<taps> So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

[Topcat]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

Today you can buy at least Dual Core x64 capable system with 4-8GB of RAM for 50$ or less.

$50 is definitely a bit of a stretch.....but a system with a lower end C2D CPU like that can be had for ~$100 in working condition with 4gb for sure.

FWIW, this was posted from another old timer.... Ratdude's old "hyper-drive" badged aopen system he gave me on his last visit. It's a 233mmx w/256mb RAM and a Matrox Millennium 8mb GPU. I got it out to test one of the 50-pin SCSI Barracuda HDD's Momaka sent.... ....from NT4 and Firefox 2.0.0.20.

[televizora]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

$50 is definitely a bit of a stretch.....but a system with a lower end C2D CPU like that can be had for ~$100 in working condition with 4gb for sure.

I really have no idea what the prices in USA are right now, but around here one could buy the config below for 42EUR.
G2020 is 3rd Gen processor from the Core family. With these prices I see no reason to punish yourself with something like P3 or P4 system, on which even opening a browser with a single tab with Google search leads to CPU usage spikes.
And if you do have P3 system for retro gaming, you cant complain that newer programs refuse to work on system. Not that I like the bloated software today, written by programmers who really don't care or make any efforts to optimize their software, but even if we imagine that all software suddenly becomes optimized, you will still have a hard time watching 1080p video on PentiumIII.
And there is a limit of what you can optimize and after a certain point you start to sacrifice functionality.
---
Fujitsu Esprimo E710 Desktop
Intel Pentium G2020 2900MHz 3MB
4096MB DDR3
250 GB SATA
DVD-RW
----
BTW, I tested Palemoon build specifically compiled for processors without SSE2. The experience was everything but nice.
When you try to open any modern page the browser slows down to degree, where it is almost nonresponsive or just hangs completely.

[eccerr0r]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

I'll happily sacrifice bloatware... just don't click sites that look like bloat.

Still don't see any proof that a computer like that can be acquired for the price you quote, or do you mean you're selling at that price, shipped?

[Topcat]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

Still don't see any proof that a computer like that can be acquired for the price you quote, or do you mean you're selling at that price, shipped?

I don't see stuff that recent for that price either by the time you include shipping and/or the missing pieces needed to make it work.....usually they're missing HDD's, etc. Heck, you can't even get a turn-key Pentium3 system for $50....

[televizora]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

I don't see stuff that recent for that price either by the time you include shipping and/or the missing pieces needed to make it work.....usually they're missing HDD's, etc. Heck, you can't even get a turn-key Pentium3 system for $50....

Topcat, 42EUR x64 Pentium G, 4GB RAM, 250GB HDD, DVD-RW.
You can install anything from WinXP to Win10 on the machine.
This is without shipping. The shipping around here for a computer of this size is something like 5EUR. This is complete, branded system.
Without license for Windows, of course. But some come with Win7 Pro OEM stickers and more often than not the keys are not deactivated/blacklisted and you can activate Windows using them.
Last month I bought 20x Dell7010 SFF at the same price. Complete refurbished systems in working condition with 6months of warraty.

I'll happily sacrifice bloatware... just don't click sites that look like bloat.

Yes, but because some pages are just bloated and will not work, you can't do this. Not all pages are like badcaps. Everything now relies on JS and etc.
BTW, this is your proof
Link provided
Exchange rates
1EUR = 1.955BGN
1USD = 1.61BGN.
Shipping not included, but relatively cheap - 5-7EUR. I do not sell computers and I am not a refurbisher.

[linuxguru]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

Yup, 2nd- and 3rd-gen dual-core branded SFFs and minitowers can be had for the price range mentioned by Televizora - about $50 or lower used. If you're willing to do some assembly/mobo/HDD swaps etc., you can get H81 boards with Haswell dual-cores for even less, for transplanting into C2D boxes. G20xx and G32xx are great little proccys for the price.

I agree that the main use for IA32 today is for legacy stuff - could be E-CAD tools, gaming, or driving some legacy kit like a PROM programmer or NC table or similar. There's no viable use case for IA32 for desktop browsing and similar today.

[eccerr0r]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

I guess that's where all the e-waste goes... and people pay to get it shipped there.

[momaka]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

I guess that's where all the e-waste goes... and people pay to get it shipped there.

At least it's resold to be used again.

Many electronics stores around here that offer free electronics "recycling" usually just send the stuff for metal recovery.

I got it out to test one of the 50-pin SCSI Barracuda HDD's Momaka sent

Well make sure to hold your desktop PC tight when you do that, lest those HDDs try to blow it away with their R/W speeds.

[eccerr0r]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

At least it's resold to be used again.

and people in the USA can't even get the waste material for that cheap...

[televizora]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

I guess that's where all the e-waste goes... and people pay to get it shipped there.

Excuse me, but I find this somewhat offensive. It's not e-waste, but working systems that can be used for light tasks as web browsing and office. I can say that it's complete robbery not to get x64 system with 4GB of RAM for 50$, but to say that some outdated P4 system with bulging caps in your region costs 100 or more USD. I got Core i5 2500 system with 20GB of RAM AND SSD AND 320GB HDD for around 150$.
And contrary to the author(you), I have no problems with the new software, because I can buy system that can run it extremely cheaply.
I use Win7 not because my systems can't run Win10, but because Win10 is bloated piece of sh... complemented with spyware.

[eccerr0r]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

There are people in the USA with 386's, so suck up the offense, lucky bastard!

[televizora]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

Suck up the offense, lucky bastard!

If you wanna get core i5 e-waste, come here. But I can say that because of the Covid it is getting harder to find decent system on decent price.

[eccerr0r]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

No, you just need to suffer us running suboptimal computers... don't like? give us free computers or just STOP COMPLAINING about us running old hardware! :p

[televizora]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

No, you just need to suffer us running suboptimal computers... don't like? give us free computers or just STOP COMPLAINING about us running old hardware! :p

Where do you think we live? In a world wide communism of some sort?
I want to be able to lift 1000kg using only my two hands, but it is not possible.
I'm sorry, my friend, it is normal for the new soft not to run on such old machines. I don't like it either.
p.s If you want free computers, vote for the Communist party of America.

and people in the USA can't even get the waste material for that cheap...

Well, you can afford to pay more

[eccerr0r]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

Hey you got free computers that costed a LOT less than what it costed to make...

Well, you can afford to pay more

Uh... no... that's why we still have these ancient computers...

Many electronics stores around here that offer free electronics "recycling" usually just send the stuff for metal recovery.

They're sent to Bulgaria for pennies on the dollar...

Dang should be shipping these 286's to Bulgaria and keeping the i5's...

[dicky96]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

Sell the CPUs and Mobos on ebay to retro gamers and buy something a bit newer - you may even make some money!

Then buy some LGA755 mobos and CPUs they so cheap and plentiful they are practically for free.

BTW I had no idea what Rust is - I had to google it. Can't you just use an older version of it?

[televizora]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

Uh... no... that's why we still have these ancient computers...They're sent to Bulgaria for pennies on the dollar... Dang should be shipping these 286's to Bulgaria and keeping the i5's...

Yes, they are sent to Bulgaria, because there is a demand for refurbished PC-s here. And most refurbished PC-s in USA are sold with Windows.
The Windows for refurbished PC-s licence costs about 20$ more.
I Googled websites in USA, that offer refurbished PC-s and saw
HP Elite 8200 SFF i3 2100 3.1 Ghz 4GB Ram 250GB drive Win 10 Home WIFI For 99USD
And the average hourly pay in USA is said to be 27$. So, you can buy 2 of these PC-s per day, if you work 8 hour shifts.
99USD for Core i3 system is not that cheap, but it is a fair price.

[eccerr0r]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

Sell the CPUs and Mobos on ebay to retro gamers and buy something a bit newer - you may even make some money!

eBay has gotten a lot of people trying to abuse the system, plus these things don't move very fast either... Ugh

Yes, they are sent to Bulgaria, because there is a demand for refurbished PC-s here.

Demand is everywhere, not just Bulgaria!

And the average hourly pay in USA is said to be 27$. So, you can buy 2 of these PC-s per day, if you work 8 hour shifts.

Well, that's a "mighty fine" way to make assumptions about how an "average" person in a country you don't live in...

[televizora]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

Demand is everywhere, not just Bulgaria!Well, that's a "mighty fine" way to make assumptions about how an "average" person in a country you don't live in...

And the numerous videos of people almost fighting outside the Apple stores to get the new iPhone, which is not better than Mi9, just 4x more expensive. Do you really think that there is a demand in USA for second hand computers? Also, I know some people that have worked in USA by using the student exchange program/work and travel/ and they were paid something like 12-15USD/hour. What I am trying to say is that if there was such a high demand for low cost, second hand computers, then there would be an abundance of them in US. Market economy. If you think that there is really a demand, then you have a business opportunity. We also have flat tax rate and one of the lowest corporate tax rates. I think that the reason why the refurbished PC-s are more expensive in US is taxes and other things a firm has to deal with, including higher salaries of the employees.
What I cant imagine is a person that lives in USA, but can't afford something more powerful than AthlonXP with 256Megs of RAM.
Speaking about the average person, of course. There are poor people in every country.
I also can't imagine living in a country, where VAT-s vary depending on where you are located and the prices on the tags are with no VAT included and you don't know how much you will pay until you go to the cashier's desk.
Yes, mine can be wild assumptions and I may be wrong. But I am not trying to offend you. And I don't know why you had a hard time believing me that you can buy a Core based system for a price below 100USD. You can find them in USA too. Look around you, there can be companies replacing their office computers and you can buy something still decent at a nice price.
Is this the moment to say that I can get 20Mbps unlimited wi-fi internet for 3USD around here and IPTV+50Mbps unlimited internet for 12USD?

[eccerr0r]

Re: &lt;taps&gt; So long, Pentium III, Athlon XP, and older...

And the numerous videos of people almost fighting outside the Apple stores to get the new iPhone, which is not better than Mi9, just 4x more expensive.

One video = typical behavior of all in the population.
Yay for sampling errors!

Do you really think that there is a demand in USA for second hand computers?

If there's one person that could trade their 286 for one, then there is a demand!