Do you have a large "Spare Parts" area in your house?

[JATownes]

In my house we have a "Computer Closet" that houses all of my old stuff, and spare parts, rigs, etc. My wife tells me I have a problem and need to throw out all of this stuff, so we can use the closet for "better uses"...basically for her stuff instead.

I always refuse, because I occasionally pull out an old rig or parts to play with, just for grins. Or someone needs a cable, or adapter, or something. So it got me thinking, what does the "Spare Parts" area look like in your house? Surely every enthusiast has an area like this? Right?

I'm hoping everyone can prove to my wife that I do not "have a problem".

Here is the closet I speak of:

 

[Athlon2K15]

I used too but the older i get the more i dont want all the excess around

 

[Disparia]

I chose the 3rd option but it was because I stopped selling computers many years ago. My "pile" is much smaller now, mostly a bin of cables/adapters as well as some key spare parts like a backup PSU, keyboards, and mice.

Now, there's still a couple old Dell server cases in the closet as well, but they're just waiting around for a project. Not really a spare to anything I use now (hella old and hella hot Prestonia Xeons).

 

[EarthDog]

Negative. I have a part or two ( memory, board, PSU), but outside of that, I don't hoard. So, No.

 

[64K]

I don't keep much besides a backup gaming rig. I don't sell used parts. I either give them to a family member or friend or I give them away on a Tech site like this one. I don't like to see perfectly good components sitting around doing nothing when there are people out there that would love to have them and put them to use.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I used to have basement full of old CRT and 4:3 LCD monitors, cases, motherboards, mass quantities of old RAM, CPUs, dot-matrix, ink and laser printers, drives, keyboards, audio receivers, amps, pre-amps, cassette players, VCR players, speakers, and more - things I was saving because "I might need it some day. "

Some day never came so I loaded up my truck and took everything to our local electronics recycling center. They paid me for the precious metals in the CPUs and RAM, then bulk for the aluminum and other metals. Sadly, they would not take the 6 CRT monitors because the mercury and lead content costs too much to extract while complying with EPA standards and still turn a profit. So I printed out a "FREE" sign and started lugging the monitors out to the curb. By the time I got the 3rd monitor out to the curb, some guy in another truck was loading the first monitors in his truck. He took the rest and now I have a nice guest bedroom in the basement.

 

[yogurt_21]

yes it's called the attic.

 

[JATownes]

Dammit. This is starting to look like I have a problem.

 

[yogurt_21]

hey don't get me wrong I still have a Den with some spare parts and at one time it was filled to the brim with them. Trouble is I needed room for other things so if it isn't in the attic its thrown out/ecycled.

 

[R-T-B]

Surely every enthusiast has an area like this? Right?

I do, but that doesn't make it normal. On the contrary, as I am the antithesis of normal.

 

[P4-630]

At the moment only have a few fans laying around.
I must say I had laptops from 2009-2015.

 

[GreiverBlade]

my entire livingroom is a spart parts area (heck ... the whole house i should say ... ) technically it looks like the depot of a computer shop (although mostly oldies and collections ... )

 

[AlienIsGOD]

3rd option as I did a spring cleaning and just sent all my vintage stuff to the electronics recycling. I have a few pieces tucked away, but nothing major as i tend to sell most of the stuff i dont need anymore

 

[JATownes]

hey don't get me wrong I still have a Den with some spare parts and at one time it was filled to the brim with them. Trouble is I needed room for other things so if it isn't in the attic its thrown out/ecycled.

I do, but that doesn't make it normal. On the contrary, as I am the antithesis of normal.

my entire livingroom is a spart parts area (heck ... the whole house i should say ... ) technically it looks like the depot of a computer shop (although mostly oldies and collections ... )

This is more like it. I assumed every enthusiast had one. Glad to know I'm not alone.

 

[Ahhzz]

My upstairs has become a "Spare Parts" zone. I have 8-10 cases, in various state of function, and enough assorted parts to carpet a good-sized living room... I'm in a constant battle with Her to keep what I can, but I'm afraid that as the Fall approaches, and the area cools, I'll be moving it out, bit by bit...

 

[Toothless]

I have a bunch of drawers in my closet for stuff. Mostly fans and cables though.

 

[JATownes]

My upstairs has become a "Spare Parts" zone. I have 6-8 cases, in various state of function, and enough assorted parts to carpet a good-sized living room... I'm in a constant battle with Her to keep what I can, but I'm afraid that as the Fall approaches, and the area cools, I'll be moving it out, bit by bit...

I'm afraid this is my fate as well. It has been a long, hard fought battle, but I'm going to have to surrender at least a portion of my computer closet.

She does not fight fair when we have a battle.

 

[AsRock]

O hell yeah, i die without it , Basement and a very small room next to the living room for stuff that cannot be in the basement, Part of the bedroom cupboard has stuff in it too lol.

I used too but the older i get the more i dont want all the excess around

Not always true, our neighbor who had been married 46 years his wife told me he been collecting stuff all there marriage lol.

In fact when the last kid left he used the room for a lot of his stuff as well as the basement, all so known as a man cave .

 

[newtekie1]

I definitely have one, though it is smaller now than it used to be. We just moved, I used to have one of those plastic shelf things you get from home depot in the basement filled with parts. When we moved I had to fix it all into one box. I picked the biggest box possible, and put everything in there... I got rid of a lot of old stuff.

 

[stinger608]

Yep, your not alone @JATownes

I have pretty much two rooms downstairs, one with a large closet, that are mostly full of "junk", as the wife puts it.

I am, for sure, planning on thinning some of it would this late summer/early fall. I probably have 100 sticks of original DDR.

Granted, I have some awesome ole motherboards that still use DDR but damn! I don't need a ton of 128mb and 256mb sticks.

Hell, I was looking for something this last weekend and opened up a box and found stuff I had totally forgot I had............That probably indicates that its time to get rid of some.

 

[jsfitz54]

Never admit to anything.

 

[peche]

gotta take a pic of the warehouse i have as room....

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

There is a house in my spare parts area.

 

[CAPSLOCKSTUCK]

My wife hates me.........

 

[peche]

Loz @CAPSLOCKSTUCK, what a pile of hardware