Old PC Upgrade- Staying Old

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Zues4411

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Jul 17, 2013
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Ok, I have an ancient 2002 dell pc, and I want to upgrade it to the max, for about 2002/2003. I want to upgrade the graphics to the highest they will go from that era. This is for playing old games and remembering the old days, so please don't tell me to just get new hardware.

The starting computer is a Dell Optiplex GX280-
CPU: Pentium 4 520 (OEM) Prescott @ 2.8 GHZ
Mobo: Dell Optiplex GX280 Motherboard G5611
RAM:1 GB DDR2 533 MHZ
PSU: hp-l161nf3p 160 W
HDD:WD-XL80SD-2 (40 GB)

I'm probably going to move it to a different case later.

I really want to get a decent power supply (can be new if possible) and then a now cheap top end graphics card from about 2002. I also want to quiet the pc down a little, but the first thing that I need is more storage. I also want to keep running xp on there. (don't worry only offline gaming)
So basically I need more harddrives, a new psu, a old graphics card and a cooler.

Thanks for your help
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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Hey,

1) Graphics card:
You would be getting the best value for a MODERN card not a 2002 era graphics card.

2) PSU:
An Antec VP-450 would be overkill but possibly the best value for you.

3) CPU cooler:
I see what's available and compatible.

4) HDD:
Can get a 500GB for about $43 or 1TB for $50.

Other:
You might be better served by getting a basic LAPTOP. You can then research how to get older games running. I think Steam even has a few that auto-run the DOS utility when the game launches.

By my calculations your total might be $150 to $200 but that would vary a lot. I know of a good $250 laptop that while it has basic iGPU graphics might be just fine.

*I'll still post some parts below...
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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An Nvidia GT 610 compares well with high-end GPUs from that era. With SATA to Molex connectors, a modern HDD can work. A budget PSU, such as the Corsair CX430w, should work.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GT 610 1GB Video Card ($33.57 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $113.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-30 01:40 EDT-0400
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Parts list:
(HD6450, 350W PSU, 500GB HDD, CM Hyper TX3 cooler):

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-eah6450silentdi1gd3lp
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st9500420asg
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr910htx3g1
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-bp350

*That's about $95 after MIR's and before tax... so a bit over $100.

(It's my understanding that the HD6450 is better than the GT610)

FAN NOISE:
You should also determine if your CASE FANS are causing any fan noise. I'm not even certain you'd need a case fan at all. The CPU has its cooler, the HD6450 isn't too hot, and the power supply will suck out some of the heat.

*I just remembered I put a fanless HD6450 into the system I built my sister (my older 4-core i7-860); it has no case fans and temperatures are just fine.
 
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The prime mediocre

The prime mediocre

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Man, I had an old HP with a Celeron and a 128MB GeForce 4. That thing had AV out and S-Video, and was generally awesome for old games on CRT TVs. I can't really give you super solid, specific advice, but here goes:

- Check the PCI lanes, because you could be running AGP instead of PCI-Ex16. If you're on AGP, use a GeForce 4 series or older. Try finding another old, non-working PC to cannibalize, look at garage sales, and ask friends. But if you find a specific model you want, hit up Ebay.

- You'll be running IDE hard drives, with MOLEX power, so a modern PSU will easily cover that. All good PSU's have a 24-pin ATX connector, with four pins that break off to fit the 20-pin config your system most likely has. The Corsair CX430 recommended by Mr. DeGarmo is excellent.

- Every HDD you add will have to run off an IDE interface. Some PC's of the time had only one, many have two. This is a really great thing to search for in thrift shops, and you can probably find capacities up to around 150GB. On the other hand, you can find (and might have laying around) really cheap 64GB USB2.0 flash drives. I know it detracts from the nostalgia, but it's a solution if you find the HDD's to be a pain.
SATA drives will, sadly, not work with a PC that old. The standard came around in 2003. There are PCI-E adapters for backwards compatibility, but that's a whole new search.

- Many cheap cases, like the Fractal Design Core 1000 or Corsair 200R would work well. If you want to go crazy with it, you could easily paint them beige to fit the era (sliding into the 90s). As for the CPU cooler, it might just have a passive cooler, so just install one small fan at the back of your case to vent. If you use a micro ATX case, the 120mm fan on your PSU should be enough.

This is a cool project! Whatever you end up with, please post it in the user system gallery.
 
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The prime mediocre

The prime mediocre

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I know it's weird, but PCI express graphics, SATA hard drives, and newer coolers won't work with a system from 2002. This machine is more likely to use AGP expansion and IDE hard drives.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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Due to compatibility issues with current hardware, your best bet is to get a new budget system with Windows 7 Professional and run XP mode for those old games. With a modern CPU and Intel HD graphics, a discrete video card is not needed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($43.66 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($134.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $402.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-30 03:06 EDT-0400
 
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The prime mediocre

The prime mediocre

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Uh, he explicitly stated that he wants to pick out old hardware for nostalgic purposes. You're right, from a practical standpoint, but this really isn't about practicality.
 
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Joseph DeGarmo

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It's going to be tough since older hardware is no longer being manufactured. Perhaps you could check out stores, such as Goodwill or pawn shops, for older builds and swap out components. Or build a system I posted above and paint the case beige. That way, it will be a modern build in disguise.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Next time, just look up the motherboard specs.
http://www.ascendtech.us/dell-optiplex-gx280-motherboard-g5611_i_mb4delg5611.aspx

PCIe x16, SATA, LGA775 socket

So everything I listed works just fine.

(As for getting an OLDER video card, again it's unlikely you'd find one nor can I think of a good reason to do so. I doubt there are any video card compatibility issues with older games.

Also, you can't normally play HD video with a CPU that old however if you use the HD6450 and K-Lite, internal filters enabled for MPEG2/H.264/VC1, you will use the graphics card for most of the processing so shouldn't have any issues with 1080p video. My sister's dual-core X2-3800+ even stuttered with HD video without video acceleration.)
 
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Zues4411

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OK, so we have clarified that I can use SATA and PCI, I was wondering if I should get a pci Sata adapter card so I can add more hard drives, and what are the advantages of a super high end card from 2002 or 02 for old games over a super low end card from 2012, besides the hd video problem? (I am only playing old games on this computer- nothing else)
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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1) That's "PCIe" as in PCI Express and not PCI just to be clear. Most modern graphics cards use the "x16" PCIe slot which is what you have.

2) More hard drives?
That's really your choice but you have two SATA connections now. You'd only really need a second drive to make a backup IMAGE of your C-drive if you want.

If your current DVD drive is PATA then you have two SATA slots so are fine there. That 40GB PATA HDD should suffice for at least one backup IMAGE (i.e. Acronis True Image Free from WD drive support site.)

Another option is a USB hard drive.

*It just occurs to me that it's possible that only one of those SATA connections would allow you to install Windows to it. If you have issues installing Windows (can't find drive). Shut down and try the other SATA connector.

Also, probably the best spot for the audio driver is through the Realtek site. Just make sure it's the correct one. For the HD6450 if you get it, use the Auto-Detect method at AMD's driver section. It just checks the card model and OS version.

3) New vs Old card:
The ONLY possible disadvantage of a new card would be compatibility issues. I'm no expert but from what I've seen if an old game won't work it's likely NOT because you have a new card that isn't compatible. Usually it's an Operating System issue or other software issue (i.e. needs "DOSBOX", or won't work past Windows XP etc..)

Old cards, if you can even find, would probably be more expensive than $30, far less power, run hotter, and may have compatibility issues with some newer software.

*As I said, a new graphics card will allow hardware decoding of video which is a big deal since your CPU isn't powerful enough for some video. A new card will also improve your Internet Browser experience.

Other:
For older games you would need to investigate per game for any compatibility issues, or special instructions on how to run, including widescreen support if desired which is an issue with many older games; for that see WSGF.

SUMMARY:
I'm fairly certain my list of parts is ideal for your situation.
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Minor other point:

In the video control panel, I suggest using "GPU scaling" and "Aspect scaling" which then does all scaling on the video card. This is in lieu of doing it on the monitor itself which usually isn't as efficient. You can set the MONITOR itself through its own buttons to say, "1:1 scaling" if you want though it likely won't matter.

Let's say you play a game at 1024x768 but have a 1920x1080 monitor. With "GPU/Aspect" scaling the card renders at 1024x768 but then scales that to fit 1920x1080 without stretching so in this case has black bars.

When you scale on the card with this method it ALWAYS outputs the maximum resolution of your monitor regardless of the game resolution. That differs from sending an actual 1024x768 signal to the monitor and having it scale through its own hardware which is called "monitor scaling" and can be slower or cause scaling issues.
 
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Zues4411

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Jul 17, 2013
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OK, I've done a little research and I have found some bechmarks for a ATI Radeon X850 running some types games that I want to play (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/2004-27gpu2.html) and then compared the specs to the 6450. The one thing that jumps out at me is that the newer card has less of a memory bandwidth than the old card, and the article said that was one of the main reasons that the X850 excelled. So should I look into a card like the 2900 with 1 gb of memory and a 512 bit bandwidth, or a newer card with only 64 bit bandwidth, but a better graphics processor. By the way, I am only playing games on this, not watching video or web browsing (I have a mac for that, but sadly it cannot play many games). Finally, I have a 1280 x 1024 monitor.
 
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