Update as of 3/11/12
More upgrades have been installed, so I thought I'd post an update for those interested.
Once we got the PC up and running properly, I upgraded from a Pentium 4 650 3.4Mhz processor to an Intel Xeon 3060 (same as the E6600 Core 2 Duo) 2.4Ghz dual core processor with 4M cache. I've managed to overclock it to around 2.8Ghz and FSB of ~1215Mhz with good stability. The overclocking capabilities of this motherboard are somewhat limited, but does allow me to boost the BUS and memory settings, so that's how I've approached it.
I also obtained more RAM, bringing the total to ~ 5GB.
I experimented with Ubuntu OS for a while, but just wasn't warming up to it, so I proceeded with Windows 7 64 bit a couple of days ago. We were able to obtain a licensed copy for ~ $40 through my son's college. Installing it over XP 32 bit took a few hours, but it's running well, and should be supported for longer than XP will be. Rather than risking totally goofing up the main 500GB hard drive, I bought a clean 80GB HD, and loaded Win 7 onto that. I've also hooked up the original 500GB to use as data storage.
Not sure where I'll head next with this...my wife seems to think I should be painting the kitchen, so if history is any indicator of the future, painting is probably on my horizon! Computerwise, I'd really like to put this rig in a different case. My oldest son gave me this one, and it looks like a decoration for a satanic cult ceremony....a little too radical for my tastes, plus it's huge. I'd like to get one that's smaller and less imposing looking.
More upgrades have been installed, so I thought I'd post an update for those interested.
Once we got the PC up and running properly, I upgraded from a Pentium 4 650 3.4Mhz processor to an Intel Xeon 3060 (same as the E6600 Core 2 Duo) 2.4Ghz dual core processor with 4M cache. I've managed to overclock it to around 2.8Ghz and FSB of ~1215Mhz with good stability. The overclocking capabilities of this motherboard are somewhat limited, but does allow me to boost the BUS and memory settings, so that's how I've approached it.
I also obtained more RAM, bringing the total to ~ 5GB.
I experimented with Ubuntu OS for a while, but just wasn't warming up to it, so I proceeded with Windows 7 64 bit a couple of days ago. We were able to obtain a licensed copy for ~ $40 through my son's college. Installing it over XP 32 bit took a few hours, but it's running well, and should be supported for longer than XP will be. Rather than risking totally goofing up the main 500GB hard drive, I bought a clean 80GB HD, and loaded Win 7 onto that. I've also hooked up the original 500GB to use as data storage.
Not sure where I'll head next with this...my wife seems to think I should be painting the kitchen, so if history is any indicator of the future, painting is probably on my horizon! Computerwise, I'd really like to put this rig in a different case. My oldest son gave me this one, and it looks like a decoration for a satanic cult ceremony....a little too radical for my tastes, plus it's huge. I'd like to get one that's smaller and less imposing looking.
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