Upgrading the garage cruncher. Help!

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Message 1268384 - Posted: 6 Aug 2012, 14:46:06 UTC

You can get a Zotac GT430 PCI card for $60-70 which will give you 2-3k RAC. I have three of them in an old E-Machines.
The cards are moderately OC'd and the box produces 7-8k crunching GPU only.

http://www.zotacusa.com/geforce-gt-430-zt-40605-10l.html

Combine that with the CPU upgrade that HAL9000 mentioned and you'll have a 3-4k box for under $100.



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Message 1268559 - Posted: 7 Aug 2012, 0:11:04 UTC - in response to Message 1268384.  

What you say is totally true, but I'm still dubious about spending real money on an old system.

Looking at your local parts prices (via Newegg as a random sample) you can get an old generic box and gut it.

Then drop in..

AM3 motherboard - $50
Athalon II CPU - $50
GT620 Cuda card - $50
2 gb ram - $10

Then you have something that's a usable current PC. Will play most of the current games etc. You can slot in a better GPU later, or a bigger PSU and a top of the line GPU. More ram if needed etc. Can run a 64bit OS etc.

Sink $100 into an old P4, and it's never going to go any further than that. Now if you can scavenge parts for next to nothing and hot up an old box, I'm all for messing about like that. Even if it melts down, no big deal, it's not like it cost much.

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Message 1268810 - Posted: 7 Aug 2012, 23:38:30 UTC

Wow guys, thanks for all the ideas. I'm pretty set in keeping this old rig. I don't know why. I've been doing a lot of research. To begin with the mobo form factor is micro ATX. The power supply is only 250 watts, so that rules out a few cool Pci Gpu's. I've got this thing stripped down, so I'm thinking of installing 2Gb of ram(currenly 512mb)$59.00 from crucial. Still looking at Zotac Fanless Gpu, then I can run 1 Pci slot fan to keep things cool, and keep the wattage down somewhat. Wondering if I could run a 300-350 what Gpu. Since im not running a dvd,or cd I'm thinking it might work. What do you think? The Mobo will accept a P4 if I came across one. It's just a junker anyway. Gpu budjet <$100.00,2gb RAM $60.00,pci slot fan $22.00. total $182.00. Thats not to bad for breathing a little life into this thing. Plus I can run Lunitics apps. Maybe it will work.
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Message 1268811 - Posted: 7 Aug 2012, 23:39:59 UTC - in response to Message 1268559.  

What you say is totally true, but I'm still dubious about spending real money on an old system.

Looking at your local parts prices (via Newegg as a random sample) you can get an old generic box and gut it.

Then drop in..

AM3 motherboard - $50
Athalon II CPU - $50
GT620 Cuda card - $50
2 gb ram - $10

Then you have something that's a usable current PC. Will play most of the current games etc. You can slot in a better GPU later, or a bigger PSU and a top of the line GPU. More ram if needed etc. Can run a 64bit OS etc.

Sink $100 into an old P4, and it's never going to go any further than that. Now if you can scavenge parts for next to nothing and hot up an old box, I'm all for messing about like that. Even if it melts down, no big deal, it's not like it cost much.

Ian


Dang! where can I find 2GB of ram DDR for $10.00 bucks? I'm all over that.
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Message 1268817 - Posted: 7 Aug 2012, 23:46:28 UTC - in response to Message 1268811.  

What you say is totally true, but I'm still dubious about spending real money on an old system.

Looking at your local parts prices (via Newegg as a random sample) you can get an old generic box and gut it.

Then drop in..

AM3 motherboard - $50
Athalon II CPU - $50
GT620 Cuda card - $50
2 gb ram - $10

Then you have something that's a usable current PC. Will play most of the current games etc. You can slot in a better GPU later, or a bigger PSU and a top of the line GPU. More ram if needed etc. Can run a 64bit OS etc.

Sink $100 into an old P4, and it's never going to go any further than that. Now if you can scavenge parts for next to nothing and hot up an old box, I'm all for messing about like that. Even if it melts down, no big deal, it's not like it cost much.

Ian


Dang! where can I find 2GB of ram DDR for $10.00 bucks? I'm all over that.


I'm seeing $46 on newegg.


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Message 1268824 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 0:07:27 UTC - in response to Message 1268817.  

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239351

"Kingston ValueRAM 2GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory Module"

$11.00

Sure you can buy fancier ram, but put that stick in that motherboard with that CPU, and it will run just fine. I think the last one I bought, a couple of weeks back was NZ$20, but that included delivery.

I put a kit like that into a friends dead PC to replace the old old dead Athalon that was in there. Kids are back on the internet with very little money spent. It does facebook and grumpy birds just fine. If you want better games and crunching, spend a few more $$ and plug in a better CUDA card.

Sure I'd like an I7 with a couple of GTX690s in it. But not enough to pay the money it costs. Give me something cheap and cheerful any day.

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Message 1268840 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 0:51:42 UTC - in response to Message 1268824.  

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239351

"Kingston ValueRAM 2GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory Module"

$11.00

Sure you can buy fancier ram, but put that stick in that motherboard with that CPU, and it will run just fine. I think the last one I bought, a couple of weeks back was NZ$20, but that included delivery.

I put a kit like that into a friends dead PC to replace the old old dead Athalon that was in there. Kids are back on the internet with very little money spent. It does facebook and grumpy birds just fine. If you want better games and crunching, spend a few more $$ and plug in a better CUDA card.

Sure I'd like an I7 with a couple of GTX690s in it. But not enough to pay the money it costs. Give me something cheap and cheerful any day.

Ian


Awesome, I'll check that out. :-)>
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Message 1268841 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 0:52:25 UTC - in response to Message 1268824.  
Last modified: 8 Aug 2012, 0:54:16 UTC

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820239351

"Kingston ValueRAM 2GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory Module"

$11.00

Sure you can buy fancier ram, but put that stick in that motherboard with that CPU, and it will run just fine. I think the last one I bought, a couple of weeks back was NZ$20, but that included delivery.

I put a kit like that into a friends dead PC to replace the old old dead Athalon that was in there. Kids are back on the internet with very little money spent. It does facebook and grumpy birds just fine. If you want better games and crunching, spend a few more $$ and plug in a better CUDA card.

Sure I'd like an I7 with a couple of GTX690s in it. But not enough to pay the money it costs. Give me something cheap and cheerful any day.

Ian


Won't work in his old motherboard, he needs DDR SDRAM.

Memory Type: 333- and 400-MHz DDR SDRAM
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim3000/en/SM/specs.htm

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Message 1268856 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 1:47:44 UTC - in response to Message 1268841.  

True.. That's DDR3 ram for the new system board that I'm talking about. Thanks for clarify that.

But this is why I'm suggesting starting again with a modern board, that takes current ram and graphics cards.

Ian
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Message 1269043 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 13:37:59 UTC

As well as beefing up the old box here is an additional idea that is also low cost. You could use the 2nd machine you have, which you say doesn't work well, and get an Intel Atom or AMD APU motherboard for it. They generally run in the $60-100 range.
Here is one as an example. As that one has a PATA connector you would just need the MB and RAM. Provided the drives and PSU in your other machine are not an issue.
That MB only has a PCI slot, but there are others that do have a PCIe slot. So the option to put some kind of video card is there either way.
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Message 1269070 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 14:38:00 UTC - in response to Message 1269043.  

As well as beefing up the old box here is an additional idea that is also low cost. You could use the 2nd machine you have, which you say doesn't work well, and get an Intel Atom or AMD APU motherboard for it. They generally run in the $60-100 range.
Here is one as an example. As that one has a PATA connector you would just need the MB and RAM. Provided the drives and PSU in your other machine are not an issue.
That MB only has a PCI slot, but there are others that do have a PCIe slot. So the option to put some kind of video card is there either way.



Yeah, lots of of differant ways to speed up the process. I was thinking about using the 2nd one at some point. For some reason it will boot and the XP Windows page comes up, and then the monitor just goes blank. I've tried changing the settings in Bios, safe mode, ctrl f11 you name it ,and I've tried it.

Iwas wondering if I ever got it running if there was a way to run them in parallel together, using the same wifi connection. Maybe through the modem cards with an ethernet cable. Maybe I was just having a nightmare. :-)>

I haven't sent the 2nd unit to the boneyard yet.
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Message 1269075 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 14:42:09 UTC - in response to Message 1269070.  

For some reason it will boot and the XP Windows page comes up, and then the monitor just goes blank. I've tried changing the settings in Bios, safe mode, ctrl f11 you name it ,and I've tried it.

I've come across this twice on client callouts recently, and both times it turned out to be a faulty monitor problem - elderly LCDs, that blanked of their own accord after showing the first few seconds of a signal.
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Message 1269076 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 14:42:32 UTC - in response to Message 1269070.  

As well as beefing up the old box here is an additional idea that is also low cost. You could use the 2nd machine you have, which you say doesn't work well, and get an Intel Atom or AMD APU motherboard for it. They generally run in the $60-100 range.
Here is one as an example. As that one has a PATA connector you would just need the MB and RAM. Provided the drives and PSU in your other machine are not an issue.
That MB only has a PCI slot, but there are others that do have a PCIe slot. So the option to put some kind of video card is there either way.



Yeah, lots of of differant ways to speed up the process. I was thinking about using the 2nd one at some point. For some reason it will boot and the XP Windows page comes up, and then the monitor just goes blank. I've tried changing the settings in Bios, safe mode, ctrl f11 you name it ,and I've tried it.

Iwas wondering if I ever got it running if there was a way to run them in parallel together, using the same wifi connection. Maybe through the modem cards with an ethernet cable. Maybe I was just having a nightmare. :-)>

I haven't sent the 2nd unit to the boneyard yet.

Using the wifi for both should be as easy as. Connecting the two via a crossover Ethernet cable & then setting up internet connection sharing.
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Message 1269078 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 14:44:16 UTC - in response to Message 1269076.  

As well as beefing up the old box here is an additional idea that is also low cost. You could use the 2nd machine you have, which you say doesn't work well, and get an Intel Atom or AMD APU motherboard for it. They generally run in the $60-100 range.
Here is one as an example. As that one has a PATA connector you would just need the MB and RAM. Provided the drives and PSU in your other machine are not an issue.
That MB only has a PCI slot, but there are others that do have a PCIe slot. So the option to put some kind of video card is there either way.



Yeah, lots of of differant ways to speed up the process. I was thinking about using the 2nd one at some point. For some reason it will boot and the XP Windows page comes up, and then the monitor just goes blank. I've tried changing the settings in Bios, safe mode, ctrl f11 you name it ,and I've tried it.

Iwas wondering if I ever got it running if there was a way to run them in parallel together, using the same wifi connection. Maybe through the modem cards with an ethernet cable. Maybe I was just having a nightmare. :-)>

I haven't sent the 2nd unit to the boneyard yet.

Using the wifi for both should be as easy as. Connecting the two via a crossover Ethernet cable & then setting up internet connection sharing.

ICS is a pain in the...

Far better to get a cheap 4-port router, in place of the modem.
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Message 1269088 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 15:03:16 UTC

Yeah sorry guys for posting stuff when I just woke up. Jeez! Lets see here. I did try using a good known monitor to check pc #2, and it does the same thing. I was bummed. I only have one monitor now. A few weeks ago my son needed one and I gave him the one that went with the 2nd pc. I don't know what I was thinking when I said I could run them through the modem card. I'm on wireless (Duh). Is a cross over ethernet cable just the standard type, or does it have more wires?

After finishing a grueling semester of PC repair courses, I told myself, or should I say trying to convince myself that I didn't want to take the networking class this fall, because it's geared for someone who wants to work as an IT person. Thats not me, but I'm wondering now if I wouldn't benefit from it. Dang it's alot of binary stuff again. I don't mind the math and all, but one little mistake screws it all up.

Well if anyone has any Ideas how to get #2PC up and running I'm all ears. I've just been trying eveything I know. Switching all the cables over to the 2nd unit for testing is no big deal since thier both on my workbench anyway.

What are you guys doing up so early anyway? Ha Ha have a good day.
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Message 1269102 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 15:37:29 UTC - in response to Message 1269088.  
Last modified: 8 Aug 2012, 15:39:26 UTC

Yeah sorry guys for posting stuff when I just woke up. Jeez! Lets see here. I did try using a good known monitor to check pc #2, and it does the same thing. I was bummed. I only have one monitor now. A few weeks ago my son needed one and I gave him the one that went with the 2nd pc. I don't know what I was thinking when I said I could run them through the modem card. I'm on wireless (Duh). Is a cross over ethernet cable just the standard type, or does it have more wires?

After finishing a grueling semester of PC repair courses, I told myself, or should I say trying to convince myself that I didn't want to take the networking class this fall, because it's geared for someone who wants to work as an IT person. Thats not me, but I'm wondering now if I wouldn't benefit from it. Dang it's alot of binary stuff again. I don't mind the math and all, but one little mistake screws it all up.

Well if anyone has any Ideas how to get #2PC up and running I'm all ears. I've just been trying eveything I know. Switching all the cables over to the 2nd unit for testing is no big deal since thier both on my workbench anyway.

What are you guys doing up so early anyway? Ha Ha have a good day.

Well it's 11:30 for me and I'm at work. :P

A crossover cable has the transmit and receive lines reversed on one end. That way you connect transmit to receive between the two connections. Otherwise you would be connecting transmit to transmit and receive to receive.

As far as the issue with the machine it is hard to say. It might be something as simple as the refresh rate set to high in the video driver. However if the machine does the same thing booting into safe mode, F8, then something else is most likely going to be the issue.
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Message 1269116 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 16:02:08 UTC - in response to Message 1269102.  

Yeah sorry guys for posting stuff when I just woke up. Jeez! Lets see here. I did try using a good known monitor to check pc #2, and it does the same thing. I was bummed. I only have one monitor now. A few weeks ago my son needed one and I gave him the one that went with the 2nd pc. I don't know what I was thinking when I said I could run them through the modem card. I'm on wireless (Duh). Is a cross over ethernet cable just the standard type, or does it have more wires?

After finishing a grueling semester of PC repair courses, I told myself, or should I say trying to convince myself that I didn't want to take the networking class this fall, because it's geared for someone who wants to work as an IT person. Thats not me, but I'm wondering now if I wouldn't benefit from it. Dang it's alot of binary stuff again. I don't mind the math and all, but one little mistake screws it all up.

Well if anyone has any Ideas how to get #2PC up and running I'm all ears. I've just been trying eveything I know. Switching all the cables over to the 2nd unit for testing is no big deal since thier both on my workbench anyway.

What are you guys doing up so early anyway? Ha Ha have a good day.

Well it's 11:30 for me and I'm at work. :P

A crossover cable has the transmit and receive lines reversed on one end. That way you connect transmit to receive between the two connections. Otherwise you would be connecting transmit to transmit and receive to receive.

As far as the issue with the machine it is hard to say. It might be something as simple as the refresh rate set to high in the video driver. However if the machine does the same thing booting into safe mode, F8, then something else is most likely going to be the issue.



Thanks for the info. I just might look into one of those cables. As far as refreash rate you could be on to something. It worked until I I started a clean windows install. I had some trouble with Vga,256 bit and resolution. I'm sure thats the case, I just can't seem to get the settings right. Even gets a blue screen ata times then shuts down, except the power remains on. I'll keep banging away on it. Thanks for all the help.

T :-)>
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Message 1269118 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 16:03:48 UTC - in response to Message 1269102.  

Yeah sorry guys for posting stuff when I just woke up. Jeez! Lets see here. I did try using a good known monitor to check pc #2, and it does the same thing. I was bummed. I only have one monitor now. A few weeks ago my son needed one and I gave him the one that went with the 2nd pc. I don't know what I was thinking when I said I could run them through the modem card. I'm on wireless (Duh). Is a cross over ethernet cable just the standard type, or does it have more wires?

After finishing a grueling semester of PC repair courses, I told myself, or should I say trying to convince myself that I didn't want to take the networking class this fall, because it's geared for someone who wants to work as an IT person. Thats not me, but I'm wondering now if I wouldn't benefit from it. Dang it's alot of binary stuff again. I don't mind the math and all, but one little mistake screws it all up.

Well if anyone has any Ideas how to get #2PC up and running I'm all ears. I've just been trying eveything I know. Switching all the cables over to the 2nd unit for testing is no big deal since thier both on my workbench anyway.

What are you guys doing up so early anyway? Ha Ha have a good day.

Well it's 11:30 for me and I'm at work. :P

A crossover cable has the transmit and receive lines reversed on one end. That way you connect transmit to receive between the two connections. Otherwise you would be connecting transmit to transmit and receive to receive.

As far as the issue with the machine it is hard to say. It might be something as simple as the refresh rate set to high in the video driver. However if the machine does the same thing booting into safe mode, F8, then something else is most likely going to be the issue.

And it's 17:00 for me, and I've just come back in from a nice walk.

Crossover cables - specifically, pins 1-2 (orange in the T568B standard) are connected to pins 3-6, and 3-6 (green in T568B) are connected to pins 1-2.

Wikipedia TIA/EIA-568
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Message 1269119 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 16:09:31 UTC - in response to Message 1269102.  
Last modified: 8 Aug 2012, 16:09:51 UTC

Most ethernet devices including onboard ethernet cards can sense if the cable is crossed or not and will switch the transmit and receive lines internally and automatically. Of course, this might not work with an old PC specially if it is a 10Mb only, ethernet card.
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Message 1269127 - Posted: 8 Aug 2012, 16:36:50 UTC

You guys are giving me plenty of much needed information. I'm digging it. Its cool to see people offering help from all over the world. I really think I have found a home here at Seti. Thanks again.
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