So i found a Pentium 3 866mhz Dell computer outside of my work.

[TurtleCrusher]

So yesterday somebody had the bright idea to leave a Dell Dimension P3 box outside of my work. I took it in, pulled off the side of the case and it was the dustiest computer i have ever seen. I took an air duster to it and that cleared it all up. Here is the specs:

Intel Pentium 3 866mhz (133 FSB 256kL2 cache)
ATX mobo w/ 4x AGP
Nvidia Riva TNT 64mb (124/145)
Soundblaster Live sound card
128mb PC133
20GB IDE HDD
Sony DVD/CDRW
Floppy

So i took it home and booted. It still had windows ME on it, i decided to wipe the HDD (so i wouldn't be tempted to snoop around.) I installed XP on it and it ran pretty good. Nothing like my current systems, but it was perfectly usable. I upgraded the ram to 256mb PC133 by the spare celeron system i had lying around and it became much snappier. I installed steam and ran HL-DM classic and to my surprise, 20-50fps at 640x480. I browsed some websites with no problem. Youtube seemed a little choppy, but i'm not worried about that. My point is, the system is perfectly usable. I don't really understand why most people that casually use computers really upgrade. This tech is 10 years old and it can do everything my parents do just fine. I installed open office and it ran nearly as good as it does on my primary/gaming computer.

We are already to the point where budget $400 systems come with a quad core, 4-8gb of ram and vista home premium. This is completely unnecessary in my opinion. Everyone i know besides my gaming buddies uses their computer for email, social networking, mindless casual flash games and internet video.

Have we hit a wall for necessary computing power for the typical home PC user? Will there be a hit program/feature that will be mainstream enough to require such hardware?

 

[Lunyone]

I don't think so. Yes the P3 will generally work for 90% of things, but if you like to multi-task your system (IM/You Tube/Encode DVD's) at the same time, the added cores/speed is very helpful. I think we are now getting into wanting bigger screens (more GPU power is generally needed), bigger HD's (saving movies/mp3's/WoW is 15 gb's now isn't it?), more CPU's (multi-threaded apps are now starting to come out more), more RAM (DDR3 is now becoming mainstream and affordable, plus need more RAM to run some OS's), etc.
I think that the more we create the more innovation is created. Yes most of the programs today aren't as efficient as they were years ago when we had limited capacities. Now programmers just throw in a code that generally is bloated, but works. This minimizes initial R&D costs, but can/will also make the software slow on older systems. This is why some people upgrade to speed things up a bit for everyday use.

I remember waiting 2-4 minutes, or more, for my lousy dial-up internet connection to dial into the ISP for my internet. Now I have instant (almost) access to my internet.

I guess you can decide if you really need more CPU/RAM/GPU/HD speed or space. 80% of the population probably wouldn't notice too much if they were still running a single core CPU with 1 gb's of DDR2 on Windows XP than what they are currently running now. Only the power users/multi-taskers/gamers would definately notice it.

 

[Billb2]

I'd venture to say that 75% of all new computer purchases from Dell/Gateway/HP are because:

The HDD was never defragged.
There were 30 apps running on the task bar.
AV never updated:
Loaded with spyware.
Loaded with malware.
Browser cache never emptied.
OS updates never installed.
Case is a mass of dust bunnies.
Etc.

Yes, a PIII will do pretty much anything a new $800 PC/monitor will do.

 

[Denithor]

Cloud computing is already on the horizon for these exact reasons.

We have already started to see TVs with a direct internet connection (albeit - limited to select sites/zones depending on the partner companies). And at one of those 'gamer expo' shows someone (Microsoft?) was showcasing a 'pay-as-you-play' gaming system - rendered remotely and streamed directly to your HDTV/PC. Pay for game time and you no longer need an expensive gaming rig to play the latest games (or to buy said games, in fact).

In short - Billb2 is right on the money - most people buy a new system simply because the old one gets 'slow' due to being laden with crapware. With proper maintenance most people could still be working fine on those ten-year-old P3 machines.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Unbelievibly, I am stuck with a very similar computer for my work computer. It is really, really slow.
Even opening an excell spreadsheet causes the hourglass to spin for a definite amount of time. Sigma Plot is even slower. Maybe the comp I uses has other problems.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Funny, this thread is similar to this one.

I think the "typical home user" still has need of some power. Software like Spore, Second Life, Sims 2 (soon Sims 3 will be out) MS Flight Simulator are used by millions of folks who are not necessarily computer enthusiasts, but these all greatly benefit from new CPU technology and good video cards.

 

[Modelworks]

Those boxes are great for running ipcop, smoothwall, etc.
http://www.ipcop.org/

Better than any router in the sub $300 price range.

 

[jjmIII]

Originally posted by: Billb2
I'd venture to say that 75% of all new computer purchases from Dell/Gateway/HP are because:

The HDD was never defragged.
There were 30 apps running on the task bar.
AV never updated:
Loaded with spyware.
Loaded with malware.
Browser cache never emptied.
OS updates never installed.
Case is a mass of dust bunnies.
Etc.

That is where many of us step in. I charge $50 for OS re-installs with back-up of old files. Pretty good deal I think. I do tend to ding 'em a bit with memory upgrades, but most leave under $100 with no complaints. I average 5-10 a month, but all the funds go to feeding my upgrade addiction .

OP try to get 2x256mb in there!

 

[exar333]

Originally posted by: frozentundra123456
Unbelievibly, I am stuck with a very similar computer for my work computer. It is really, really slow.
Even opening an excell spreadsheet causes the hourglass to spin for a definite amount of time. Sigma Plot is even slower. Maybe the comp I uses has other problems.

That is a lot of time all the network processes that your machine runs while on-location. I bet if you took that machine off the work network, reformatted the drive, and tried it out, it would be fine.

I have a C2D at work, and it gets very slow sometimes due to network servers, virus programs, and other mandatory programs running in the background.

 

[OCGuy]

Not even close. My P4 at work struggles when I try and have Outlook, my finance program, and 2 instances of IE7 up. And this is with 512 of RAM.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I recently picked up a machine of that era too. It is a P3 Celly 700Mhz, 64MB PC-100 RAM (soldered to mobo), and a 10GB HD. It's a laptop with a 13" screen. It came with WinME (factory installed, has the COA on back).

It runs, it browses the web (slightly slowly), watches YouTube. Does almost anything a basic computer needs to do.

I'm debating whether to spend the $65 for a 256MB PC-100 SO-DIMM for Compaq. That would give me 320GB, and allow me to install XP onto this sucker. (WinME sucks so bad.)

PS. I don't have any idea how to access the BIOS on this box though, anyone have any ideas? It's a Compaq Presario 12XL400 model.

 

[SonicIce]

Why wouldn't you snoop around? Don't be such a dainty little flower . Whos gunna know

So whered u get the XP key

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
I recently picked up a machine of that era too. It is a P3 Celly 700Mhz, 64MB PC-100 RAM (soldered to mobo), and a 10GB HD. It's a laptop with a 13" screen. It came with WinME (factory installed, has the COA on back).

It runs, it browses the web (slightly slowly), watches YouTube. Does almost anything a basic computer needs to do.

I'm debating whether to spend the $65 for a 256MB PC-100 SO-DIMM for Compaq. That would give me 320GB, and allow me to install XP onto this sucker. (WinME sucks so bad.)

PS. I don't have any idea how to access the BIOS on this box though, anyone have any ideas? It's a Compaq Presario 12XL400 model.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820159402

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Originally posted by: SonicIce
Why wouldn't you snoop around? Don't be such a dainty little flower . Whos gunna know

So whered u get the XP key

Lol, i saw too much info on a 10GB IDE HDD i picked up from goodwill a few months ago. I don't wanna do anything illegal!

As for xp, I have a few dead boards which had OEM keys on them. Call up MS and you can get a different OEM key to work on any box.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820159402

No thanks, I'd rather pay an extra $15 for "guaranteed compatible", rather than paying $50 for something that's non-refundable, and a total crapshoot.