Part Look-up Software

[indy-pc]

I'm sure that I'm not the first person to think of this, but I didn't see another thread on this topic anywhere.

I'm sure many of us use analogies with car mechanics when we describe things in our line of work. Like a car parts store, I wonder if there is a software product out there that makes looking up a specific computer part easier. Let me explain.

If you're working on your car and you need a particular part, in the US, you can drive to your local Autozone/NAPA/O'Riley's/whatever and tell them the year, make and model of your vehicle and they can pull up a parts list. Is there something similar for computers?

I'm sure we all get phone calls from clients wanting to know how much a certain part is. Or, perhaps you know what part you need, but you don't want to have to tear apart the whole system to check the part number for specific part. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just look up the parts list for any (non-custom) system and get the part number? Maybe even prices, availability or compatible substitutes?

What a time saver that would be!

 

[javjim]

For HP:

www.partsurfer.hp.com
Use the laptop Serial Number.

For Dell:
Use the Service Tag and look up on the website under warranty in support.

For other equipment what I used to do is look for the exact model on the website

 

[indy-pc]

That's all true, but I was thinking more along the lines of a universal, all-in-one solution rather than being make specific.

 

[acscva]

www.google.com

 

[NYJimbo]

www.google.com

+1 nice.

But in all seriousness, there is nothing universal for looking up parts in our business. A combination of knowing major manufacturers search tools or sites, what to type in google and even using ebay will help you almost all the time.

 

[Markverhyden]

That's all true, but I was thinking more along the lines of a universal, all-in-one solution rather than being make specific.

There never could be one.

Closest you can get is signup with some companies, like nationalparts.com.

 

[indy-pc]

I realize that nothing like this exist currently (at least that I'm aware of), but I don't see why it would be impossible. Going back to the automotive industry analogy, part shops there have it. So, why not us?

Ultimately, I think it would require a pretty huge database, but I think it should be doable. I don't have the time or resources to put something like this together, but I'd be willing to pay a few hundred bucks for it if someone else did.

 

[acscva]

There is a paid service already by CNET called ChannelOnline.

http://www.channelonline.com/

Here is the list of suppliers that they support:

http://www.channelonline.com/Suppliers/Main.aspx

It is like $200 per month but if you join the ASCII group then you will get a free version that is limited. If anyone is interested in joining the ASCII group for a huge list of benefits visit http://www.ascii.com/

Send me an PM and I would be glad to get you introduced to them and setup.

 

[Moltuae]

Going back to the automotive industry analogy, part shops there have it. So, why not us?

I think a lot of it comes down to the difference in cost of the products; new cars typically cost tens of thousands of pounds/dollars, while computers average around a few hundred quid.

Because vehicles are so much more expensive, they're kept in-service for many years. Vehicle manufacturers can potentially make more money selling spare parts for a vehicle, during its lifetime, that they make from the original sale of the vehicle. So making sure all parts are catalogued and stocked for many years, even after a vehicle has ceased production, can prove to be quite a lucrative exercise. With all vehicle manufacturers providing parts catalogues, and making those parts readily available, it's a relatively simple matter to develop software to bring all the manufacturer's parts data together.

To do the same for computers would be a mammoth task. You'd have to source components from thousands of different suppliers and, for computers where no parts catalogues are available, you'd need to create parts illustrations and build a catalogue.

I agree it would be a great thing to have though! If you decide to develop some software yourself, I'd certainly be interesting in using it. I may even be willing to pay a few quid for it!