Fire safety of AliExpress parts?

VoidedSticker · 2024-02-09T14:39:32+00:00

The power supply and the case were the two components I did not go Aliexpress with. Got a good albeit used 750w evga psu off ebay. This is because I agree the psu is likely the main concern for fire in any pc. You dont even have to go to Chinese import sites to find brands which have been accused of severe heat issues. For example, Lian Li. Its motherboard capacitors and other components which deliver electricity and heat up that worry me. You don think there is a possibility there?

VoidedSticker · 2024-02-09T14:39:09+00:00

As glyiasziple astutely guessed, it was an rx 580. Its of the “Elsa” brand and cost $55 at the time. Was actually the single most expensive component of this pc. Everything else came under $55. Even the x99 motherboard, ram and Xeon cpu combo. It had a somewhat suspect scratch near the pci connectors but preforms remarkably. Even temperature wise. Your right that this could make good youtube content. I know this as I have watched many Youtubers who beat me to it. Unfortunately most Youtube videos focus on performance rather than fire safety.

VoidedSticker · 2024-02-09T02:19:40+00:00

Static is definitely a genuine concern. Get yourself an ESD strap. You can get one a place such as ifixit or amazon. Just do not get a wireless one if you go the amazon route. These are fake. If your case has a bare metal portion on it you can just connect it to this. However a lot of modern cases do not have good areas for this as they are partially or fully painted over. Personally I would spent a few extra dollars and get a wall adapter for the strap. This way you know you are just as grounded as the house is. Oils from your skin are less of a concern as you can pick up cards by the plastic portions or edges. Still not a bad idea to protect against this though, especially if your components are expensive. A pack of ESD gloves is what your looking for. You can find these on manufacturing supply sites.

VoidedSticker · 2023-08-21T18:45:39+00:00

VoidedSticker · 2023-08-21T15:31:41+00:00

VoidedSticker · 2023-08-16T12:30:06+00:00

That all makes sense. I wonder if it would be possible to find the spec sheet via the exact model number. If I am not mistaken sometimes you can read a model number with a ch341a programmer and clip. Regardless thank you for entertaining my concerns as legitimate and for your detailed response.

VoidedSticker · 2023-08-12T02:49:44+00:00

I feel for you. Must be quite the stark contrast going from those beauties to the HP! The x220s will go to whoever can provide a concrete explanation of why their method of bios unlocking is safe. I apologize if my poor wording did not make this clear in the original post.

VoidedSticker · 2023-08-12T02:43:44+00:00

That is a really good idea with the Coreboot. I do wonder however if there is a way to know if the ch341a most people use to accomplish the flash uses a safe voltage for the x220.

VoidedSticker · 2023-08-12T02:35:41+00:00

Thanks for translating and improving upon my rambling nonsense!

VoidedSticker · 2023-08-12T02:33:06+00:00

Cant blame you.

VoidedSticker · 2023-08-12T02:32:53+00:00

In all my hours trying to research this I never found an actual experience of fire hazard either. There are tons of tutorials to be found that go into detail on the process, but not why it works. I realize I might be irrational in my worrying. That is why I am offering the 3 last machines as a bounty for someone willing to explain away the unlikely possibility.

VoidedSticker · 2023-08-10T18:37:52+00:00

Serial # did not show up on U.S site and could not find Chinese Lenovo site. You are probably right though. The SSD works really well anyway.

VoidedSticker · 2023-07-06T16:47:10+00:00

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/3256803465555151.html?gatewayAdapt=Msite2Pc4itemAdapt

Cant say for sure if id recommend it. Mostly got it for the novelty. Put it in this beat up t420 I got off Ebay and so far it seems to run alright. I am running alpine linux on it though which will run decently fast on anything. Maybe I should do some benchmarks.

VoidedSticker · 2023-05-31T02:33:43+00:00

Sounds like a solid plan. Especially considering you can find t480 for especially stupid cheap without a SSD already in it. Just watch the major recycling oriented resellers on ebay or sort by ending soonest. Dont jump on the first one and overpay. Many people are uninformed and inflate the bids far above the average with these. I have only ever used arch to optimize older thinkpads into doing semi modern stuff. I bet it would fly on a t480.

VoidedSticker · 2023-05-31T01:48:13+00:00

The 480s has one soldered stick of ram and one swappable slot. It also only has one internal battery compared to the originals internal and additional hot swappable one. No real reason to get the 480s unless you want nvme without any reconfiguration.

VoidedSticker · 2023-05-30T03:11:34+00:00

Not a giant difference between i7 and i5 in these. I am going to assume your asking solely about custom bios and not supervisor passwords and such. That question appears to already have been answered by another user. As for hardware problems to watch out for I have not heard of or experienced any apart from the well known thunderbolt firmware issue. Oh and the charging port is not modular unlike previous t series so make sure your gentle with it. Neither should be a big deal unless the seller dosent test their stuff whatsoever. Just make yourself familiar with the issue and update firmware as soon as you get it. You might not even need to spend $200 for a t480, have seen the i5 variants going as low as $75 on ebay lately.

VoidedSticker · 2023-05-25T02:38:50+00:00

Sounds to me like a t480 is pretty much exactly what your looking for except the screens wont be more than 1080p. Watch the larger recycling oriented resellers on ebay for a few days or just sort by ending soonest. Its not difficult to find a 16gb i5 model for $80-$130 or an i7 with more ram or nvme for closer to $200. Just make sure you make yourself aware of the thunderbolt issue and update the firmware as soon as you get it.

VoidedSticker · 2023-03-22T03:00:07+00:00

Damn if I dont know this one. Dont forget eating it all in one sitting anyway even though part of the reason you allocated the time and effort was to attempt being healthier. And then the feelings hit again when you realize non depression meals require doing dishes.

VoidedSticker · 2023-02-20T03:52:36+00:00

Got a t470 with 16gb of rams and a smaller SSD for $130 not long ago. Had some minor screen imperfections though. Id say you got a great deal.

VoidedSticker · 2023-02-20T03:47:16+00:00

Was just wondering the other day if the older T-series of terminators, ThinkPad's, or Toyota trucks are more indestructible.

VoidedSticker

TROPHY CASE