Old PC as a file server

  • Thread starter Thread starter besi
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besi

Hi
I got 1 450Mhz P3 slot 1 PC. the motherboard can only support 36GB. If i
add PCI IDE Card to the PC, will it support hard disk bigger that 36GB?
Another thing, is it posible to downclock the processor? Since the server
will only serve me, i think it doesn't require that speed.
 
besi said:
Hi
I got 1 450Mhz P3 slot 1 PC. the motherboard can only support 36GB. If i
add PCI IDE Card to the PC, will it support hard disk bigger that 36GB?
Another thing, is it posible to downclock the processor? Since the server
will only serve me, i think it doesn't require that speed.
Click to expand...

An add-in PCI card would come with its own BIOS chip so should access a much
larger hard disk - even an SATA II drive, but make sure you buy a SATA II
controller card for future proofing reasons. If the 'server' is to provide
for more than one PC, then fair enough, but otherwise, why not just put
another hard disk in your current PC - much easier and significantly faster.

It may be possible to downclock and even downvoltage the processor, which
could reduce cooling noise, but I wouldn't bother unless it is very noisy at
the moment? How much RAM do you have in the computer? Also, tell us what the
motherboard is (or at least make and model of the PC) and perhaps someone
can help on the clocking front.
 
I'm not sure the model for the "server" since there is no cover. what left
is just chasis. It a DATAMINI brand.As i told you before, it was P3 450MHz.
It will be running FreeBSD + samba and with 126 MB of RAM. there reason I
ask the question regarding PCI IDE card is, my friend told me the OLD PC
can't support PCI IDE CARD. While i search google, i found nothing about
this.
 
besi said:
I'm not sure the model for the "server" since there is no cover. what left
is just chasis. It a DATAMINI brand.As i told you before, it was P3
450MHz. It will be running FreeBSD + samba and with 126 MB of RAM. there
reason I ask the question regarding PCI IDE card is, my friend told me the
OLD PC can't support PCI IDE CARD. While i search google, i found nothing
about this.
Click to expand...

Datamini is a brand, I am asking what the motherboard is - does it have PCI
slots. What colour and size are the expansion slots - PCI are normally white
and 85mm long with a notch around 67mm? Look at the main motherboard in the
PC - Is there a model number/ manufacturer written on the board somewhere
(corner perhaps)?
 
GT said:
Datamini is a brand, I am asking what the motherboard is - does it have
PCI slots. What colour and size are the expansion slots - PCI are normally
white and 85mm long with a notch around 67mm? Look at the main motherboard
in the PC - Is there a model number/ manufacturer written on the board
somewhere (corner perhaps)?
Click to expand...
Hehe
Yes, i have PCI slot. For the model number, i'll check it later. Not near
the PC right now.
 
besi said:
Hehe
Yes, i have PCI slot. For the model number, i'll check it later. Not near
the PC right now.
Click to expand...

Well if it has PCI slots, then I don't see why it won't support a PCI card.
Perhaps the case is a compact, narrow one which won't take full-height
cards?
 
GT said:
Well if it has PCI slots, then I don't see why it won't support a PCI
card. Perhaps the case is a compact, narrow one which won't take
full-height cards?
Click to expand...

no prob with the case, it a tower case.
 
besi said:
I got 1 450Mhz P3 slot 1 PC. the motherboard can only support 36GB.
If i add PCI IDE Card to the PC, will it support hard disk bigger
that 36GB? Another thing, is it posible to downclock the processor?
Since the server will only serve me, i think it doesn't require that
speed.
Click to expand...

If you want a server you will run Linux (unless you are seriously
addled). Linux can use any size disk, although there may be a
limitation on the location of the boot directory, because the
booting code will need to use the bios. So it is not a worry.

Spend your money ensuring that the machine has ECC memory.
 
besi said:
I'm not sure the model for the "server" since there is no cover. what left
is just chasis. It a DATAMINI brand.As i told you before, it was P3 450MHz.
It will be running FreeBSD + samba and with 126 MB of RAM. there reason I
ask the question regarding PCI IDE card is, my friend told me the OLD PC
can't support PCI IDE CARD. While i search google, i found nothing about
this.
Click to expand...

Try a Google search, using the type of the PCI card, and using some
information about the computer. For example, if I search using "440bx ultra133",
I can get a posting by one person, who installed both a Promise Ultra100
and Ultra133 disk controller card in their old computer. This person has
a Pentium II 450.

http://groups.google.ca/group/comp.os.linux/browse_frm/thread/4242198e083aa333/dcdc803e86e5c078

Your friend is right, in that not all PCI card types will work properly.
Some cards will simply not be recognized (ignored by the BIOS, like they
are not there). But you may get a PCI IDE controller to work. And using
Google to search for combinations that work, may reduce the risk a bit.

Paul
 
An add-in PCI card would come with its own BIOS chip so should access a much
larger hard disk - even an SATA II drive, but make sure you buy a SATA II
controller card for future proofing reasons.
Click to expand...

Completely unnecessary, access across a lan will never be
bottlenecked by SATA150 vs 300. There is no "SATA II", it's
300.
 
Hi
I got 1 450Mhz P3 slot 1 PC. the motherboard can only support 36GB. If i
add PCI IDE Card to the PC, will it support hard disk bigger that 36GB?
Click to expand...

Yes

Most cards should work, but the only way to be 100% sure is
to buy one and try it.


Another thing, is it posible to downclock the processor? Since the server
will only serve me, i think it doesn't require that speed.
Click to expand...


It depends on the details of implementation whether you need
450MHz P3 or not. Suppose you had a PCI soft-processing
RAID card and a raid array of drives, plus a Gigabit PCI
network card. I say suppose this, because it is the most
cost effective way to get disc fault tolerance and fast
access (100Mb lan will be the bottleneck if you don't use
GbE, and while 100Mb throughput won't be bottlenecked by the
450MHz P3, GbE plus the Raid card will be slightly).

Downclocking will definitely reduce heat, but far better is
downclocking in conjunction with lowering the voltage.
You've not given us enough information to know what is
possible with your board, you should investigate things like
motherboard bios or jumper settings for FSB and CPU vcore
(voltage). I don't even remember what voltage a P3-450 uses
at the moment but it's a fair bet that if underclocked to a
66MHz FSB, for resultant 300MHz total speed, it will still
be stable at a lower voltage... but this is definitely
something (stability) you would have to test extensively
before relying on it.

The more universal way to force an underclock on slot 1 CPU
involves cutting traces on the board or masking pins so they
don't make contact in the socket. Different people have
different ways of doing it, some just put a piece of tape
over the contact (leave it on permanently) but I prefer to
first mask off on both sides of the contact with tape, then
paint the area with nail polish, then peel off the tape. It
is a bit easier to understand after having done it, if you
aren't clear on what I mean. Any board can be forced to
underclock a CPU in this manner, with rare exception of
those that have the FSB jumper (which should start out set
to "auto" but if someone had previously changed it to a
manually set speed) set.

Similar methods of covering or joining contacts can change
the voltage as well, but you may not even need to do these
things, as a P3-450 is not a very hot CPU by modern
standards, they can be passively cooled if using a passive
type heatsink (very long fins) with a plastic duct that
extends from overtop the 'sink to an adjacent case or PSU
fan.
 
DaveW said:
The CPU speed is fixed.
Click to expand...

Bullshit.

I'll bet you $100 that there's an option for a 66MHz FSB either by jumper or
in BIOS. As the Katmai PIII was designed to work on a 100MHZ FSB lowering it
to 66 would give a CPU speed of 300MHz

However, I'd personally keep the FSB at 100 as dropping it to 66 would
impact the RAM speed as well as the CPU.
 
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