Salvage PC Build Questions

Keith W

Keith W

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OK here is the deal, I have 2 old computers in the cupboard that I would like to hopefully salvage enough parts to make a fully working PC.

PC1:

This PC started to make a noise like a jet engine taking off, no idea if is was the fan or hard drive - Either way it went into storage and a new PC was bought.

The spec is:

P4 processor
4GB RAM

PC2: This PC started to turn its self off and then back on again, it just kept going through this loop - As above it was stuck into storage and a new pc bought.

The spec is:

Intel core 2 quad processor.
4GB RAM

Any thoughts what may have been the problem with each PC?

Will try and reuse CD ROM, RAM and Mobo and processor from one of the above defunct computers.

Which parts from which PC should I salvage for my build?

I will more than likely buy a new case and power supply and a new HD

Is this worth doing or is it a non starter?

Anything I should look out for or be aware of before embarking on this project?

Any help or guidance would be great.

Take care,

Keith
 
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Pointless trying to swap memory etc unless you happen to be really lucky and have the same memory on both mobos. The P4 is way past it's sell-by date, the C2Q may be ok, but will probably still be slow compared with current i5/7 processors (if you know which processor is on there, it may help). Power cycling sounds like it might be a loose heatsink or something along that line (clogged heatsink with loads of dust?).

If you're going for a new power supply, look at £50+ and something around 500-600W minimum. Had too many good quality power supplies go at 400ish W to even contemplate skimping there...
 
HI Andy,

Thanks for your input buddy, much appreciated.

I am not looking to get a fast state of the art PC out of this lot, just something that can surf the web, do email, just the basic stuff really.

Think I will drag them out of the cupboard tomorrow and take a peek again at the C2Q and see if I can spot anything obvious going on with the heatsink.

This is more of just a little project for me, if I get a working PC out of it then its a bonus
 
I have a P4 as my backup computer. Compared to other computers I have it takes ages to fully boot up to a point where it has stopped doing stuff in the background and being slow. After that it is quite usable for web browsing. The jet engine noise is most likely just a fan. If it is the hard drive then replacing it shouldn't cost much over £20. A fresh install of windows will help in any case.

The off and on machine - how fast was the cycle time? 1 minute? 20?
 
pretty much what andy said, i doubt the P4 and the C2 have the same speed/type memory so theyll be little use in the other motherboard.

both issues could be overheating. if PC #1 was increasing its fan speed then the heatsink could well be clogged with dust. a rocket blower is your friend here. PC #2 could be the same issue but getting to the point of a thermal shutdown. or it could be bluescreening and auto rebooting due to a hardware/driver issue.
 
Get them both out and see what they are doing exactly.

As sated it could be overheating so check that first.

See if you can get more details and post here and someone should be able to help with waht will work with each other.

If the quad is fully working and I dont really see why it wouldnt it could be a sinple matter of a reinstall to try and see if that makes any difference if you can rule out a short on the mobo or faulty psu etc.
 
I have re-installed the OS on the quad core and also installed Linux on it but it still goes through the cycle of turning itself on/off
 
My old quad core did that on numerous occasions, first it was the hdd, then ram then CPU :/
 
How long does it last between power cycles? I assume since you've installed Windows, it's a fair time?

Assuming you have Windows installed do any of the following give any useful pointers:
  • Does the event viewer have any events at the power cycle point (Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Event Viewer). Reboot computer and look if there are any events.
  • Does Core Temp (http://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/) show an ever increasing temperature?
 
Eventually dragged the quad core out of the cupboard and had a look at the CPU cooler and it was full of dust/crap.

Have cleared all the crap/dust out but I am unable to test the system fully as I have a couple of SATA cables missing, must have salvaged them for something else.

May just get a new case, power supply and cooler and whack the mobo into it and see what transpires
 
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