13 replies to this topic

[wishmaster.dj]

Hi guys.

i have a 9 year old pc. bought it that time at 42-43k

was a beast then! :ohyeah:

but now, it is a neglected piece worthy of nothing :(

Therefore i request you to guide me how to use it as a download machine so that i dont have to keep my laptop on overnight.

THANK YOU!

ps- i also have a spare monitor. However, if there is a way to avoid using the monitor, then that would be just great!

[dvijaydev46]

First of all, you obviously need a monitor. Without a monitor, how will you use a computer?
Is it in working condition? if it works, how do you connect to the internet?

Considering you have a DSL connection, you can simply connect it to the modem using the data cable you use to connect your Laptop. If it doesn't have ethernet connectivity, you can get a cheap ethernet card for about 300 bucks. So you can disconnect your lappy and connect the old computer for downloading, maybe you can also get a switch which will share internet for both at the same time.
But using a wifi router will be much better than this idea, because you can shift your PC to other rooms and still access internet.

[PhotostarSR]

Is it 9yr old?
Then you better keep it in the attic. Coz, thats going to consume more electricity than the new PCs! , which nullifies the use of a download pc..

[wishmaster.dj]

^valid point. First lets see how well does it start. It hasnt been switched on in a VERY long time.

Hope it works! \m/

[thetechmind]

Completely agree with PhotostarSR's post above. The old PC will consume more power than the newbies around.

You either get a atom setup or get continue using your laptop;.

[dvijaydev46]

Anything prior to Pentium 4 won't be a power hog.

[nitant]

Those things barely had 150W/200W PSU. For a download rig, I would recommend, load XP on it and uTorrent. Then you can use the WebUI to control uTorrent

Torrent WebUI Guide - Guides - Torrent - a (very) tiny BitTorrent client

You could also load OpenWRT X86 edition, if it is too slow for XP. Though I doubt it. 9 yrs back we had PIII's which I use as a HTPC today. Too slow for HD content, but my AVI's play fine.

[sri_k]

PhotostarSR said:

Is it 9yr old?
Then you better keep it in the attic. Coz, thats going to consume more electricity than the new PCs! , which nullifies the use of a download pc..

i won't agree since if its a pentium3 then it won' consume much...if it would have been p4 then i would agree...

[wishmaster.dj]

it is a p3 500Mhz

And it doesnt have a NIC! :O

Now i am going to have to buy one.

[Sudarshan_SMD]

You you don't want to use seperate monitor for you download rig, use KVM switches.

KVM switches have their own drawbacks like support for limited resolution. See what suit's you.:)

[raunaqmorarka]

If you do not want to use monitor then you can use remote desktop to control your pc from your laptop, provided they are connected by a network.

[dvijaydev46]

It's always good to have a dedicated monitor for any system. It will really be a pain in the a** should you troubleshoot in case.

[asingh]

wishmaster.dj said:

it is a p3 500Mhz

And it doesnt have a NIC! :O

Now i am going to have to buy one.

It should be fine as a dedicated DL machine. Put in a network card, and hook it up. What else. Does it have a HDD, load XP on it. Your done. Oh ya, and a UPS for it, so it has power back up.

[nitant]

@sri_k

I have in front of me 2 PIII machines. One is Compaq with a 120W PSU and the other a Dell with a 200W. On the contrary, an office supplied P4 (PCS Brand) with 1 HDD, 1 CD-Drive with 512MB RAM has 350W.

Care to argue still??