Discussion Uses for a very old computer. Ideas please!

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ibex333

ibex333

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2005
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So doing a google search reveals some (in my opinion) "lame" ideas for what to do with an old computer. Such as donating it (wheres the fun in that?) or using it as a media player(I can do that with a phone)

What I like are things such as running a Linux Server, Emulation Station, or a PiHole to block pesky ads on the network and some-such. File server/web server.

Let agree to talk about computers no older than a Core2Duo, because anything older really belongs in an enthusiasts/collectors home or junk.

If space and electricity was of no issue, what would YOU do with an old computer?

Thanks!
 
O

OccamsToothbrush

Golden Member
Aug 21, 2005
1,389
825
136
Send it to Jeebus. He's apparently old and worn out too, they should get along fine.

Old age confirmed - too blind/clumsy to tinker with computer parts

I guess it's time to start looking at retirement homes. Harkening back to the days when I used to put computers together myself, I figured it should still be an easy task - current computer not working, let's order a new motherboard/psu/case, swap some stuff out, and be awesome. Not so much. Too...
forums.anandtech.com forums.anandtech.com
 
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shortylickens

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
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Its easier to run old games on old hardware than to emulate or virtual machine them.
Set it up in the living room as a way to entertain guests or kill time while you wait for the pizza man.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
69,625
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www.anyf.ca
Could make a nice pfsense box, though a tad overkill especially if it's a big tower case. I have a Core2Duo 1U server myself for my firewall, got it for really cheap but it's a 1U box so not as bad.

Could use it as a honeypot just for fun. It's better to use a physical machine than a VM for that as there are VM escape vulnerabilities now days.
 
D

[DHT]Osiris

Lifer
Dec 15, 2015
16,657
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Most use cases for an old system aside from maybe an oldie windows gaming box can be relegated to a raspberry pi at this point. Not a lot of reason to keep old iron around.

There's a market for in-betweenie stuff, for plex boxes or the like. A decent core2 duo might be okay, but it's going to use a lot more power than even a low-end current gen whatever.
 
local

local

Golden Member
Jun 28, 2011
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ibex333 said:
Let agree to talk about computers no older than a Core2Duo, because anything older really belongs in an enthusiasts/collectors home or junk.
Click to expand...

Elitist bastage! By 286, 386, 486, PPro, P3, P4 and C2D are happily hanging out in my attic.
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
65,533
13,890
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I still haven't figured out what to do with my last build. Coolermaster HAF932 case, (needs a couple of case fans replaced);I5-760 cpu with a nice Noctua cooler, EVGA GTX660 gpu, 8 gb Corsair ram. I still have the SSD and HDD for it. Has Windows 7 on it, but after an automatic update a couple of years ago, COD 2 stopped running on it and while I can get BF2 to work...sort of....it's a pita. Thought about making it a dedicated gaming rig for my older games, but don't have a decent monitor to use with it. (I have a very old (2003?) Dell 17" crt somewhere in the garage...not using that boat anchor)
 
brainhulk

brainhulk

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2007
9,376
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My brother made me a router/firewall cpu running pfsense. The router frontier provided always crashed and had to be reset. This pfsense box runs 24/7 rock solid
 
mikeymikec

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
19,824
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lxskllr said:
I still use a core2 computer at work. That's not so old.
Click to expand...

My laptop is a Vista era C2D (though oddly it has DDR3 RAM), the only reason I might replace it is because the screen is going and the cheapest way to replace the screen apparently is to buy an identical laptop.

I installed an SSD and a USB 3.0 ExpressCard when I started using it so that when I backed up customers' data it could go that bit quicker.
 
T

TXHokie

Platinum Member
Nov 16, 1999
2,558
176
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The local county electronic recycling collection center will take up to 6 junk computers at a time. I need to pay them a visit.
 
N

NoTine42

Golden Member
Sep 30, 2013
1,387
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brainhulk said:
My brother made me a router/firewall cpu running pfsense. The router frontier provided always crashed and had to be reset. This pfsense box runs 24/7 rock solid
Click to expand...
I had a similar situation. Both my old frontier modem/router or my old router kept crashing. I wound up with an Opteron 270 based server that I installed Ubuntu on and it’s been running reliably the past few years.

That Opteron 270 (dual core, 2GHZ) was released in 2005, I guess that is a year before the Core2Duo was released, so I have to stop talking in this thread :lol
 
snoopy7548

snoopy7548

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2005
8,206
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purbeast0 said:
Buy an arcade cabinet and turn it into a MAME cabinet.
Click to expand...

This is the best idea. Core2Duo with a HD7450 (w/ VGA-output) would be perfect for just about any arcade game, except maybe some modern ones. Get yourself a 20-24" Trinitron, build a cabinet, and you're all set.
 
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