So you have vintage computers, whats your newest/fastest one?

[offensive_Jerk]

My fastest computer currently is a Intel Corei7 920.
2x ATI 1gb 4870s
12gb DDR3 RAM

 

[barythrin]

12gb ram? holy crap what OS you runnin? I had a hard enough time deducing why even Vista 32bit won't use 4GB of ram like it claims.

My main (most neglected and pretty much just a file server at this point for streaming crap off of) is an AMD 9550 quad-core, 4GB ram, 1.5TB and two burners and .. a 512MB 9800GT+ (?) pci-e video card. Got it to play the latest games that I never have time for. Use it to share files to my ps3 and watch TV from.

 

[Bobthearch]

My M.O. for computers is to build just below the top-of-the-line. Skip the cutting edge pricing, but end up with performance that's virtually the same. I can easily keep a six-year cycle by following that philosophy, with a minor upgrade at the 4-year mark.

Here's my current rig, built in July '06. There's no reason to replace or even upgrade components yet. And when I do build again, I'll probably reuse this Lian Li case - I freakin' love it - and the Logitech speakers.

CPU: Intel Core2 Duo E6600, 2.4 Ghz
Case: Lian Li black ATX mid-tower
Motherboard: MSI 975X Platinum
Graphics: EVGA GeForce 7900GT-KO
Sound: SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS Platinum
Speakers: Logitech Z-5500, 5.1 surround
Hard drives: dual Seagate 80GB (set up with Intel Matrix RAID)
PSU: Antec NeoPower 550
RAM: Patriot "Extreme Performance" DDR2, 1GBx2
Others: DVD-ROM drive, DVD-RW drive, floppy drive, multi-card reader, Rosewill optical mouse, Keytronic keyboard, etc.

One thing I would like to upgrade soon, my monitor. It's an old 21" Trinitron that I bought used many years ago. The picture's not that great any more, and I'd love wide screen.

 

[carlsson]

Eeh.. my newest but still vintage computer? I'd rather not go there, it is a can of worms we have opened a couple of times too many. However you seem to mean which is my newest, modern computer. I find that quite irrelevant, since money can buy you the state of art of today. In one week it will be considered mainstream. In one year it will be considered almost obsolete. I tend to get myself a new, modern computer once every 3-4 years, and not even then aim for bleeding edge but rather yesterday's technology which by then has become affordable while still reasonably modern.

 

[Unknown_K]

My 2 main systems are obsolete:

Athlon 64 3000+ for older games and a Dell Dimension 8300 (P4-3Ghz HT) for email/web/etc. Both only have 1GB of RAM and run XP.

I used to have the latest and greatest untill I quit playing new games (which is what was driving me to upgrade). You can say going retro in 2000 started me on the decline from latest and greatest to whatever does the job for little money.

To be honest old systems and software are what I like collecting and using these days, maybe if Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 get released I might change my mind and get a new system, but if they are like Warcraft 3 and DOOM3 I might not bother.

 

[Chuck(G)]

Not a gamer here, so I only buy systems when I need to.

Right now, the x64 is a vanilla box with a Athlon 64 (3000+) with a gig of DRAM so's I can run 64-bit Vista and Windows 7 (not that I enjoy it or do it often).

The system I'm typing this on is a P4 2.4GHz that I got for nothing (the last owner bent a pin on the P4 and couldn't understand why he was getting the "CPU unworkable" messages. Easy enough to repair). The display is a 20" NEC Multisync LCD2010 (listed at $4995 when new in 1999) that I picked up for $30.

Mostly, the systems I use for serious work are P1-P3 boxes, with the occasional 386 and 486 thrown in when software demands slower speeds.

 

[kishy]

My newest is my desktop, a home built system:

ECS 755-A2 motherboard (SiS 755 + 964 chipset)
Athlon64 3200+ 2.2GHz, Skt 754
1gb (2x 512mb) DDR400
160gb Western Digital WD1600JB ATA100 HDD (7200rpm, 8mb cache)
XFX GeForce 7600GS, 512mb, one of the uncommon ones with an AGP 8x bridge
Integrated 5.1 surround audio, integrated 10/100 ethernet
8 USB 2.0 ports (4 on board, 2 on front, 2 on a rear panel header)
GoldenField ATXS628 PSU, 550W peak, dual 12V rails
Two optical drives, one Sony 16x DVD-RAM drive, one Memorex CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Of course, a 1.44mb 3.5" floppy drive
From time to time, a 1.2mb 5.25" floppy drive

For peripherals on the above desktop:
Monitor: LG Flatron Wide L204WT LCD, 20", 5ms, 2000:1 (got this for under 5 bucks!)
Keyboard: IBM 1386887 122-key terminal keyboard (1986), modified to work
Mouse: IBM MO28UO USB, 2 button + wheel, optical
Speakers: a heavily abused set of Tandy/Realistic 40-1312s, possibly as old as the 80s

The laptop, which I'm on 95% of the time, is a Dell Inspiron 630m
Pentium M 740 1.7ghz, 2gb DDR2-667, 80gb 7200rpm Hitachi ATA HDD, 8x DVD-RW, Intel 915 chipset (w/integrated video), Intel A/B/G wireless, Broadcom 10/100 ethernet, 4 USB 2.0 ports, SD card reader, 56k modem, ExpressCard/54 slot...and a patented duct tape hinge! Preferred external keyboard: IBM Model M 1391401, 1993. Preferred external mouse: a plain but rather nice Logitech USB wheel mouse, with my custom shortened cord.

I went way overboard with this, but oh well.

 

[Andrettigto]

My fastest computer currently is a Intel Corei7 920.
2x ATI 1gb 4870s
12gb DDR3 RAM

My gamer system is also an i7-920 @ 3.9GHz, plenty of o'clock with good cooling. I went overboard with 2 ATI 4870x2's in crossfire 4.

 

[JDT]

my main rig only cost me the ram (4gb of DDR2). The AMD rep that visits my work passed me a Phenom II x4 @ 3.0ghz. One of the buyers at work gave me a motherboard he didnt feal like evaling, the chassis is an iStar 4U rackmount that we were going to throw away because it had a slight scratch on the side... total of 6 5.25 bays and 2 3.5 bays. 1x DVD burner, 1 slimline optical and 52 in 1 card reader, a floppy and an audigy live drive for the Audigy x-fi my brother passed me. The other side of the machine has a 5 bay sata enclosure w/ 4 drives (2 of which I run my os (win7) on a raid 0) the other two drives are mirrored with all my docs on them. the 4th bay of the enclosure has no drive in it because the video card (8800 GTX w/ 768) is so damn long, it actually goes in to the back of the drive cage. Video card also donated by my brother when he upgraded. He originally gave me a 8800 gts w/ 640 but it died, evga replaced it with the gtx (lifetime warranty on a video card... thats just silly, but im not arguing) oh wait, the only other peice I paid for was a seasonic ~750 silent-modular power supply. I have one of those ati tv/fm tuner cards in there too but i never use it. Id rather replace it with a PCI parallel port card, if I could just fine one to work with win7 and actually give me a lpt port that virtual pc can use to laplink to my oldie moldies =)

 

[Vlad]

Eh, nothing overly exciting here.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+
4GB DDR2 Patriot
200GB Seagate SATA II
nVidia GeForce 8600GT
all on a Foxconn A7GM-S running Vista 64-bit.

And just because:
My tower is beige like the old days and has nothing fancy beyond being "screwless"
Both my keyboard and mouse are made by Microsoft.

 

[Yzzerdd]

*cough*

Well I seem to be running slower than the other's who have input so far. My main computer is a Gateway PII 450MHz. I have I think 128MB or less of RAM. 20GB HDD and 160GB HDD(this one holds my docs, jumps from PC to PC). A DVD reader, CD-ROM, and 3.5" floppy complete the scene. Surprisingly, it gets all my needs taken care of well. I can watch Youtube comfortably on IE6, use Media Player Version something, and view pictures from a device hooked to my USB 1.1 port.

I wish I had something newer, but as I recall, I sold my really nice and fast PC when I needed to invest money in one of my long-gone cars. Now I wish I had the power of my AMD 64 x2 at 2.4GHz. Oh well. My PII gets the job done. When I need faster performance, I use my dad's fancy new computer. But that isn't too often.

--Ryan

Now that I think of it, I DO have a cool HP Vectra with a case side that opens by just pulling a handle. It's cool, a PIII 800. Only reason I don't use it is that it doesn't have a sound card currently, as it was a server for awhile.

 

[Ole Juul]

My FASTEST computer is a P-133. It was specifically set up to provide instant response to my demands.

My most POWERFUL computer is a P4-2.8GHz single core with 3GB DDR2. It is not nearly as fast as the P-133 but it does a lot more stuff.

I'm with carlsson:

. . . you seem to mean which is my newest, modern computer. I find that quite irrelevant, since money can buy you the state of art of today.

Unlike carlsson, however, I don't find it necessary to upgrade every 3 years. Yzzerdd is still running a 450MHz machine, so I expect my 2.8 will last at least 10 years.

 

[Old Thrashbarg]

I'm running:

Intel E5200 - 2.5ghz
Intel DG33FB motherboard
8600GTS
3GB RAM
DVD burner, Zip drive, video capture card, etc.

I didn't really need the upgrade from my 4-year-old Athlon X2 system, but the short of it is, I wanted an HTPC, and happened upon the above parts on the cheap, so I went for an upgrade to my main system and switched the older machine over to media center use.

I really don't plan on upgrading again for quite awhile, unless better parts happen to fall into my lap... What I have does everything I could possibly need to do (and plenty more things I don't), so I figure I'm set for at least another 5 years, probably more.

 

[Darshevo]

Funny to think I recently 'upgraded' to a P4 2.8 hyperthread. It started life as a P4 2.4HT. When the original board died I went to the recycler seeking a new used mobo and the one I found had this cpu on it.

2gb ram
6800 GT video
2 80GB's, 1 160GB
DVD Burner
3.5"

Pretty much all built out of mill ends. I have had it 4 or 5 years anyway. Company I used to work for gave us a $50 a month bump if we used our own gear, after a few months it was like a free computer

-Lance

 

[Yzzerdd]

Behold! The power of a PIII 800 is upon us(me)! I've got my HP Vectra PIII 800 setup, with IE7, and a lightning fast 384MB RAM!!! WOO! Now to get the sound to work...

--Ryan

 

[Unknown_K]

The funny thing is once you fall behind the curve people will junk working machines better then what you have so upgrades are cheap.

My 8300 was free (somebody trashed the original case and the guy fixing it said the MB was bad). Well the system was running fine and I just got a new case for it and a HD.

The AMD 64 was an emachines where the southbridge blew up, I just got a new MB for it (cheap) and it works fine reusing the old parts (and I added a geforce 9400 GT for $20 new).

A few years back my main machine was an Athlon xp1500+ I purchased new in 2001 and a guy who was dumping old mac gear gave me an Athlon Xp2000+ because he said it was worthless along with some old 68K mac gear. Very funny when somebody hands you a system 100% functional that is better then what you have now (and does the job).

You are better off with used computers money wise, just like used cars (2-3 years old with 30K miles are much cheaper then a new model that looks exactly the same).

 

[Lutiana]

My main machine is:

ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe (WiFi Edition, but I am not using the WiFi at all)
AMD Phenom II X4 940 @ 3.00Ghz
8Gb DDR2-6400 running @ 400Mhz
NVidia Geforce GTX 260 w/ 896Mb of RAM (I had to cut my case to get this card to fit, its freaking huge).
WD 400Gb SATA 2 Drive (16Mb NCQ drive)
Corsair HX620W power supply (capable of delivering 720watts)
All inside an Antec P160 case

Right now its running Vista x64 Ultimate, but I am going to upgrade it to Windows 7 Ultimate this weekend.

I have it tweaked for max performance, and it is by far the fastest machine I own.

It has a serial port on the back and I have tried MS Virtual Machine and VMWare to use the serial port for getting data to the older machines I have, but I just can't seem to get it to work. So I just grabbed a sony USB floppy drive and now I use that to get data around.

 

[Bobthearch]

Behold! The power of a PIII 800 is upon us(me)! I've got my HP Vectra PIII 800 setup, with IE7, and a lightning fast 384MB RAM!!! WOO! Now to get the sound to work...

--Ryan

The PIII 800 was my answer in the "Favorite Processor" poll topic. And I also found a RAM sweet spot at 384MB - computer originally had 128 and I added a 256 chip. AGP graphics, originally a GeForce 256 that was later upgraded to an inexpensive GeForce 4 MX440.

Sound on mine was a PCI SoundBlaster Live! Value. Should be easy to find one of these or similar and get the drivers online.

 

[Yzzerdd]

I took out the secondary sound card from the Gateway, an ESS something or other, and I FREAKING HAVE SOUND!!! YES!!!!!!! So happy. While I was at it, I dug out my Lightscribe DVDRW/CDRW drive and installed it, too, even though it is black, while the original CD-ROM was grey.

Oh, the luxury of sound. Hey! While I was digging in the Gateway, I found a strange card. It is by Promiste Technology, the Ultra66. Has two IDE ports on it. I guess its an IDE extender? PCI-based, BTW.

Now all I need to do is clean the dog-pee off the front of my HP and I'll be all set. My mutt, ever since moving into my dad's house(who has a female and a male dog), has decided he wants to pee on everything that isn't in my room to let the other male know who is boss. It just so happens he peed on the computer the day I put it in the living room, when my dad needed to use it. Dang dog.

--Ryan
<:listen: Who's peekin' out from under a stairway calling a name that's lighter than air....Who's bending down to give me a rainbow, Everyone knows it's Windy :listen:>

 

[Lutiana]

Oh, the luxury of sound. Hey! While I was digging in the Gateway, I found a strange card. It is by Promiste Technology, the Ultra66. Has two IDE ports on it. I guess its an IDE extender? PCI-based, BTW.

Most likely it is a PCI IDE controller with a BIOS. Used to exceed the mobo HDD limitation (probably 127gb)

There is a small chance that it might be a RAID controller of some sort, but I doubt it.