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Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 1:38 am
by __________
Here's my new build, running the latest Ubuntu. It boots up in about 20 seconds. I don't have a spare mouse at the moment so I'm using a PS3 pad connected via USB, and I wrote a joystick-to-keyboard script for Windows which I run under Ubuntu using Wine. Mouse input is laggy as fuck, but I only use this new machine for Audacity and Megadrive emulation at the moment so its all good.
GFX- 256MB Geforce
CPU- AMD Sempron 3000+
HDD- 1TB 7200rpm Samsung
PSU- Half-dead ~250W piece of shit
Sound- Behringer USB (input only)
Not sure I trust Ubuntu's temperature readings, but the BIOS says its averaging about 35-45 degrees under HEAVY use, which I'm pretty happy with. I thought it was going to catch fire before I put the fan in though
Anyone else done a ghetto build?
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 2:05 am
by skanky beats
£10 Bag wrote:
Here's my new build, running the latest Ubuntu. It boots up in about 20 seconds. I don't have a spare mouse at the moment so I'm using a PS3 pad connected via USB, and I wrote a joystick-to-keyboard script for Windows which I run under Ubuntu using Wine. Mouse input is laggy as fuck, but I only use this new machine for Audacity and Megadrive emulation at the moment so its all good.
GFX- 256MB Geforce
CPU- AMD Sempron 3000+
HDD- 1TB 7200rpm Samsung
PSU- Half-dead ~250W piece of shit
Sound- Behringer USB (input only)
Not sure I trust Ubuntu's temperature readings, but the BIOS says its averaging about 35-45 degrees under HEAVY use, which I'm pretty happy with. I thought it was going to catch fire before I put the fan in though
Anyone else done a ghetto build?
lool! thats jokes
how much did that cost you to make?
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 2:08 am
by lyons238
why wouldnt u just buy a cheap but effective case?
seems a bit silly...
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 2:10 am
by Goremeth
i just think it'll funny when all your shit burns down
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 3:22 am
by __________
Goremeth wrote:i just think it'll funny when all your shit burns down
That would indeed be quite amusing but I don't think its gonna happen as I've already left it on for 24+ hours with heavy load and I've not seen any flames yet
lyons238 wrote:why wouldnt u just buy a cheap but effective case?
seems a bit silly...
Yeah I did intend to build it in a proper DIY wooden case but once I realised how skint I was and how many new tools I'd need to buy (also how perfectly the PSU fitted inside a PS3 box) I couldn't resist doing a ghetto build.
A bit silly was kind of the point.
skanky beats wrote:
lool! thats jokes
how much did that cost you to make?
CPU- £4 off eBay
Motherboard- £25 off eBay
GFX- £15 off eBay
HD- £35ish special offer from
www.ebuyer.com
Fan, switch, heatsink, monitor, keyboard, PS3 pad, PSU and RAM were just bits I had lying around, but wouldn't have been more than £40ish on eBay I don't reckon.
Such an obsolete mobo (with broken onboard VGA & sound) was a bit of a rip-off at £25, but I spent ages looking for other socket 939 boards for cheap with no luck.
Well up for doing a micro ATX machine in a custom case now.
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 4:11 am
by Ldizzy
why?
but yeah, cool.
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 4:27 am
by sixth sense
better than what I got
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 4:43 am
by nowaysj
^ hahaha.
Why ask why?
That's dope. But seriously, don't leave your room with that shit on. I've been in a house fire. Not cool.
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 5:58 am
by daft cunt
Haha! Nice one!
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 12:20 pm
by Basic A
You know, all the abraisiveness I caught from you completely made sense now that Ive seen this, we think alike 10bag, UbuntuStudio and Case Mods... My last machine was cased in an Igloo Cooler, once I added a few fans it was by nature really heat effecient, can imagine cardboard would probably be the same huh? If a case is made of an thermoinsulating material and you provide thorough cooling systems, theyll def. beat sheet metal housings with heat management... Might wanna look into another one on top the one you have though, is that enough airflow when the tops closed?
...If you took some epoxy resin and thoroughly coated the seems of the box where the sides meet, you could makes a simple frame/skeleton to add a bit of rigidity and structural support for when you have to move it around and shit, and it would be clear/soaked into the cardboard, preserving its cardboardbox appeal, thats gotta be a bit wiggly from the different weights on the broad sides like that...
Noways... Theres not alot outside of a PC's power supply that can actually catch fire under fail conditions, bar a few excessively big capacitors on older motherboards... Wouldnt worry much really, Ive had case-free machines that sat on piles of newspaper...
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 2:05 pm
by Dub_freak
Awesome ghetto build

Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 3:21 am
by __________
nowaysj wrote:^ hahaha.
Why ask why?
That's dope. But seriously, don't leave your room with that shit on. I've been in a house fire. Not cool.
Already left it on overnight multiple times under heavy load, no flames.
Since I live in a caravan, a house fire is unlikely to be on the cards!
Basic A wrote:
...If you took some epoxy resin and thoroughly coated the seems of the box where the sides meet, you could makes a simple frame/skeleton to add a bit of rigidity and structural support for when you have to move it around and shit, and it would be clear/soaked into the cardboard, preserving its cardboardbox appeal, thats gotta be a bit wiggly from the different weights on the broad sides like that...
Yeah strengthening the box is definitely the next step. Its pretty strong right now but I don't trust the back really, and I want to be able to drop it from hand-height without it breaking so I'd best figure something out. I was thinking bits of wood cut to size - they'd help dissipate the heat nicely and withstand a drop.
The PSU is holding the whole thing together really. Without those plastic bolts, the PSU would break free and cause all sorts of trouble
Can anybody think of a good way to secure the HD without making more holes in the box? I currently rest it at a 45 degree angle, which is great for keeping it cool, but not so good for its lifespan.
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 3:37 am
by nowaysj
hd - maybe rubber bands stretched across the box, taped to the walls?
What is a caravan?
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 3:42 am
by jrisreal
Man thats awesome.
1st time I saw that, I thought you were just posting pictures of a PS3 but man this is amazing!
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 3:51 am
by __________
nowaysj wrote:hd - maybe rubber bands stretched across the box, taped to the walls?
What is a caravan?
jrisreal wrote:Man thats awesome.
1st time I saw that, I thought you were just posting pictures of a PS3 but man this is amazing!
Do you reckon there's a market for ghetto builds like this?

Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 4:14 am
by jrisreal
£10 Bag wrote:jrisreal wrote:Man thats awesome.
1st time I saw that, I thought you were just posting pictures of a PS3 but man this is amazing!
Do you reckon there's a market for ghetto builds like this?

yeah thats where I got my toshiba!
Re: Check out my new build
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 4:29 am
by nowaysj
got you, hehea.