Numbers

[Mercutio]

Recently, I had the opportunity to build 100 identical systems.
Strictly speaking, 94 of them were assembled.

So all these numbers are out of 94:

Motherboard: GA-M61SME-S2
Failures: 2 DOA, 1 moron-can't-listen-to-instructions-related (ATX12V in backwards, system powered on and smoke came out).

Hard Disk: Hitachi 7k250 80GB SATA
Failures: 1 DOA, 1 with a few detectable bad sectors during format

Why Hitachi drives? Because they have standard molex connectors in addition to SATA power.

DVD-RW: NEC Optiarc 18x SATA
Failures: 0

Particularly amazing, since a number of times, the kids building PCs knocked these off their tables and onto concrete floors. But the drives all worked well enough to load Vista and to burn a CD.

RAM: Corsair Value Select DDR2-667 1GB
Failures: 1

One PC behaved strangely until its DIMM was replaced.

Power Supplies: ISO ISO-400
Failures: 5

This is the brand of PSU that was in my Foxconn cases. I could've paid extra money and bought a better PSU, but I had no budget for it. These things are garbage and I know it.

All of the Acer Monitors and crappy, $40 HP inkjets worked as well.

Other interesting notes:
From 64 assembled systems using an Intel 946GZis motherboard, E4300 or E6300 or E6320, 160GB Samsung Hard disk, 1GB Crucial DDR-2 RAM, NSK3300 case and 18x NEC PATA or SATA DVD burner...

2 Motherboard failures (1 DOA, 1 bad onboard NIC), 1 bad PSU (DOA), 1 bad hard disk (DOA), 2 bad CPU fans (DOA, both, and that's two more than I ever recall seeing), 1 bad DVD burner (made a horrible noise and could not read discs) and no bad RAM.

 

[CougTek]

So as I predicted, GigaByte or any other major brands, none is guaranteed to work 100% of the time. It's impressive indeed that none of the NEC DVD burners were dead.

 

[Fushigi]

As my recent Gigabyte experience showed. In my long history they have a 50% failure rate .. one board was DOA but the replacement has yet to fail.

That said my bad board was a simple defect in the assembly process and it isn't enough to keep me from buying them in the future.

 

[Bozo]

Hard Disk: Hitachi 7k250 80GB SATA
Failures: 1 DOA, 1 with a few detectable bad sectors during format

Why Hitachi drives? Because they have standard molex connectors in addition to SATA power.

Makes you wonder if they are WDs with a Hitachi sticker, or WDs are Hitachis, or some chinaman is making them in his basement and applies the labels as needed.

Bozo :joker:

 

[Piyono]

So, Merc, how did this all come together? You mentioned that you were given a budget. By whom? Were you hired by a college? Were you paid a salary or per kid or what? It sounds like it could be a great little side thing to do.

Piyono

 

[Piyono]

Also, Merc, how many kids did you teach at once? How long did the course run? Where were the in-progress computers stored?

Piyono

 

[Tannin]

Ahh, so I'm not the only one who thinks the moron who designed the SATA power connector should burn in hell forever more.

 

[ddrueding]

Ahh, so I'm not the only one who thinks the moron who designed the SATA power connector should burn in hell forever more.

Nope. I've done it once, fortunately it was on a WD so I could use the Molex.

 

[Handruin]

They should burn..."hey lets make this power thingy 1/32 of an inch thick and plastic to boot. That should give those IT guys something to talk about for decades.".

 

[paugie]

Particularly amazing, since a number of times, the kids building PCs knocked these off their tables and onto concrete floors. But the drives all worked well enough to load Vista and to burn a CD.

The kids assembled the PCs. That is great - for them. I just wonder how many Ibuprofens it cost Merc.
That must have been THE experience.

I can't find any NEC burners here. And the cheap LGs die 2 months after the 1 year warranty expires.

 

[Piyono]

Ahh, so I'm not the only one who thinks the moron who designed the SATA power connector should burn in hell forever more.

Don't tell me you actually LIKE Molex power connectors.

Piyono

 

[Bozo]

Ahh, so I'm not the only one who thinks the moron who designed the SATA power connector should burn in hell forever more.

Agreed. Anytime I break one of the power or data connectors, I RMA the drive back to the manufacturer. Let them pay for their mistakes.

Bozo :joker:

 

[Mercutio]

I've never broken a SATA connector, but I've seen other people do it.
My reason for wanting molex connectors is that less expensive power supplies typically do not have SATA connectors.

Piyono, this was a state program funded by our Employment Office. I was teaching 20 - 25 kids at a time. Some of the kids were absolute ingrates and some of them very very polite and quiet.

For what it's worth, both the Gigabyte boards I thought were bad seem to work OK. I tested them with a nice, big Antec PSU and an X2/5200 and they work OK. I suspect those boards were in systems that have marginal PSUs. I'll find out later, I suppose.

 

[ddrueding]

Don't tell me you actually LIKE Molex power connectors.

It seems that this was the biggest accomplishment of SATA power connectors. After them, even Molex is acceptable.

 

[Handruin]

I don't like either connector. I'd rather see a smaller, thicker connector that can also come with the option to be bent 90 degrees when tight situations exist.

 

[Fushigi]

How about building power rails into the drive bays & eliminating the cables altogether?

 

[Stereodude]

The kids assembled the PCs. That is great - for them. I just wonder how many Ibuprofens it cost Merc.
That must have been THE experience.

The real question is how many will sue Merc later for exposure to some chemicals found in the PCBs of they system.