I am going to be building Mrs Pooky a new PC and she wants it to be a PINK tower!
Does anyone know where I can get a decent pink tower from? I have asked ebuyer and the do not have any.
I’ve found one on Amazon. But at £42.85, is that quite a high price for what it is?
Any suggestions?
top one here (Casecom Shiny Piano Pink Mid Tower Case - No PSU)
http://www.a2zcomputershop.co.uk/products/Miditowercases.htm
A cheap black case is £30-35, so £42 isn’t bad
You do both realise the one at your link points to is on the US Amazon site, not the UK Amazon site ?
(and that too has no power supply)
Price of the case is going to depend on the quality of the build … as with everything there’s cheap, then there’s well made 
I didn’t open the link, just took it on face value and applied knowledge of how much cases cost from when I’ve looked on Scan/Novatech/others.
Just clicked your link Mark - £12?!?! Unbelievable!!
£15.99 with shipping, but still…
No Mark, I did not realise that.
I am looking for one without a PSU anyway so I can put in one of my own choosing.
I really wouldn’t waste my time installing in a case this cheap.
It’s not just a box - the design and quality dictates everything from how easy the install goes, through how long before the power button breaks, how many fans/drives are supported, how cool it runs, to how noisy it will be in the short period before it needs replacing.
I’d use a decent case and get her a pair of rose tinted glasses!
Or you could look into modifying a case - lots of stuff online. Maybe as simple as a can of spray paint? Not that I know much about it, but worth DuckDuckGo-ing…
I find the one thing people skimp on where they shouldn’t tends to be the Power Supply.
Just tonight someone brought me a laptop with a dead power brick … when told an original replacement would be £25 -£30 he said "I’ve seen replacements on ebay for £9
(even more important in a desktop, where there’s no battery to smooth things out)
I’ve often wondered if they’d buy a Ferrari then try to run it on chip fat to try save a couple of quid … or plug in their brand new 60" TV with an old frayed cable :
The power supply can take every other component with it if/when it fails … think about it.
I’ll never understand people that buy high end kit and pair it with a cheap chinese power supply to save £20.
Just tonight someone brought me a laptop with a dead power brick .. when told an original replacement would be £25 -£30 he said "I've seen replacements on ebay for £9
I’m finding that more and more in my business as well I’ll give someone a price for say a clutch and they’ll say I can get it much cheaper of the internet, my answer is simple then go and get it and while you’re at it get the internet to fit it because I won’t be fitting it
Graeme
Yeah, pretty much my answer too
I don’t charge for parts, they get them at whatever they cost me (in fact I’m happier if they order them) … I only charge for the diagnostic and fitting ‘service’, but I refuse to fit sub-standard or “unknown quantity” parts because it’s me that inevitably has to deal with the “but it broke, and took my motherboard with it” follow-on issues.
I just hand it back and say do whatever you want… knowing they’ll either see sense, or it will likely be back for a more expensive fix
I’m not ripping them off (and they should know that because I don’t profit from parts) … so I won’t stand for being made to feel as though I am, or deal with the consequences.
Fixing stuff “on the cheap” not only isn’t worth the effort and hassle … but has a habit of biting your reputation in the a**.
MUCH better to do a GOOD job as cheaply as possible … as opposed to the CHEAPEST job as good as possible.
Besides which, cheapskates that’ll risk everything (not only including their hardware, but your time and reputation) to save a few quid are inevitably the ones that jump up and down, bitch, and expect a fix at your expense when it blows up in their face.
Yeah you’re right
But in my business I couldn’t meet my overheads by labour alone additionally if I agree to fit a part supplied by the owner the law says I must assume responsibility for that part as well as the labour (ridiculous but true)
You wouldn’t walk into a restaurant hand the waiter a chicken and say ask the chef to cook this for me and I’ll pay his labour, what makes people think they can do it in a garage or any other business
Rant over
Graeme
Sorry I didn’t mean to imply my way of doing things is the way every business should (wouldn’t really work for a wholesaler would it) … just that it suits me.
It was more a comment on - if you come to me (us ?) for advice do it my way, I’m not here to rip you off, I’m here to do the BEST job for you for as little as possible, so either listen to me or go elsewhere, your choice.
But there’s more involved here than saving £10 … that tenner saves both you and I headaches in the future.
[EDIT]
Effectively - You pay me for a GOOD job, I won’t fit sh*t parts to save you a tenner … then have to deal with the consequences at my cost … simplez
I wasn’t ranting at you it’s just that it’s a subject I have strong views on all businesses are different but garages do have high overheads especially with the rate technology is evolving in the motor trade and if I didn’t make a margin on the parts then I’d have to charge more for labour, at the end of the day they wouldn’t be saving anything
Besides which, cheapskates that'll risk everything (not only including their hardware, but *your* time and reputation) to save a few quid are inevitably the ones that jump up and down, bitch, and expect a fix at your expense when it blows up in their face.
Never a truer word said
Graeme
I think every business owner has strong views on the idiots that try to take advantage
[EDIT]
I know the amount of times I have to bite my lip and be courteous rather than say what springs to mind…
(lately “F*ck *ff” seems to be becoming easier and easier )
[EDIT 2]
Here’s one I bet I get more than you…
You’ve just say fitted a new wireless adapter for someone … then they phone you and ask “can you please just talk me though this completely unrelated issue” (say … “I’m trying to install Abobe flash player and it’s giving X error”)…
(How the £$%^ did fitting a wireless adapter make me responsible for FREE application support)
For fek sake … just because you paid me £X for one particular job doesn’t mean I become your personal telephone support for every computing related thing you can’t be ars*d to figure out yourself.
Try phoning the plumber that cleared your drains last month and asking him to “talk you through” fitting a washer for your leaking tap and see how far you get :
Or maybe you get something similar ?
[EDIT 3]
Sorry … I guess every business has it’s own rants … that’s my biggest as it’s NOT a rare occurance :
[EDIT 4]
Just in case it’s not obvious, I’m getting slightly drunk at this point - I’m willing to bet you get the same … you fix a clutch, and people try to say their brakes have just gone so it MUST be your fault ?
[EDIT 5]
In fact… only kidding… I’ll shut up now
These are exactly the reasons I considered, then rejected, the idea of building PCs for a living.
I may not know much about linux yet, but I can build/upgrade/repair a computer. What I can’t do is deal with the great British public and it’s ludicrous expectations.
My suspicions were aroused when I went to PC World (I know, I know, but I needed a component in a hurry - in the days when they still sold a reasonable selection of components), and watched some clown banging his fist on the counter and telling the tech support guy “These things don’t just go wrong for no reason!” No, I thought. At least two possible reasons spring to mind - you and Windows.
Shortly afterwards I read a brilliant book by an American guy who has run several successful computer businesses. I forget his name or the book’s title, but it was addressing those who would start a small computer business. Apart from being extremely funny, it gave a lot of sound advice, among which was that once you sell someone a computer, you ‘own’ it for life.
At that point, I gave up the idea of building computers for profit (leave that to Michael Dell, who has a head start) or even admitting to acquaintances that I know how to use a screwdriver, since they will inevitably bring you their ‘little’ problems and expect your valuable time on the cheap, if not for free.
When I build a PC for myself or my wife, I always spend £70+ on a decent PSU on the basis that however fancy your other hardware was, it’s not much use after it’s been fried. Even so, I’ve had one PSU fail - fortunately without doing any other damage.
PSUs, like tyres, aren’t sexy. I tried cheap versions of both when I was younger. After I’d had a couple of part-worns peel off on a motorway I took a slightly more conservative approach. At least a rogue PSU won’t kill you (usually).
Ooooh yeah family and friends are even worse, though I suppose it’s to be expected of family not to mention if I made them go elsewhere I’d only end up being the one that pays, and I can probably do a better job for less
At his juncture I’ll stop … too easy to fall into another rant, though your posting did make me chuckle so maybe I’m over it now (or not drunk enough)
Mark,
Finally I’m in a position to advise you.
Drink more!
Thanks for your help. No doubt I’ll be back asking for more.
M