All in one computers worth it?

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A customer brought me his 17" iMac, wants it repaired at any cost:

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Obviously it has been repaired before, pretty crappy job if I say so myself. I got a 30 capacitor repair kit off ebay for $22 shipped. I guess we'll see how it goes.
 
johnscruiser said:
A customer brought me his 17" iMac, wants it repaired at any cost:

123kryw.jpg


2enrhg9.jpg


Obviously it has been repaired before, pretty crappy job if I say so myself. I got a 30 capacitor repair kit off ebay for $22 shipped. I guess we'll see how it goes.
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Sadly a lot of computers have become "disposable" with glued on components... I looked at getting my mom a macbook air last year and found out that the ssd is soldered to the mainboard as is the ram so there's no upgrade options... HP also does this and I imagine so do the rest of the big manufactures... ended up getting her an older macbook pro that was unsold older stock...
 
CruisnGrrl said:
Sadly a lot of computers have become "disposable" with glued on components... I looked at getting my mom a macbook air last year and found out that the ssd is soldered to the mainboard as is the ram so there's no upgrade options... HP also does this and I imagine so do the rest of the big manufactures... ended up getting her an older macbook pro that was unsold older stock...
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Yea one of the things i don't like about them either. Its the requirement for making them very pretty to save the space.
 
johnscruiser said:
A customer brought me his 17" iMac, wants it repaired at any cost:

Obviously it has been repaired before, pretty crappy job if I say so myself. I got a 30 capacitor repair kit off ebay for $22 shipped. I guess we'll see how it goes.
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Ah, yes. The great early 2000s capacitor debacle. It continued right through to around 2007/2008, as people tried to sell off bad stock. All the manufacturers got hit with it, but this story is from the Dell point of view:

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2010/jun/29/dell-problems-capacitors
 
Two50noob said:
i remember that whole thing on of the sales mangers for the company I was working for blew up in the office. We shortly after never bought any more dells
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Like I said, it was more than just Dell. They were just the highest profile company that was effected, because they were the highest profile player at the time. I also say HP, Asus, QDI, Acer, Biostar, VIA, MSI....... boards that had the same problem. When someone starts selling necessary components for significantly less, you can bet that everyone will start buying them in order to try and play the margin game. The problem is that greed frequently overwhelms common sense.
 
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johnscruiser said:
A customer brought me his 17" iMac, wants it repaired at any cost:
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What the hell is that person smoking.

According to Wikipedia, that would make it either a 2004 or 2005 model. That's prehistoric as far as computers go. Time to upgrade.
 
regder said:
What the hell is that person smoking.

According to Wikipedia, that would make it either a 2004 or 2005 model. That's prehistoric as far as computers go. Time to upgrade.
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That is a pre intel computer, when they were using their G5 chips. Good at the time, but we have come a long way from the G5. That computer is obsolete, I think the latest version of OS X it can run is Snow Leopard, or possibly Leopard.
 
FiReSTaRT said:
If you can change the oil on a bike, you can build a PC. Doesn't require any more technical knowledge and is a lot cleaner/easier. Typically the only tool you'd need is a philips head screwdriver.
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True. It's not like it was in the old days when I would sometimes have to try several video cards, before I found one that had the proper timing to match the bus. And by old days I mean OLD days.
 
The tough parts is knowing which components to order. If eveything comes in pieces in a box then sure, no problem.
 
fastar1 said:
The tough parts is knowing which components to order. If eveything comes in pieces in a box then sure, no problem.
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You can go to a b&m store like Canada Computers and consult with a rep.
 
fastar1 said:
The tough parts is knowing which components to order. If eveything comes in pieces in a box then sure, no problem.
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That's only an issue if you want a special purpose system (gaming, photo editing, video editing.....). If all that you're doing is surfing and email, then it's easy to build.
 
fastar1 said:
The tough parts is knowing which components to order. If eveything comes in pieces in a box then sure, no problem.
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On redflagdeals there's threads for "best current PC for $1000" and "best current pc for $600", updated almost daily. You just pick your price point and it'll have every single component listed, price, where to get it, to build a complete system. Everything is pre-checked for compatibility so you'll be sure everything works when you put it together (as long as you don't bend those velcro like "pins" in the CPU socket for i5/i7 :( lol).
 
johnscruiser said:
(as long as you don't bend those velcro like "pins" in the CPU socket for i5/i7 :( lol).
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Drop it in, don't push it in... If you have to use a rubber mallet, it's not supposed to fit that way :cool:
 
But is building your own computer a better value? From my research, it wasn't.

If you do it because you can, and you like it. This is fine.

But when I put together a bill of materials for a homemade system with a AMD processor (one of their powerful processors), and other parts. I was better off just getting a Dell with Intel i7 , better video card, and bunch of other stuff with warranty and support to boot.
 
SunnY S said:
But is building your own computer a better value? From my research, it wasn't.

If you do it because you can, and you like it. This is fine.

But when I put together a bill of materials for a homemade system with a AMD processor (one of their powerful processors), and other parts. I was better off just getting a Dell with Intel i7 , better video card, and bunch of other stuff with warranty and support to boot.
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As someone who formerly oversaw assembly, I tend to agree. Unless you need a special purpose system, you're better off just buying a pre-built box.
 
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