Greetings all, reviving older PC stuff??

  • Thread starter Thread starter hp
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H

hp

I am thinking about reviving some older PC hardware for someone with no
PC at all at this time.

What setup might be a better config, able to do a little more with more
modern softyware

#1 Asus A7NBX-E motherboard with AMD Athlon XP 2500+

or

#2 MSI K8N Neo V2 motherboard with AMD Sempron 3100+

both seem able to use 2 giggles of PC3200 ram, same video card AGP 8X
ATI Radcon 9200

I know this stuff is a bit dated, but since they haven't had a PC yet,
and this hardware is collecting dust I thought they might be able to
still use it.

Tanks
 
hp said:
I am thinking about reviving some older PC hardware for someone with no
PC at all at this time.

What setup might be a better config, able to do a little more with more
modern softyware

#1 Asus A7NBX-E motherboard with AMD Athlon XP 2500+

or

#2 MSI K8N Neo V2 motherboard with AMD Sempron 3100+

both seem able to use 2 giggles of PC3200 ram, same video card AGP 8X
ATI Radcon 9200

I know this stuff is a bit dated, but since they haven't had a PC yet,
and this hardware is collecting dust I thought they might be able to
still use it.

Tanks
Click to expand...

They're pretty close. Each can have issues, which should be researched
in advance. I'd probably start building up a system based on the
second one, and if I ran into problems, switch over to the first one.

The S754 socket, is when AMD switched over to connecting the memory
directly to the processor. This removes the FSB from being a bottleneck.
On the Nforce2 motherboard (A7N8X family), the Northbridge hosts the memory,
and the FSB prevents full bandwidth usage. The Nforce2 also occasionally
has issues running full DDR400, and has to be cranked down a notch. (Memory
has to be "tuned" - don't give the A7N8X to someone, until it is
properly tuned for error free operation, or they'll be back to you
soon to fix it.)

But on the other hand, the S754 in particular, is single channel, so even
though the bottleneck is removed, by not having dual channel memory
orientation, it loses out on a chance to be a winner. The S754 has a bit
of a loading penalty on memory performance, in three memory slot systems,
but as yours is two slot memory, I think you can probably coax a good rate
out of it. (Since you can't stuff three sticks of memory in it, it won't
have to be set to run slower.)

You might want to Google "Nforce3 250" and read up on any surprises.
I thought there was a chip like that, that had a stuttering video
issue, but just with an Nvidia 6800 video card. So read up on it,
before you begin. Also check whether there are any networking issues
with Nforce3 250.

As they say, Google is your friend. Google was good to me, when I
got the A7N8X-E Deluxe and I was having memory problems. It took a
week to figure it out, but it ran error free for the rest of its
life (until retired). And the Nforcershq site provided much
of the useful input.

If you end up using the A7N8X, recommended drivers are mentioned here.
I probably ran 5.10 on mine.

http://ben.pope.name/a7n8x_faq.html

Paul
 
I am thinking about reviving some older PC hardware for someone with no
PC at all at this time.

What setup might be a better config, able to do a little more with more
modern softyware

#1 Asus A7NBX-E motherboard with AMD Athlon XP 2500+

or

#2 MSI K8N Neo V2 motherboard with AMD Sempron 3100+

both seem able to use 2 giggles of PC3200 ram, same video card AGP 8X
ATI Radcon 9200

I know this stuff is a bit dated, but since they haven't had a PC yet,
and this hardware is collecting dust I thought they might be able to
still use it.

Tanks
Click to expand...

Hm, that's like a Socket 462(A) - for what a 2500 Barton? Gezzz,
though those still beat my old K6 sockets, although actually I've
probably got a couple of those still running on builds I sold ages
ago.

That MSI board is still out there to be had new, oth. Provided it
works. Yea, right - for $40. An Intel-made MB for P4/D with onboard
ATI/AMD graphics -AND- an entry Intel dual-core can be had for that,
$40 -+- shipping.

The core to the Sempron is 1.8ghz. Probably overclock to my stock AMD
Athlon 64 LE-1640 Orleans 2.6GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W Single-
Core Processor ADH1640DHBOX.

Depends on what you're installing on it and who it's for. Someone
without much experience is an easy WOW-factor. Build it with care
for all the right program interactions, and you'll catch them years
from now furtively eying you in the light of a computer genius, still
wondering what and how you did it. If not, they're a jerk, then
they'll flip it at the local pawnshop for a quick $50, start calling
or, better, sic someone they can deny all responsibility for on you,
asking you to drive 50 miles for free support because they don't know
the difference between a click or wherever the hell a widget goes for
the thingy that's got them in superbig trouble. Invariably it'll
break then, because, you're duly informed, of you, and you can't claim
otherwise because it was given away to a distant relative, several
states away, or for the dog in the backyard to maul after they can't
find where it got buried. See you, because I can't be you, being
stereotypically their rationale to buying a hold-you-hand Dell
contract for an additional $1500.
 
Me Thins I should have just changed the battery first, the first
configuration I tried just plain didn't want to boot at all, while
getting ready to try the next setup I decided to check the 2032 battery
: Deader then a stinking mackerel
 
hp said:
Me Thins I should have just changed the battery first, the first
configuration I tried just plain didn't want to boot at all, while
getting ready to try the next setup I decided to check the 2032 battery
: Deader then a stinking mackerel
Click to expand...

They last for three years, if you just leave an old motherboard
sitting in the junk closet. Half the retired PCs I have here, the
battery is dead in them.

Paul
 
Me Thins I should have just changed the battery first, the first
configuration I tried just plain didn't want to boot at all, while
getting ready to try the next setup I decided to check the 2032 battery
: Deader then a stinking mackerel
Click to expand...

Can't say I've really had a battery go on me. Dead give-away though,
BIOS screen either comes up or everyday is a 1986 or something.
 
I am thinking about reviving some older PC hardware for someone with no
PC at all at this time.
Click to expand...

I plugged in one of my old 486 boxes last week and BLAM a capacitor in
the power supply blew up.
 
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