What To Do About Old PC Hardware...
video description
My 2008 HP dc5850 used till 2019, I did give to a friend, it had a Phenom II B97 (4C4T; 3,2GHz); 8GB DDR2 (800MHz) and a new 250 GB HDD.
My antiques are in a cabinet; a 486DX66; 8MB RAM; 200+300 MB HDD; 2 floppy drives (3 and 5 ) and a CD, dual booting Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and OS/2 Warp. A Philips P3105, an XT clone with a 5 floppy and a 20MB HDD. Both have a network card with a coax ethernet cable, I think 10MB/s. The last time, I used them for a day, was 2014. I have no space to keep them available.
However I have a second best solution, I run their software in a Virtualbox VM :) :)
- Windows for Workgroups 3.11 with Novell PerfectOffice 6.1 with graphical versions of WordPerfect 6.1; Quattro Pro 6.1 etc;
- OS/2 Warp 4.5;
- MS-DOS with DOSSHELL; WordPerfect 5.1 and Wolfenstein 3D;
- DR-DOS with VIEWMAX
I can start those now in a second.
Date: 2023-12-30
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Comments and reviews: 17
Oceanborn712
I generally repurpose old hardware.
I used to have multiple Unraid servers plugged together from old stuff until I combined it all into one big machine that currently has 46TB or storage that consists of ancient HDDs from an era long gone, going back to drives from my old PS3 in 2008. Surprisingly, those old drives actually still work and the only ones that keep dying are the newer ones, although I am slowly replacing them now as they simply have become too small. The next step for this server is waiting for current Threadripper and SSD memory to become cheap enough to replace it all with flash memory.
All my systems tend to boot from ancient SSDs that are too small for actual storage use nowadays. Those 128-256 GB SSDs, no matter if SATA or NVMe, are pretty much perfect as isolated system drives with all the actual stuff on separate drives. Makes reinstalling or switching OS super easy. However, I have to say 128GB is too small by now. Windows keeps producing so much junk from stuff like Windows Update that you're constantly fighting against the C: is full!!! messages, cleaning up temp files against an ever growing operating system. Next upgrade rotation I'll get rid of the 128GB ones and maybe put them in an USB encloser to use as USB sticks until they finally die.
However, during the pandemic with crazy prices, I sold off a lot of hardware, most notably graphics cards (and somehow managed to break the Z390 mainboard that used to run my main Unraid so I sold off the 9900K that used to be in there as well). The only old thing I have left from before is a 1050 Ti that I used to use in my server for transcoding videos but eventually replaced with a 3060 for the higher supported NVENC version, which really made a huge difference in file sizes when you have a lot of movies and shows stored. Everything I have here now is AM4 or AM5 and a single LGA 1700 system that's still in pieces waiting for the new Montech KING 95 to be delivered to put it in.
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I generally repurpose old hardware.
I used to have multiple Unraid servers plugged together from old stuff until I combined it all into one big machine that currently has 46TB or storage that consists of ancient HDDs from an era long gone, going back to drives from my old PS3 in 2008. Surprisingly, those old drives actually still work and the only ones that keep dying are the newer ones, although I am slowly replacing them now as they simply have become too small. The next step for this server is waiting for current Threadripper and SSD memory to become cheap enough to replace it all with flash memory.
All my systems tend to boot from ancient SSDs that are too small for actual storage use nowadays. Those 128-256 GB SSDs, no matter if SATA or NVMe, are pretty much perfect as isolated system drives with all the actual stuff on separate drives. Makes reinstalling or switching OS super easy. However, I have to say 128GB is too small by now. Windows keeps producing so much junk from stuff like Windows Update that you're constantly fighting against the C: is full!!! messages, cleaning up temp files against an ever growing operating system. Next upgrade rotation I'll get rid of the 128GB ones and maybe put them in an USB encloser to use as USB sticks until they finally die.
However, during the pandemic with crazy prices, I sold off a lot of hardware, most notably graphics cards (and somehow managed to break the Z390 mainboard that used to run my main Unraid so I sold off the 9900K that used to be in there as well). The only old thing I have left from before is a 1050 Ti that I used to use in my server for transcoding videos but eventually replaced with a 3060 for the higher supported NVENC version, which really made a huge difference in file sizes when you have a lot of movies and shows stored. Everything I have here now is AM4 or AM5 and a single LGA 1700 system that's still in pieces waiting for the new Montech KING 95 to be delivered to put it in.
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storm-sf5rj
i still have my old DX486 that i bought in 1994 it had 4meg ram 250meg HD and 8meg graphics,i upgraded the life out of it but moved over to AMD in 96 i Bought a tower case a sound blaster AWE64 a 8gig HD and a 2gig graphics card - i now run a 5900X - 6900XT 32gig ram and 4 - 8TB Drives and 2TB Boot Drive but i still have that old 486 mainly because it was the first PC i ever Bought Compleat from a shop before that i had Atari ST's and AMIGA games machines and i wish i still had them as the games where more playable as long as you had 2 flopy drives lol
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i still have my old DX486 that i bought in 1994 it had 4meg ram 250meg HD and 8meg graphics,i upgraded the life out of it but moved over to AMD in 96 i Bought a tower case a sound blaster AWE64 a 8gig HD and a 2gig graphics card - i now run a 5900X - 6900XT 32gig ram and 4 - 8TB Drives and 2TB Boot Drive but i still have that old 486 mainly because it was the first PC i ever Bought Compleat from a shop before that i had Atari ST's and AMIGA games machines and i wish i still had them as the games where more playable as long as you had 2 flopy drives lol
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BearThing
I bought my current computer in 1989. It was a 286 12Mhz with 1MB of RAM, a 40MB HD and CGA graphics on DOS 4.0. Since then I've been upgrading that system, swapping out MBs, CPUs, memory, drives, cases, power supplies, GPUs, and software - piece by piece - to arrive at the latest configuration. Some of those cast off parts got cobbled together in new builds and foisted off on family members, but most festered in my basement 'til I moved in 2021. Sure wish I still had that original PC.
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I bought my current computer in 1989. It was a 286 12Mhz with 1MB of RAM, a 40MB HD and CGA graphics on DOS 4.0. Since then I've been upgrading that system, swapping out MBs, CPUs, memory, drives, cases, power supplies, GPUs, and software - piece by piece - to arrive at the latest configuration. Some of those cast off parts got cobbled together in new builds and foisted off on family members, but most festered in my basement 'til I moved in 2021. Sure wish I still had that original PC.
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vlcglavni6608
I upgrade either my whole system generally every 2 years or just the gpu or cpu/mobo combo, and sell while it's still worth something. Older hardware seems to creep back to me though as I upgrade colleagues'/friends computers and I tell em generally to dump the stuff at my place better than the landfill, so my garage is nicely stocked up with s775/am3/s1156 stuff by now. s1155 and newer incoming as it seems.
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I upgrade either my whole system generally every 2 years or just the gpu or cpu/mobo combo, and sell while it's still worth something. Older hardware seems to creep back to me though as I upgrade colleagues'/friends computers and I tell em generally to dump the stuff at my place better than the landfill, so my garage is nicely stocked up with s775/am3/s1156 stuff by now. s1155 and newer incoming as it seems.
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sc337
I've always ended up having too many of them. I still have my first two PC that I built, one is Pentium 4 and another is Athlon XP. I also have a few LGA775 systems. They are too old, I really don't know what to do with them. The only PC that I miss most and didn't keep is the one bought by my parents. It was a Pentium II with an intel i740 display card. Those slot 1 CPUs are really special
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I've always ended up having too many of them. I still have my first two PC that I built, one is Pentium 4 and another is Athlon XP. I also have a few LGA775 systems. They are too old, I really don't know what to do with them. The only PC that I miss most and didn't keep is the one bought by my parents. It was a Pentium II with an intel i740 display card. Those slot 1 CPUs are really special
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JamesSmith-sw3nk
I had a 1366 xeon tower (T3500) that just died on me, it was my main system for years. It got moved to a back up pc when the x5670 cpu bottlenecked a rtx 2060. I noticed there was no different in fps for my favorite games between the 2060 and gtx 1060 that it had replaced. I then went to a Ryzen 3600 pc which was a LOT faster.
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I had a 1366 xeon tower (T3500) that just died on me, it was my main system for years. It got moved to a back up pc when the x5670 cpu bottlenecked a rtx 2060. I noticed there was no different in fps for my favorite games between the 2060 and gtx 1060 that it had replaced. I then went to a Ryzen 3600 pc which was a LOT faster.
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blackbirdpctech
I struggle with this too ... I think it's a good idea to keep GPU's because it's nice to see how the cooling solutions change over time but for most other items they end up just getting thrown out eventually ... better to simply give them away. The other question is what to do with cables ... I never seem to throw any out.
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I struggle with this too ... I think it's a good idea to keep GPU's because it's nice to see how the cooling solutions change over time but for most other items they end up just getting thrown out eventually ... better to simply give them away. The other question is what to do with cables ... I never seem to throw any out.
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OmegaCaldereroid
i wish i still have my first portable pc, it was an ECS laptop without a battery and only plug-in with 64MB RAM and 20GB HDD, 14 720p, but i still have my first self built pc, 2600k with 2x gtx770, also still have my 4770k with EVGA titanX, and my daughter stll uses her Ryzen 1700x with 3060ti...
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i wish i still have my first portable pc, it was an ECS laptop without a battery and only plug-in with 64MB RAM and 20GB HDD, 14 720p, but i still have my first self built pc, 2600k with 2x gtx770, also still have my 4770k with EVGA titanX, and my daughter stll uses her Ryzen 1700x with 3060ti...
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ElladanKenet
One thing I've struggled with recently is the need for a Retro PC. There are software, mainly older games, that I just cannot play on my current machine, or if it does, it plays awfully. And no, it's not a case of my memories fooling me, but sometimes less is more, when it comes to optimization.
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One thing I've struggled with recently is the need for a Retro PC. There are software, mainly older games, that I just cannot play on my current machine, or if it does, it plays awfully. And no, it's not a case of my memories fooling me, but sometimes less is more, when it comes to optimization.
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techieg33k
I do wish I had dinner of my very old hardware for proper retro gaming, but alas I've never had space (and still don't) for that. My old hardware gets moved to a backup computer I keep then anything older gets reconditioned and given to anyone I know who needs the upgrade.
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I do wish I had dinner of my very old hardware for proper retro gaming, but alas I've never had space (and still don't) for that. My old hardware gets moved to a backup computer I keep then anything older gets reconditioned and given to anyone I know who needs the upgrade.
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CoffeeKittyGrey
eBay is so full of buyers that take the piss I've given up with regular upgrades because it's just a nuisance to sell on your older parts.
Always perfectly working, clean, well looked after but too many people are trying to scam.
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eBay is so full of buyers that take the piss I've given up with regular upgrades because it's just a nuisance to sell on your older parts.
Always perfectly working, clean, well looked after but too many people are trying to scam.
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rangersmith4652
CPUs (and PCs built around them) I no longer have include an 8086, a 286, a 486DX, a Pentium 133, a Cyrix 166, Pentium 2 400MHz, and an Athlon XP 3000 Barton. Of those, I kind of wish I had kept the 486, P2 and Barton-based machines.
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CPUs (and PCs built around them) I no longer have include an 8086, a 286, a 486DX, a Pentium 133, a Cyrix 166, Pentium 2 400MHz, and an Athlon XP 3000 Barton. Of those, I kind of wish I had kept the 486, P2 and Barton-based machines.
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Druac
My 6th gen with a 1080 is in my man-cave for casual gaming and media consumption. Other than that...I usually give my old parts away to someone that can use them in the family.
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My 6th gen with a 1080 is in my man-cave for casual gaming and media consumption. Other than that...I usually give my old parts away to someone that can use them in the family.
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JamesSmith-sw3nk
I am currently using an i5 2500s and gtx 1060 6gb to play games on. My 5800x3d & 4090 pc, 13700k & 3090, 3600x & 3080, and i7 4790 & 3060ti pc's are all busy mining.
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I am currently using an i5 2500s and gtx 1060 6gb to play games on. My 5800x3d & 4090 pc, 13700k & 3090, 3600x & 3080, and i7 4790 & 3060ti pc's are all busy mining.
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whyjay9959
I'm not very nostalgic for old computers. However I would've liked a couple of older system to properly run some older games, emulation can only do so much.
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I'm not very nostalgic for old computers. However I would've liked a couple of older system to properly run some older games, emulation can only do so much.
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threadripper979
486DLC? Be quiet, youngster. My first junker was a Timex/Sinclair, and my first real computer was an IBM XT. And, yes, I wish I had held onto that XT.
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486DLC? Be quiet, youngster. My first junker was a Timex/Sinclair, and my first real computer was an IBM XT. And, yes, I wish I had held onto that XT.
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Jmespo83
I ve not really thought about what to do with old hardware as I upgrade, but I know I ll keep my EVGA 30 series card forever.
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I ve not really thought about what to do with old hardware as I upgrade, but I know I ll keep my EVGA 30 series card forever.
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