Damage Control

The hard drives and optical drives survived.
Memory also survived, as did the GeForce 4 440MX video card.
The mainboard and chip (and fan/sink) POST properly with the 400w PSU I dug out of the back room.

Unfortunately, that PSU was originally pulled because the rails fluctuate so badly it fried a couple of my older drives. So while it's enough to check the mainboard and processor briefly, it's simply not usable for the full system.

As I ran checks on the various components, I discovered why the machine had always consistently run hot; idiot that I am, the CPU cooler's rated up to the Athlon XP 1700+... the processor is an Athlon XP 2000+, just a little bit beyond what the cooler's capable of. So a replacement cooler is also on order.

Checked the local retail outlets and the pair of 'recycled' parts stores; none of them have a 400w (or better) PSU for under $60, which rules that out as an option.

So now I'm rummaging through page after page of online retail parts shops, trying to find the best deal on solid components. Thus far, the best combination is

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(no subject)

It looks like AccuPC is going to be the cheapest. I've sifted through thirty or fourty other computer merchants, and nobody can come even within $15 of them. I need to wait until tonight to actually put the order in; there're a couple things I need to double check yet. And right this second, I seem to be in dire need of a nap. Even with my glasses, my vision's a bit skewed.

I should be back around in a couple hours.

(no subject)

Order's in. So much for making a bit off the commission from Mom. *sigh*

EDIT: My mood is not helped when a longtime friend scolds me and then simply walks away:

HIM: you sure are hard on hardware. I hardly ever have anything blow up.
ME : Pretty much everything I have is second (or third) hand, man. That PSU was close to 5 years old...
HIM: Ya, but they just don't blow up. It either works or it doesn't.
ME : *nods* That's what I thought too. Only one I'd /ever/ seen combust was one that [a tech that worked briefly in my department years ago] stuck a screwdriver in while it was hot. And this one didn't blow up exactly... just started smoking and then died.
AIM: [HIM] has logged off