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Older processors used more power..right? So then...

C

Chobits

Senior member
...would using a powersupply that powered a 233mhz Pentium on a 1700+ be adequate? I'm making a no frills, no cost upgrade to my parents HP 233mhz Pentium1 processor. I'm getting just a mobo, ram,processor...I will use now I was going to slap a 1700+ since its so cheap but i'm worried it'd draw more power than what could be supplied...

So should I get a Duron 1.3 or 1.1 instead? The pc at best will be used for word processing and surfing and internet. Normally I would assume that it would be just fine but when my mom asked for some help and I saw how office saw there loading for a while and scrolling down a webpage was laggy (obviously due to the images and the shockwave that is used) I figured they need a new one.

So basically its a nice big Pavilian 8240 and its a well built case so I'm reusing that...and I'm hoping that back then pc companies like HP didn't use propeitory connectors so I'm reusing the PSU also...

but that leads right back to the question: Will it be fine...or should I get a 1.1 Duron instead to be safe?
 
You may be able to get by with the power supply but the chances are not very good. It very well could be propeitory also. Either processor will really draw similar amounts of power with the duron obviously using less but the entire overall system will have more of an affect on the power supply than just the processor. Give the old power supply a try and it may very well work. If it does work, you will need to worry if the power supply will make the system unstable or not which time will tell. You may be better off getting a new case with a power supply and just be done with it. HP probably used propeitory connections for the power, reset, etc. buttons too. A new case will have better ventilation which you will need with a faster system.
 
Older processors used much less power than currect ones.

They draw have higher voltage ratings, but they draw less current.

I highly doubt any power supply from that time era could be used in a modern system.
 
Hrmm...I see

It is a nice big case though and looking at it nothing seems to be propietory (i've opened it several times) so I'm not to worried about ventilation

I'll switch down to a Duron 1.3 Just to be safe though

And why would companies use propietory connections way back in 1998? I can somewhat understand now but back then also? If anyone cares it is a HP Pavilion 8240

And you are telling me a 1.3Duron +256 megs of pc2100 ram and Geforce2gts-v is "current" 😉 ?
 
Don't doubt that power supply. I've used a no name power supply @ 145w from a gateway machine, circa 1996, to power a XP1800 temporarily for a week without any problems. That power supply is still going too, little champ it is🙂
 
A P5 233MMX uses typically 8W, with a max power consumption of 17W. The Athlon 1700+ Thoroughbred is 45-50W, and the Palomino version is even higher at 57-64W. The Duron 1.3 is only slightly better than the Palomino 1700+. You need something like a low MHz Coppermine P3 to come close to the power consumption of the P5, or heavily underclocked, undervoltaged modern processors. That said, the powersupply issue tends to be overblown I think so it could work, despite the big differences in processor power consumption, depending on components, RAM, videocard etc.

Also I think the 8240 system is also based on an highly upgradeable Asus motherboard (TX97), and if you can find a cheap K6-2 400, or ideally K6-3 400 on EBay or somewhere, it could provide a cheap and noticeable upgrade for the types of applications your mom runs.
 
Ummmm... okay, I have a 9000-series HP Pavillion. This system used a 266 MHz Pentium MMX, so it's pretty close, chronologically, to your 233 system. I just checked, and it has a 250 W PSU. _And_ the PSU is an ATX, not some proprietary sort with an odd connector.

I'm sure your 8240's PSU is an ATX. It's probably 150 W or more, which would be adequate for what you're talking about, based on the 8240 specs. I think these guys are confusing an HP 8240 with a Leading Edge system from 1991 or something. Crazy.

 
You know, you can get a NEW power supply pretty cheap that would be worlds better than what you have now. The power supply can be a critical part of the system. The concern is not necessarily that there isn't enough power, but that the power supply is getting old, and may be overworked with the new setup, or could take some other parts out with it. I had an HP Pavilion 8260, totally stock, and after a year the power supply went, taking the power amp (it was a daughter card that came with the sound card) and the Polk speakers out with it.
 
I have an old HP Kayak from that era, and it uses a proprietary PSU, so HP definately had some boxes with proprietary parts back then.

Anyway, try it, if it doesn't work, get a new PSU.
Have a look at the PSU, should say what rating it has, if it's 150W, you might be pushing it a bit, but hey, you never know, the 145W PSU in one of my boxes at work is doing an admirable job of powering all the extra junk I've installed in that computer 🙂
 
Older processors used more power per transistor per cycle. Not more power overall. Smaller process technology (.13 micron compares to .35 micron) and better designs mean each transistor works with lower power and less heat, but the tremendous increases in the number of transistors and the 10X or more increase in frequency results in a higher actual power usage for current processors.

For an Athlon system, the 12V supply is what you should be concerned about. If the PSU puts out around 10A (for a low-wattage PSU) then it should be capable, but it'll have to be a very clean and reliable supply. Older systems like the Pentium used the 5V or 3.3V lines for power, so the 12V line is often very low on older PSUs. Small form factor cases these days often have only 200W PSUs, but they have a reasonable 12V supply, sometimes even better than cheap 300W or even 400W PSUs.
 
Originally posted by: jackschmittusa
Dell and Packard Bell are the only manufacturers that I know to have used proprietary wiring designs on their mobo/psu setups.
Click to expand...

IBM (made around 95-97), Acer (various Aspires around 95-98), and Compaq (various Deskpros) did as well.

Most often those would be the ones in LPX cases that used a psuedo-AT style power supply. I haven't had to deal with these in a while. Thank goodness.
 
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