Old parts wanted (to help a child in need)

Don't you have secondhand computer shops there? I know where I live you can pick up a P4 system complete for less than the cost of an i3 processor alone. Why not just do that instead of mooching?

@ Navyblue

You may have a harder time getting help than you would think; simply because of your location. I would try going to local sites in your country and seeing if you can enlist some assistance locally.

Having said that... I have a couple of IDE CD/DVD burners and a 160GB hard drive that I could send your way. The problem is that the shipping costs from US to Singapore would most likely be more than what you'd have to pay for the same parts brand new in your country. I can't afford the shipping costs at this time, but if time is not a factor and you don't mind waiting a few weeks to a month I'd be happy to help out.


@ ratbudy
I know that with a bit of local searching the OP could very easily find a cheap computer for the kid and not need to ask for help; however, I don't think name calling was really needed. If you don't agree with the OP, or can't/don't want to help out; why not just move on to another thread?

Insulting someone just because they ask for help is not necessary. I know from experience that here at OCF we try to help out whenever possible; there have been a few instances where we have banded together and built "community pcs" for members in need.
Not really trying to crap on you my man, but I was taught that if I have nothing nice to say; it is better to just say nothing.

Sebas

Aren't you doing the same thing you're trying to scold me for? Anyway, I offered the OP legit advice. No need to get on my case about it. If you disagree, just move on to another thread.

Sob story or no, the kid the OP mentions seems happy in the arcade, and if he wants a current gen computer so bad, he can do what I did: get a paper route and save up.

but I imagine an arcade can't be too good for an autistic child

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That part bugs me. It's a huge assumption and probably not the case at all.

edit: BTW, dealing outside classifieds isn't allowed here. Tried to report the OP but someone beat me to it..

I'm not scolding you man...

I'm simply stating the fact that name calling is not necessary. You could have gotten your point across about finding second hand stores without calling the guy a mooch. That's all I was pointing out.

I do have HW that I can part ways with and I am willing to give it to the OP as long as time is not an issue.

As for the autistic child in an arcade part... I don't know enough about autism to be able to form an opinion on that one...

I guess that's that... Sorry if you felt as though I was coming after you...

Relax yourself, man. It wasn't even an insult. See http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mooching

ratbuddy said:

Relax yourself, man. It wasn't even an insult. See http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mooching

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LOL... I guess all that's left for us is to "agree to disagree"...

Xbox 360.
You're not going to get better graphics for that cheap. Get one used. Maybe $80 these days. I got one for $100 in 2008. Or a used PS3. PC has too many holes for someone with autism if it's just for games. Too easy to cause more headaches with viruses etc.

Theocnoob said:

Xbox 360.
You're not going to get better graphics for that cheap. Get one used. Maybe $80 these days. I got one for $100 in 2008. Or a used PS3. PC has too many holes for someone with autism if it's just for games. Too easy to cause more headaches with viruses etc.

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+1

This may be off topic, but please investigate whether the kid is an autistic savant. It could be a real blessing.

A new study of about 100 adults with autism shows that one third have skills that stand out, both in comparison with their other abilities and with the skills of the general population.

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http://www.brighttots.com/Autism/Savant_Syndrome.html

Maybe give him some guitar lessons or math problems and see what happens.

Navyblue, I appreciate what you're trying to do. You've got a good heart. I'm just not sure how you are going about it is practical due to high international shipping costs as other shave pointed out. It might be more effective to set up some sort of donation fund that people could donate to via PayPal.

I hate to butt in again- but seriously, on a tight budget- you want to buy a used PS3 or 360 and buy used games from maybe 3 years ago that are down to 10 to 20 bucks max. That's just what you do on a budget. You're going to spend $100,likely 80 on a used 360 and to match the graphics performance of that used 360 you'd have to spend $550 on a tower. That's pretty good. You can still play online and everything else. It's the only logical choice. PS3 is even better because the online is free.

Keep in mind this kid is into arcade games. What's the newest gen of arcade machine that you really see these days? 2004? You can stomp the graphics he's used to with a PS3 and it'll completely make him forget about the arcade because he'll have a better system at home- and for way cheaper with less risks.

Navyblue said:

The child likes computer very much, however he doesn't have one, and my friend wanted to get one for him and asked me for help.

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Do you know why he likes computers? To play video games, to do web programming, or just surf the net? And... how old is this child?

And how valid is this assumption that he goes to the arcade because he doesn't have a computer? Maybe he just didn't have anything else to do at home so he just goes out to where his friends like to hang.

I totally agree with the PS3/XBOX 360 from the budget point of view, but is this what the child really need? He could be a champion at programming for all we know.

I purchase lots of items from US, shipping a small item like a video card by USPS can cost quite little (sometimes less than $10).

Sorry guys, I'd delete the post.