Spare Computer

[5614]

im going to be getting a spare computer in the next few weeks... 450MHz one or two hundred MB RAM, so its not that good, not worth much either, what can i do with it??

 

i could use it, but what experiments can you do, like taking apart the computer, overclocking it etc.... what should i do with it?

[pulkit]

How about trying to put its processors in parellel with your exsisting one ?

I never tried myself with my spare processor, but tell me if you find a decent way to do it.

[5614]

i doubt that the old motherboard it comes with will support dual processing, there's no point in mixing it with my current good computer, coz im not gonna play with it!

 

i've got an old 333mhz computer which is used

this new 450mhz computer, which im using on something, [what this thread is about]

and a good 2.53ghz computer, which i use daily for me!

[drz]

you could make a router out of it, or a server.

 

You could overclock it to see how fast you can get it before it snaps, probably around double speed.

 

You could tie a chain to it, attach it to your neighbors car and see if it makes it back home with them.

 

Or you could put win95/98 or 2000 and it would make a good gift to an elder, or child.

[5614]

ive got a router, have no need for a server and it would be too slow anyway

 

what would happen when it "snaps" due to overclocking?? will it just internally melt and i wont see anything?

 

chain ideas funny, but no!

 

i have 98SE instal, but not 95 or 2000, i would like to do something personally with this, not pass it on!

 

any funky experiments i could do?

[drz]

servers don't need to be super powerfull 2+ gb machines. Depends on what your serving.

 

You could perhaps try to control a robot with it via the printer port.

[5614]

maybe, but i dont know how to go about that, i'd need a lead, but i dunno where to go from there to get the port to emit a current.

[drz]

http://www.aaroncake.net/circuits/interfac.htm

[5614]

ah, stuff that idea, i want something i can do in 30 seconds, at the moment i dont have the dedication to that kinda project!

 

can i safely overclock the computer from 450mhz to say 800mhz without it breaking?

 

maybe that would be a good experiment.

 

or i could replace my old 333mhz one with this, and then overclock the 333mhz one, but i think i would take the RAM outta the best one, making the overclocking one lacking in RAM, would that let down the amount it overclocks by?

[drz]

nah, overclocking is (brain not functioning completly right) something to do with a multiplier.

 

Here's an Idea, get ya a water tight container, fill it with ice, duct tape it to the heat sink and then try to OC to 800mhz. See how long it takes you to melt the ice.

 

Honestly though, I'd think of something more constructive, like, using it for a big paperweight (which is all it will be if you OC to much) until you come up with a better idea.

[5614]

i say overclock it, or the older 333mhz one, then use the components as decor for my room, you walk in under a HDD, pass some ram and a motherboard and see a CPU, heatsink and processor in the distance!!!

 

im dreaming, my rooms quite small, but i like the idea of displaying computer components!

[drz]

I've known people to use ram chips for key chains. They also make for good box openers.

 

Hey, I got another idea for ya, try to make a custom computer case out of old cerial boxes.

[Dave]

Use it as a linux box. Or a footrest.

 

Maybe both if you're feeling adventerous.

 

My linux box is a pretty 400mhz PIII running gentoo and it rules the planet via my uberleet serial connector.

[obduro]

In my opinion dave is on the right track...linux is still capable of running on those ancient machines with just 66 MHz and 4 MB ram...it would make a good machine to learn on how an open source OS works, by manipulating with the kernel and stuff...see if you can break into it over the network...the possibilities are endless.

 

Otherwise you could frame your motherboard and hand it on a wall

 

A crule reminder to your existing machines of what happens when they become obsolete.

[5614]

i dont think i will do linux as im probably going to be using windows for a long time!

 

i think i will try edit the windows coding and registries, end with a massive overclocking and then frame the components!

 

[where is there a place reguarly updated of the processor speed, which i could use for watching the rate of overclocking?]

[bloodhound]

what do u mean thats not good enough. My previous computer was 400Mhz and 128Mb ram. and ran win98se sweet. Used it for three years with no probs at all. very stable.

 

the specs of that computer were quite pityful

 

6 gigs hard drive

4MB integrated graphics

CD reader

floppy.

 

happilly ran office2000 and office xp.

[5614]

i dont think anyone said that it wasnt good enough.

 

how can i watch my processor speed whilsts overclocking?

[bloodhound]

i dont know. get some utility like cpu - z which gives u the clock speed. or you should be able to see it from the BIOS

[5614]

to update the processor speed in the BIOS you must re-start, this is not suitable for overclocking, in the video of overclocking to 5GHz using liquid nitrogen they said 'incrementing the FSB' and then showed a screen showing a changing every second processor speed, but i dont know what they were actually viewing, any ideas?

[obduro]

FSB stands for Front Side Bus and it's used by the microprocessor to communicate with other hardware inside the computer, like memory. It is possible to overclock your machine this way but that is not recommended since with higher speeds of the bus (above 100 MHz) the possiblity for error is also higher. It does sound interesting that they were capable to get the CPU up to 5 GHz

[5614]

just to make it clear, i have a computer i dont need and is very old.

after playing around with windows settings and registries [with the idea of learning something and possibly mucking everything else up to, just in the aid of possibly learning something useful] i then want to overclock the computer as fast as i can, i can overclock via a setting in the BIOS, but how can i watch the speed the processor gets up to?

in a video i saw, about overclocking to 5GHz, it mentioned the FSB and showed a screen, updating every second showing processor speed, how can i get this screen?

on windows XP and/or 98SE

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/computers/article/0,12543,600198,00.html

 

That tells you how to make a picture to hang that will be controlled over a wireless network and will change to any picture you upload to it.

[5614]

interesting, still prefer my idea though. read the post at the very top of this page for my question

 

im not that much into photography

[5614]

woa, in the end i didnt get that computer... however:

 

yesterday my dad goes "the skips* are coming around tomorrow im going to throw out the old computer**"

*(every few months theres a communal skip placed in the area for anyone to use - suplied by council (barnet, london, UK))

**very old, ©1991 and runs DOS (or windows 3.1 - maybe, i think!)

 

anyway, so i said "no you're not" and let him throw out that monitor whilsts keeping the base.

ive now dismantled it entirely and my whole bedroom floor is covered with 1991 computer parts! including 8 RAM sticks (they're tiny, about 1/2 size normal ones) and are probably only a few MBs together!

 

i dimantled the two (1x100MB 1x200MB) HDDs, quite interesting, like a ultra-reflective mini-ish CD!

 

the main power unit is very nice! lots of massive capactiors and resistors

 

other than that is all useless (and some broken in seperation!) but it all looks cool, loads intel IC chips etc

found the BIOS chip, says:

"A386SX

BIOS

W10

V 1.1R2

©Acer inc 1991"

just incase anyone was wondering!

 

not sure what ill do with it, just did it tonight, maybe put it up on display!

 

dismantling computers is dangerous as they can hold charge (in capacitors) but more likely is that you will cut yourself. tonight i had one bleeding finger and 7 cut fingers - 3 severly cut (but not bleeding) whilsts it is probably because i was careless, rushed and kept pricking myself pulling out leads and poking myself on IC chips, this is still dangerous!

[ed84c]

video? do you have a link?