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What's your opinion about computers with non standard parts? (alien.top)

submitted 10 months ago by KyotoBeerNinja@alien.top to c/homelab@selfhosted.forum

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Hi,

I know a company here in Japan that sells second-hand computers, cleaned, repaired, and with a 3 years warranty. Lots of the usual suspects (HP, Dell, Lenovo), from entry level office desktops to higher end Xeon workstations/servers. Prices vary, obviously.

As you know, these computers often do not use standard off-the-shelf parts, which can be a problem if the motherboard or PSU fails.

What's your opinion about these computers? Is it worth the pain buying one (for a Linux or BSD based torrenting/seedbox machine, or build a NAS) or should I rather go another route -- either build a PC with standard parts or buy a brand new cheap mini PC?

Thanks!

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[–] JoeB-@alien.top 1 points 10 months ago

My thoughts on buying a system with proprietary components...

Pros

Buying typically is cheaper than building.
Saves the effort of matching hardware when DIYing.

Cons

Requires searching eBay (or other marketplace) for compatible proprietary hardware when a component fails.
Some proprietary systems (looking at you hp) can be picky with some replacement components like RAM.