[GeronL]

I just checked. I saw one that looked pretty good but it was skimpy on RAM and didn’t mention how much it could be expanded.

[Utilizer]

Ok, for a refurb always run with a couple of assumptions to start with.

First, although motherboards come with two or four slots for RAM, assume the refurb comes with just two and they are both filled. You will need to purchase seperately the amount of total RAM you want to end up with. Come to think of it, I would not place too much trust with the default RAM and just swap it all out instead of attempting to match it for expansion if the board supports it. You do know about never mixing separate types (or manufacturors) of memory on one board, yes?

Second, the first thing you should always do is swap out the fan(s) that come with the unit. You do not know how many hours they have on them and purchasing some new ones for the install is cheap insurance. You can always swap out a failing fan for a used one until the new replacement can be installed.

To guarantee maximum expansion capabilities, you should at the very least purchase a pre-matched motherboard and cpu combo with fan, remembering that there will be no OS preinstalled and you may run into driver problems unless you opt for the more cutting-edge distros. You are probably best advised to get a preconfigured barebones motherboard-and-cpu-fan with a barebones case and powersupply unit, ignoring the default RAM and installing your own choice of that along with DVD and IDE or SATA drives later. Although some purists will argue the power supply choice.

Lastly, remember that refurbs are usually from business upgrades and not meant to be top-end units. Barebones from the start will give you the most expansion options, but will be noticeably harder on your pocketbook.

[Utilizer]

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[Utilizer]

Oh, and one other thing I forgot to mention: one advantage of having a barebones instead of a refurb besides not being stuck with a business-range model with limited performance options for the refurb is it comes with a brand-new fan already installed.

I just changed the default cpu-heatsink and fan on a refurb mobo that I bought last year for a larger version with more heat dissipation capability, -and the power supply now immediately shuts itself off after the initial powerup. *sigh* Looks like some kind of short, probably the mobo but I will not know for sure until I install a replacement cpu and swap the fan.

Do not count on refurb mobos being able to handle the physical stress of changing the heatsink clips and fan swap as a given.