Receiving Computer Parts

[Floppyman]

Hey all...

Yesterday I received my new case from UPS and the UPS man was carrying it the box opened and styrophoam came out. Luckily when I double checked the case was allright. This prompted me to write a little guide on how to check for damage on parts when receiving them from vendors. I think a lot of problems later on can be prevented if you notice damage early while unpacking.

Make sure you are properly grounded before you check your hardware!

CPU - With today's socketed fcpga cpu's (PIII/PIV/Celeron/Athlon etc.) there are two main areas of concern. First the pins: Make sure there are no bent or missing pins on the cpu. 2nd. the core: Make sure the core is intact and not chipped or scratched. Also make sure there are no scratches or marks on other parts of the cpu. If you bought a retail cpu make sure the fan/heatsink combo is properly attached and looks allright. If I saw any of this I would not go further and send the chip back right away.

With slotted (PII/Athlon/PIII/Celeron/Xeon etc.) cpu's make sure there no scratches on the cpu and or/cache chips. Also make sure the heatplate and/or plastic cover are mounted properly. If any of this is loose or scratched I'd sent it back. If you bought a retail cpu make sure the fan/heatsink combo is properly attached and looks ok.(Sure you could work on it but if you mess up and break something and then call...they'll say it's your fault = bad deal)

On non fcpga socketed cpus (older Celerons/Pentiums/K6-2/3 etc.) basically do the same except you won't see the core so make sure you check the pins and the rest of the cpu for scratches and make sure the heatplate is properly attached if there is one.

Motherboards: I'd take the motherboard out of the case...first make sure you have all the accessories that are supposed to be included. Then check the board to see whether there are any bent or broken pins..scratches...loose or missing slots (pci/socket/slot/agp/isa etc.) loose or missing heatsinks etc...while trying to only handle the board by the edges. If I saw any of this I'd sent it back promptly.

Harddrives/cdroms/floppy: Go ahead and check for scratches and that everything is tighly attached. Make sure you have received all your accessories if you got them and then check for bent or broken pins on the back of the drive.

Peripheral cards (pci/agp/isa): Go ahead and check for scratches and/or bent or broken pins on the card. Make sure the golden connector (where the card plugs in) has no scratches on it. Also if your card has a heatsink and/or fan make sure it is properly mounted. Also make sure you have received all your accessories if you ordered them (i.e. retail/whitebox cards)

Cases: Here's an easy one. From the outside check for scratches and dents. On the inside make sure the powersupply looks allright from the outside (DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OPEN IT THOUGH to try to look inside)..and the wires coming out of the P/S look ok (i.e aren't scratched etc.) Also check for dents on the inside of the case.

Memory: Once again check for scratches on the chips and connectors...loose connections..missing chips etc.

Accessories (fans/heatsinks): Once again I'd check for scratches and broken fins on the heatsinks. Also make sure you have received all your screws and accessories you will need to install the heatsink/fan. On fans check for scratches..broken fins and or/power connectors etc.

A couple other tips:

When receiving hardware in the wintertime let it warmup to room temperature first before using it. You can very well fry a cpu etc. by using it out of the box when it's very cold during the winter.

I'll say this again: Always make sure you are properly grounded to prevent static electricy when handling hardware.

I know this isn't a lot of info..but if we took the time to carefully doublecheck our parts when we first get them future problems can be prevented. I know there are lot of problems that maybe can't be indentified before the actual use of the part..but this is just the basics before you install them Feel free to add on and/or comment below.

(Sorry for no commas..my comma key is broken...all I get is *)

[Floppyman]

One Addition:

Monitors: Make sure the monitor is all intact when you receive it. Double check for broken glass and/or other damage. Double check for scratches (both on the screen and casing) and/or missing parts as well. Also doublecheck the cables to make sure the pins are not bent and/or broken. Plus check that you actually received all the necessary cables and accessories.

[Toaster]

Hey there Flopster!
Thanks for the info that should serve users well.
One thing I`d like to add is the purchase of monitors and having them shipped.
Monitors are VERY fragile. They are easy to knock out of alignment and shipping of these items should be avoided by those not familiar with thier packaging needs. I would suggest folks buy monitors locally, especially the bigger ones.
Shipping of large monitors is VERY expensive if shipped correctly.
An average to ship a 17" monitor from and to US destinations ranges from about 40.00 to near 80.00 if packed well.
There are times when the monitor you want is not available locally or at a reasonable street price. In this case, DEMAND that the SENDER accept responsibility for the item until it arrives.
Many ship "FOB" or "free on board" which means the seller relenquishes all responsibility upon shipment.
The bigger monitors (20" and greater) are VERY VERY easy to knock out of alignment due to their sheer size and weight.
When packaging monitors for shippment, the box should fully encompass the original box with 2" of damping material on all sides.
I recently refused a shipment of a 21" SGI monitor because the box was badly damaged to the point that the packing material was coming out of the carton.
The sender had no clue as to "how" a device such as a monitor "should be sent".
Finally the monitor arrived in a gargantuan box and in pristine condition.
The seller payed for shipping 3 ways instead of shipping the right way only once.