Systembuilders- opinion on component failures

[schooldaze]

Thinking about upgrading 90 white boxes from Pll 266Mhz to P4 1.7Ghz. Prices are right and I can keep all software licenses with the machine. My question is if I order these 90 units (INTEL BOXD845GEBV2L, P4 1.7Ghz, PC2100 256, Pwr Supply) what kind of percentage of bad parts am I looking at. Speculation is fine.

I ordered 4 of these sets and 1 mobo was bad. We all bang our heads thinking we did something wrong, but sometimes its just a bad part. Exchanged the mobo and system was fine.

I personally was thinkig around 3 - 5 percent. TIA

 

[Kocky]

Well it all depends on the supplier. How well does he look after his goods ?? You'll never know certain so I think it will be an endless discussion.

 

[ando57]

how they look after their gear is important but 3-5% is a pretty safe guess, especially because it isn't a whole machine we're talking about, just a couple of components

 

[bcastner]

As I am sure you are aware the boxes would be assembled likely from the same batch run of components. A bad batch of power supplies, for example, could lead to 100% failure.

Using average returns from retail sites, and discounting for user error, a return rate of about 5% is typical. What makes this difficult is that it is unlikely there was a burn-in test for any component other than the processor for these machines.

 

[schooldaze]

I just hate the feeling when everything is assembled (and should work) but fails. Then you wonder if the venture was worth it or not. Mobo and CPU are factory boxes, P.S. , drives and RAM are bulk.

 

[ceh4702]

Recommend some high quality motherboards from Asus. P4/Athlon XP requires at least a good quality 300Mhz Power Supply if you are doing your own work.

Another option is to buy computers from Dell or IBM. This is where buying new computers in quantity may get you some savings.

Alternatively, purchasing some bare bones systems from a custom shop where they test the motherboard, processor, memory for you and give you a guarantee may be a good option. Sometimes an extended warranty to 3 years is worth it. If there is a local Custom shop in your area sometimes this can work out. You still need good quality parts that will not cause you problems.

I work at a college and we never replace all of our computers at once. What we do is buy new computers every year so people who have to have the best computers have what they need. Then we cascade older computers to the instructors and staff. We have some deal with IBM and exclusively use IBM for the desktop. However, we use DELL servers on the network. We also carry insurance that starts after the warranty runs out. Desktop computers go out of date in about 3-5 years.

If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[Bobg1]

The power supply will not have any MHZ if it is working properly. I believe you want to say WATTS...lol

 

[schooldaze]

ceh4702

I work for a k-12 school dist. and in the past have pretty much used the same process you are using right down to the Dell servers, but with funding cuts I'm need to re-think my strategy. Also getting rid of used equipment is a major pain in itself.

 

[paparazi]

Branded is the key to reliability and fewer returns, especially with memory and PSU's.
For an extra few dollars save yourself some major problems, if you buy generic memory you could be looking at a 1 in 5 failure rate, and the generic PSU's might be generally OK but a good proportion may fail in well under a year. Martin


Replying helps further our knowledge, without comment leaves us wondering.