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    #21
    Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

    Started putting it together....This motherboard fit the case like a glove. Every standoff lined up. Motherboard headers didn't even need any modifications. This one is going too easy!



    FWIW, the mfg date on the tag is 7/20/98....I was 24 when this was made.


    Next sunny day (hopefully tomorrow) I'll mix up some 'soup'.


    Still using the test HDD's. Front panel LED's work, and booted normal.


    Yup, so far so good. Momaka, that is FF24.8.1, the last release of ff24. Functions well.


    More later......
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      #22
      Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

      That's a nice system.

      Originally posted by momaka View Post
      I know it's a CD-ROM drive, but I would still actually have tried to fix that Samsung drive of yours.
      It was completely dead, and the main processor got extremely hot.

      Originally posted by momaka View Post
      The one in my Gateway 1000 had a normal-size AT PSU. Made by PowerTronic, IIRC. Looked well-built on the inside.

      **EDIT** I found two pictures of that Gateway PC. My memory was wrong, it's actually model number P5-100.
      This was a GP5-200. It didn't have that PSU adapter. It also had the cover plate over the rear fan opening.

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        #23
        Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

        The soup....


        Not perfect, but came out good. They never come out 100%, but short of actually repainting the plastics, I'm happy.

        Flash on (the flash always accentuates flaws, making it look worse):


        Flash off (what it looks like normally):


        Yes, I know the drives are crooked....they're just sitting in there loose.


        Getting close.
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          #24
          Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

          Man I don't know why but I love this kind of builds, I think is just because the parts were built to last, new PC components are just not as exciting yeah you can run everything you might think but that takes a bit of the fun with it.
          For the os XP was just perfect , I still use XP on the computer I use for college (not connected to internet tho) hey another other thing I don't like windows 10 believe it or not but the os that I like the most is windows 8 just because of that tablet like interface... (Off topic ik)
          Congrats on your new build and I'm waiting for the final results!

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            #25
            Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

            If you could just grind off that Gateway emblem and glue on a SuperMicro emblem it would be perfect.

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              #26
              Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

              Originally posted by Topcat View Post
              Not perfect, but came out good. They never come out 100%, but short of actually repainting the plastics, I'm happy.

              Flash on (the flash always accentuates flaws, making it look worse):
              https://www.badcaps.net/forum/attach...1&d=1539376837
              Don't worry that much. I agree that flash always makes things look worse than they are (and hence why I always try to take shots without). But in this case (pun intended ), the results came out excellent, IMO.

              The only thing that catches my eye is the corroded spots on the bottom of the metal of the case. Any plans for that and any way to stop the from popping back. I have tried spray painting before with store spray paint, but often bad rust spots (especially those from roach and/or bedbug poop) tend to come back right through the paint. Got any tips for that? I tried latex paint on another case recently. Seems to be holding up better and the paint is also a bit harder to nick away than regular spray paint. I did apply it with a brush, though, so it looks... well... not amazing. Not terrible either, though.

              By the way, the oldschool case for the SM build I'm planning to use has only a few rust spots on the bottom (and by that, I mean on the side facing the floor). Yet, it drives me nuts and I really have to sand it off and do something about it. I might try the same latex paint treatment.

              Originally posted by Topcat View Post
              Yes, I know the drives are crooked....they're just sitting in there loose.
              https://www.badcaps.net/forum/attach...1&d=1539376837
              Meh. Didn't notice until you mentioned it.
              I regularly just screw optical drives just on one side when I'm short on screws or the case feels tight enough that I don't thin screws on the other side are necessary (on loose cases, they are, as otherwise you get terrible vibrations.)

              Originally posted by Topcat View Post
              Yup, so far so good. Momaka, that is FF24.8.1, the last release of ff24. Functions well.
              Yessir.
              I use it on a daily basis here. Same goes for Opera 12 - the last version with the *real* Opera engine and not Chrome-plated poop.

              Originally posted by brethin View Post
              If you could just grind off that Gateway emblem and glue on a SuperMicro emblem it would be perfect.
              Nah, I think that's part of the charm here.
              However, he could put a small tiny sticker somewhere, saying "powered by SuperMicro" or something like that.
              Last edited by momaka; 10-12-2018, 09:15 PM.

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                #27
                Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

                I was looking through my storage units today and found some really old tower cases I bet Topcat could steath mod. One is a NEC Tower and One is a Speery Univac "Militay only" USNavy ships I somehow saved from the back in the late 1980s when I was in service.

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                  #28
                  Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

                  Originally posted by momaka View Post
                  The only thing that catches my eye is the corroded spots on the bottom of the metal of the case. Any plans for that and any way to stop the from popping back. I have tried spray painting before with store spray paint, but often bad rust spots (especially those from roach and/or bedbug poop) tend to come back right through the paint. Got any tips for that? I tried latex paint on another case recently. Seems to be holding up better and the paint is also a bit harder to nick away than regular spray paint. I did apply it with a brush, though, so it looks... well... not amazing. Not terrible either, though.
                  I usually just clean it up with a scotchbrite pad and leave it at that. If not stored in a humid place, it won't get any worse. If you want to paint/restore it, you have to grind it out (like you would doing body work on a car), down to the bare metal. You'd then have to treat it with rust inhibitor and fill the pits.....then prime & paint. I've done it before, and it looked better than a restored '57 Chevy.....but for a PC case, it's hard to justify...

                  Originally posted by momaka View Post
                  Meh. Didn't notice until you mentioned it.
                  I regularly just screw optical drives just on one side when I'm short on screws or the case feels tight enough that I don't thin screws on the other side are necessary (on loose cases, they are, as otherwise you get terrible vibrations.)
                  I always save screws when scrapping out total junk...I've got little storage drawers full of them....you can never have too many.


                  Originally posted by momaka View Post
                  Yessir.
                  I use it on a daily basis here. Same goes for Opera 12 - the last version with the *real* Opera engine and not Chrome-plated poop.
                  Opera....I can't even remember the last time I used that.... Never used chrome, and never will.

                  Originally posted by momaka View Post
                  Nah, I think that's part of the charm here.
                  However, he could put a small tiny sticker somewhere, saying "powered by SuperMicro" or something like that.
                  The emblem just pops out, but it would leave a blank in the shape of the 'gateway 2000' logo.


                  Originally posted by brethin View Post
                  I was looking through my storage units today and found some really old tower cases I bet Topcat could steath mod. One is a NEC Tower and One is a Speery Univac "Militay only" USNavy ships I somehow saved from the back in the late 1980s when I was in service.
                  I could only imagne what those weigh, shipping would be out of the question.... One of these days I need to take a road trip out your way and pilfer your stash.
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                    #29
                    Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

                    The Speery Univac tower weights a ton, it even has 2 8.5" drive bays for the old school floppy drives.

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                      #30
                      Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

                      This one is complete. I filled the 2x fan ports with some fans I scavenged from a junk powmax PSU...if anyone remembers 'powmax', the fans were the only thing in one of these pieces of crap that were good.

                      I reassembled the case....and here we are!

                      POST bliss!














                      This has been a fun one!!
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                        #31
                        Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

                        Man, those Plextor optical drives look awesome!
                        And I see both of them have their lights on. Are you reading something from one and burning it on the other?

                        Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                        This has been a fun one!!


                        Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                        This one is complete. I filled the 2x fan ports with some fans I scavenged from a junk powmax PSU...if anyone remembers 'powmax', the fans were the only thing in one of these pieces of crap that were good.
                        Of course! PowMax is the reason I found and joined badcaps.net... and also how I got interested in power supplies.

                        Now this might seem a little embarrassing for you, but while we are on the topic, I remember finding this quote from a while back
                        Originally posted by Topcat
                        About a year ago I had a Powmax 500 watt power supply incinerate itself... Smoke poured out of the case, and the PC obviously stopped workin...

                        I took the cover off and the switch-mode transistor had burnt beyond recognition, along with everything around it... With that kind of damage I didn't even think to look at the caps... HEH...

                        I've since thrown it away, but I'll keep my eyes open... I frequently recommend and use Powmax supplies!!
                        And the thread can be found here, just so you don't say I made that one up.

                        Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                        I usually just clean it up with a scotchbrite pad and leave it at that. If not stored in a humid place, it won't get any worse. If you want to paint/restore it, you have to grind it out (like you would doing body work on a car), down to the bare metal. You'd then have to treat it with rust inhibitor and fill the pits.....then prime & paint. I've done it before, and it looked better than a restored '57 Chevy.....but for a PC case, it's hard to justify...
                        Yeah, that's the thing - it is fairly humid where I am... and we don't even have a basement! (On that note, when I've picked up PC gear from really humid houses with basements, sometimes even the dust is so humid that it corrodes any metal parts that it touches.) So I do have to do something about rust spots, otherwise they keep growing bigger as the rust picks up more moisture and grows.

                        I've never done any car painting work, so I wouldn't know how to give the case a proper paint job. But as I mentioned, I did experiment on one PSU and one PC case with some latex paint after deeply cleaning the rust spots with sandpaper (I think I got pretty close to bare metal). Hopefully the latex paint will create a rubber-like moisture-proof seal to stop the rust from growing again. It seems that regular spray paint does not do that. Perhaps on the next case, I might try oil-based paint / wood stain. But I don't know. What're your thoughts on this?

                        Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                        I always save screws when scrapping out total junk...I've got little storage drawers full of them....you can never have too many.
                        I did that at some of my previous jobs, so I do have some spare screws too. But like you said, you can never have too many. Just when I think I have enough, some project comes up and gobbles them all up.

                        Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                        Opera....I can't even remember the last time I used that....
                        Well, now that FF24 and Opera 12 are pretty outdated, I find it equally likely/unlikely that a certain website will or won't work on them.
                        For general use (like looking for datasheets on Google or wherever else), I prefer Opera, as it's lightning-fast compared to any FF browser. But it seems that FF24 still has more websites compatible with it than Opera 12. So on a day-to-day basis, I usually have both open.

                        Opera 12 is wonderful for badcaps.net, BTW - especially on PCs with low RAM. I can browse BCN forums all day with over 20 tabs open and never run out of RAM - even on PCs with as low as 384 MB of RAM. Meanwhile, FF24 needs at least 1 GB with XP. And it feels a bit more sluggish too. Opera 12 + instant page redraw in options = lightning-fast loading times.
                        Last edited by momaka; 10-15-2018, 08:16 PM.

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                          #32
                          Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

                          Originally posted by momaka View Post
                          Man, those Plextor optical drives look awesome!
                          And I see both of them have their lights on. Are you reading something from one and burning it on the other?
                          No, they're empty....but Plextor being the awesome creatures that they are, they have an 'on/busy' LED (the one that's lit), and another that lights if there's a disc in the drive. The burner has 4 blinky lights....I don't remember off the top of my head exactly what each one is for.

                          Originally posted by momaka View Post
                          Of course! PowMax is the reason I found and joined badcaps.net... and also how I got interested in power supplies.

                          Now this might seem a little embarrassing for you, but while we are on the topic, I remember finding this quote from a while back
                          You do realize that's 15yrs old? I've learned a few tricks over the last 15 years since that post...mainly, having one go up in smoke and understanding the reasons why. Prior to that, it was solid....live & learn!

                          Originally posted by momaka View Post
                          It seems that regular spray paint does not do that. Perhaps on the next case, I might try oil-based paint / wood stain. But I don't know. What're your thoughts on this?
                          It probably won't stick. Try some Rustoleum spray with rust inhibitor, that stuff works really well.

                          Originally posted by momaka View Post
                          I did that at some of my previous jobs, so I do have some spare screws too. But like you said, you can never have too many. Just when I think I have enough, some project comes up and gobbles them all up.
                          If you remember that big black double motherboard server tower, that one came with a gigantic bag of screws & hardware...I never understood why it came with all that, I didn't even use half of them....but I guess that's a rarity, the cheapass case makers these days usually don't give you enough.


                          Originally posted by momaka View Post
                          Well, now that FF24 and Opera 12 are pretty outdated, I find it equally likely/unlikely that a certain website will or won't work on them.
                          For general use (like looking for datasheets on Google or wherever else), I prefer Opera, as it's lightning-fast compared to any FF browser. But it seems that FF24 still has more websites compatible with it than Opera 12. So on a day-to-day basis, I usually have both open.

                          Opera 12 is wonderful for badcaps.net, BTW - especially on PCs with low RAM. I can browse BCN forums all day with over 20 tabs open and never run out of RAM - even on PCs with as low as 384 MB of RAM. Meanwhile, FF24 needs at least 1 GB with XP. And it feels a bit more sluggish too. Opera 12 + instant page redraw in options = lightning-fast loading times.
                          I haven't tried it in ages....I might have to dig it up and tinker...
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                            #33
                            Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

                            Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                            You do realize that's 15yrs old? I've learned a few tricks over the last 15 years since that post...mainly, having one go up in smoke and understanding the reasons why. Prior to that, it was solid....live & learn!
                            Absolutely. (which is also why I included a link to the original post).
                            I just felt like teasing a bit.
                            Hope you didn't mind.

                            Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                            It probably won't stick.
                            Yeah, I have that feeling too. I'm just trying to thin down on the garage stock of old paint stuffs. Will check out the Rustoleum when I go to Home Depot next time.

                            Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                            If you remember that big black double motherboard server tower, that one came with a gigantic bag of screws & hardware...I never understood why it came with all that, I didn't even use half of them....but I guess that's a rarity, the cheapass case makers these days usually don't give you enough.
                            I do remember it. But like you said, that's a special one. Regular store-grade PC cases don't even compare to it.
                            Last edited by momaka; 10-15-2018, 09:12 PM.

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                              #34
                              Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

                              Originally posted by momaka View Post
                              Absolutely. (which is also why I included a link to the original post).
                              I just felt like teasing a bit.
                              Hope you didn't mind.
                              Nah....I can totally chuckle at myself when I know I said something dumb....especially looking 15yrs back at it.
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                                #35
                                Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

                                I added the removable HDD racks this morning....it sure earns it some 'cool points' with the look.



                                Now, for all that laugh at the old school Matrox G450....eat your hearts out, one of the first independent-mode dual head GPU's.







                                I was given 5 of these Dell 19" 4:3 A/R monitors. 4 work, one of them had strange streaks across it when any kind of signal was applied, but OSD and internal test patterns were fine....

                                Such a super cool build!
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                                  #36
                                  Re: Supermicro P6DGU Retro Build

                                  Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                                  I added the removable HDD racks this morning....it sure earns it some 'cool points' with the look.

                                  Indeed, it looks more complete on the front now.

                                  Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                                  Now, for all that laugh at the old school Matrox G450....eat your hearts out, one of the first independent-mode dual head GPU's.
                                  Yup, Matrox was always known for having innovative GPU features in the workstation world.

                                  I think I have one or two Matrox PCI GPUs as well. One is a Mystique II, IIRC... though that has nothing special about it.

                                  Originally posted by Topcat View Post
                                  Such a super cool build!
                                  Indeed

                                  Like many of the other systems under your desk:
                                  https://www.badcaps.net/forum/attach...1&d=1550860363

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