Ghetto-PC time again...

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Since my dv9000 failed i've been short of PC hardware. Mom uses the DV5 all the time (and constantly bugs me that her games hang, so the DV5 is on its way out as well), and i don't want to remember right now what's up with my main rig... It is, it works, it's just not here.

I got myself a little iBook G4, and that does okay, but there are a few things that it won't run, most notably PCB design and circuit simulation software. And i really really really need that.

I had this Dell Optiplex GX110 sitting in my closet for a while now. I intended it to be the next router/server box, plan was to put two GB Ethernet cards in it, a wifi, and a big hard drive via SATA -> IDE adapter. I put a P3-933 in it.

Well, i never got the cards so it's been sitting ever since. So last night i decided to piece it together and make a working computer. I put 2x 128MB PC133 sticks in it (i gave away all my 256MB ones... the two i still have, it doesn't like), a 20GB Seagate HDD that a friend left here for free, and stole the CD-ROM from the (current) server box. And i used to have dozens of opticals lying around... None still working. Oh, and i had to fix the cable on this keyboard as well. I extended it with one that came from a mouse, so now i have a keyboard with a green PS/2 connector.

Installed XP SP2 as that's what surfaced first from my stack of CDs, tweaked to absolute bare bones, and we're up and running. I also connected the 250GB Hitachi HDD that used to be in my dv9000 via this here USB to SATA adapter. I'm going to get a IDE/SATA, but this'll do for now. Display device is the good ole Dell P1110.

Unfortunately the onboard Intel graphics can only do 1280x1024 at 24 bits, next resolution up is 1600x1200 at 8 bits, nothing in between. So i'm stuck at 1280x960 (for proper aspect ratio). Ahh well. I can see it from further away. There is no AGP slot on this box if that's what you were asking.

Now to describe the machine... Yes, pics soon to follow.

• First of all, the HDD bay was missing. No problem with that - the 20GB Seagate sits nicely on bubble wrap and foam - double insulated. This is a typically quiet drive anyway, so there were no noise issues to speak of, and now there's no vibration either.
• The power button is missing from the front panel, i have to press it with a screwdriver. The reset button doesn't press where it should so that doesn't work either - but i hope i'll never need it.
• The power connector for the floppy drive has been ripped off the PSU - wonder who had a need for it. I have plenty tho, and i'll only need the floppy to update the BIOS anyway.

Other than that, the machine is very solid. Both PSU and CPU fans are thermally controlled, and it's really quiet. That's good since both are 60mm - if those were blasting at full speed it would have been quite a noisemaker. It's only got two 'lytics on the whole mobo, and those are UCC KY (IIRC), they serve as output coupling capacitors for the onboard audio. Everything else is SMD tantalums and OSCONs. Like a boss.

I had some initial DPC latency issues due to the Microsoft driver for the onboard 3Com ethernet card. I've sourced the Dell/3Com driver and it's fine now. DipTrace runs, LTSpice runs (fairly slow to simulate, but it works), so i'm back in business. The only thing i still need to do is to install the networked printer, i'll be doing that right now.

[mockingbird]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

If you had a GX150 and not the 110 you could have thrown a lin-lin adapter in and a Tually. Someone brought me a 150 last week to install something for them. Must have sold it to them ages ago.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

I'm pretty sure i can mod this thing to accept a Tualatin as well... But i'm out of Tualies anyway. Oh btw... printer working fine.

While i was looking for a floppy disk to update the BIOS, i found my stash of good opticals, pulled out a DVD burner and a CD-RW. I decided for the CD-RW as i recall that particular burner being very slow (worn laser). It's not like i'll be using it anyway.

Same friend which gave me the 20GB Seagate will drop by tomorrow with two sticks of 256MB PC133, a 32MB PCI video card and a IDE->SATA adapter he has lying around. Looks like i'll be maxing out this thing pretty much.

[brethin]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

GX110 needs Low Density Ram. I have USFF one sitting here with a 1Ghz P3 and 20GB drive, floppy drive, DVD-RW drive and ATI PCI X1300 video card with 2 sticks of 256 (for 512 total which is its max) running XP. They make great little boxes.

[Uranium-235]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

if you're running it as a bare router, just use PFsense and a CF Card/CF IDE adapter

[mockingbird]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

There's a pot on the laser you should be able to adjust.

[momaka]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

Cool computer . Welcome to my world, hehe. To rival you, I have a HP Pavilion 8756C with 850 MHz P3 CPU, 384 MB SDRAM @ 100 MHz, and 30 GB loud-as-a-truck IBM DTLA-305030 HDD. And yes, this is my daily-use computer. It's slow and not very quiet, but very reliable and I really like the onboard Intel/Crystal audio - loud and clear, just the way I like it .
As with any old OEM hardware, this thing has all good caps on the motherboard and PSU (Sanyo WX, Rubycon YXG, Sanyo Os-con on the motherboard and Panasonic HFQ in the 185W Lite-ON PSU).

I'm sure your old Dell is just as indestructible! The only thing I really dislike about those old Dells is their BIOS - very little options and most have a few odd quirks. Last week at work, for example, I just zero-wiped about 8 of these old Dell towers (2 or 3 GX110, 5 GX300, and 1 GX1). The GX1 and GX300s didn't want to boot my DOS-based zero-fill utility or most of my CD-based zero-fill utilities except for Active@Killdisk. The GX110s, on the other hand, were happy with anything.

We also have a few Dell Precision 210 at work - now those are really nice, IMO. They can take up to two Slot 1 CPUs and they have 4 SDRAM slots that will accept both ECC and non-ECC RAM. The PSUs were nice too - 300W HiPro with a rating of over 30A on the 5V rail IIRC. Solid as a rock!

The reason I was wiping those old systems is because we may be sending them for recycling very soon. No one wants to re-use such old stuff here . Pity, because they have so much life left in them. And technically, they are not totally useless anyways - a Pentium III will easily let you get on the web to check mail and do basic stuff.

Unfortunately the onboard Intel graphics can only do 1280x1024 at 24 bits, next resolution up is 1600x1200 at 8 bits, nothing in between. So i'm stuck at 1280x960 (for proper aspect ratio). Ahh well. I can see it from further away. There is no AGP slot on this box if that's what you were asking.

Sounds typical. The onboard Intel i810 video in my HP is limited to exactly the same resolutions as your Dell. I still primarily use 1024x768 @ 85 Hz on the majority of my computers, so that's not a problem for me. I wonder if PowerStrip will solve your problems, though. I've used it only on one computer to force my HP A4032A 17" CRT monitor to refresh at higher than 60 Hz (Windows didn't allow me to do that no matter what because it detected the monitor as generic plug&play).

Other than that, the machine is very solid. Both PSU and CPU fans are thermally controlled, and it's really quiet. That's good since both are 60mm - if those were blasting at full speed it would have been quite a noisemaker.

^ Lucky.
Only the 80 mm PSU fan in my HP is thermally controlled. The CPU fan, also 80 mm (but dual-ball Delta rated for 0.3A) was not - that thing was loud! So I had to add a fan controller to slow it down (cheap $1 linear controller - works great). Still not silent by any means, but definitely tolerable. Actually, the HDD is contributing the majority of the noise now. But that's why they made the audio amp on the board go so loud anyways .

It's only got two 'lytics on the whole mobo, and those are UCC KY (IIRC), they serve as output coupling capacitors for the onboard audio. Everything else is SMD tantalums and OSCONs. Like a boss.

I have a Gateway Select 750 that is built like that - no 'lytics at all! Everything is SMD MLCC and Tantalum. No onboard audio, though . On the plus side, it has AGP . That one I use mostly as a torrent box and old games (Counter-Strike 1.5 with bots, anyone?? ).

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

Haven't checked the PSU in this thing, but i have no reason to, either. It works, and that's what i care about.

And technically, they are not totally useless anyways - a Pentium III will easily let you get on the web to check mail and do basic stuff.

Not really... For example, the new Yahoo Mail interface is basically impossible to work with on such a machine. I had to go back to the "classic" look. Also, taking 2-3 seconds from mouse wheel turn to scrolling action in a text box, that's pretty annoying. Software has slowed down a lot as the years went by.

Sounds typical. The onboard Intel i810 video in my HP is limited to exactly the same resolutions as your Dell. I still primarily use 1024x768 @ 85 Hz on the majority of my computers, so that's not a problem for me. I wonder if PowerStrip will solve your problems, though.

Nope... PowerStrip won't support custom resolutions on intel graphics of that era, it says so in the FAQ as well. And don't tell me you're still using a 17" CRT. It's hard for me to work in less than 1440x900 (wide) or 1400x1050 (4:3).

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

Eww! i815 and i810 suck! That's what made a load of folks steer away from Intel graphics.

For me it's i915 and later! (Maybe 845-based graphics, too.)

Plus i815 and probably i810 cannot run 3D with more than 16-bit color!

At least the Voodoo 3s have something real good, despite having the same limitation as above.

[momaka]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

Nope... PowerStrip won't support custom resolutions on intel graphics of that era, it says so in the FAQ as well.

Ah, Intel graphics . So I am in the same boat then, since the MEW-AM motherboard in this HP PC doesn't have AGP either... Meh, 1024x768 is good enough.

And don't tell me you're still using a 17" CRT.

Wish I could say no... but I am . That's in my grandmother's house, though. I'm there usually for 1 or maybe 2 weeks tops in the summer. Only need the computer to unload images from my camera every now and then and some other basic stuff like that. It is a Sony Trinitron tube after all, though. Still plenty bright to blind you at full white screen, so the contrast/colors are very good. Focus is acceptable (hey, it's from '94, give it a break! ). Besides, it's very heavy so I'm pretty sure no one will want to steal it .

It's hard for me to work in less than 1440x900 (wide) or 1400x1050 (4:3).

Those are fine resolutions, but not for anything under 24" IMO. I can't see very well at such resolutions unless I get very close to the screen, and my eyes are okay. 1280x960 is as far as I'll go on a 21" CRT. 19" and under is all 1024x768.

Not really... For example, the new Yahoo Mail interface is basically impossible to work with on such a machine. I had to go back to the "classic" look.

O/T... but how do you get to the "classic" look? I can't find the setting anywhere. Even so, the new Yahoo mail is running fine for me in both Opera 11 and Firefox 3.6. Gmail and Microsoft Outlook Webmail run great too (as long as you set Gmail to display in HTML-only and Microsoft Outlook to "Use the blind and low-vision experience" <-- lol, WTF Microsoft ).

[lti]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

I'm still using a 15" CRT on SiS onboard graphics.

As with any old OEM hardware, this thing has all good caps on the motherboard and PSU (Sanyo WX, Rubycon YXG, Sanyo Os-con on the motherboard and Panasonic HFQ in the 185W Lite-ON PSU).

There is only one good cap in my old Compaq. It's in the floppy drive. The fan controller I added to it has a Nichicon cap on it, but that isn't original.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

Those are fine resolutions, but not for anything under 24" IMO. I can't see very well at such resolutions unless I get very close to the screen, and my eyes are okay. 1280x960 is as far as I'll go on a 21" CRT. 19" and under is all 1024x768.

1600x1200 looks dope on this P1110... Admittedly, it took hours of calibrating to get it like this. In XP the text is a bit small at 1600x1200 on a 21", but i would like at least 1400x1050. Oh, and... the maximum refresh rate this crappy intel gfx can output is 75Hz.

On my Nokia 920C 19" i used to run custom 1440x1080 - the highest resolution it would take at 85Hz. Looked awesome under Windows 7.

O/T... but how do you get to the "classic" look? I can't find the setting anywhere.

• Log out of Yahoo! Mail
• Change resolution to 800x600
• Log in to Yahoo! Mail in IE

You'll get a screen telling you that your resolution is too low, and under it you'll have the option to go back to Mail Classic. And it'll stick to that every time, unless you click the "Get Newest Yahoo! Mail" link.

[momaka]

Re: Ghetto-PC time again...

1600x1200 looks dope on this P1110... Admittedly, it took hours of calibrating to get it like this. In XP the text is a bit small at 1600x1200 on a 21", but i would like at least 1400x1050.

Yeah, my 21" Dell D1626HT looks pretty sharp too at 1600x1200 - and I never had to calibrate it or anything. I don't think I even played with the convergence. I believe the tube is a bit worn, though - no matter how high I push the brightness, the white tones just won't looks as bright as my other newer CRTs. Only the blacks shift up. That aside, it still has decent contrast - beats LCD quality easily, of course.

Oh, and... the maximum refresh rate this crappy intel gfx can output is 75Hz.

On mine, 1152x864 is the highest resolution to support 85 Hz. I like 1024x768, though - it's just good enough .

• Log out of Yahoo! Mail
• Change resolution to 800x600
• Log in to Yahoo! Mail in IE

You'll get a screen telling you that your resolution is too low, and under it you'll have the option to go back to Mail Classic. And it'll stick to that every time, unless you click the "Get Newest Yahoo! Mail" link.

Thanks. Will definitely try it. Although the current version of Yahoo doesn't seem to be that bad right now. The lag is not very noticeable over remote desktop (since remote desktop lags by itself ). It would have been nice if Yahoo kept it's very old HTML-based email still available as an option though - now that thing ran fast.