Welcome to ConCen.