What to do with a low-spec spare machine?

**VinylPusher** · November 5th, 2006

So, I just cobbled together a machine from various parts and ended up with:

P2-450
384MB PC133 SDRAM
Nvidia Riva TNT AGP video card (I kid you not!).

I've also got a collection of various HD's between 60 and 120GB in size.

Now that I've got the thing, I don't know what to do with it. Thoughts so far: -

1) Mailserver.
2) Caching DNS server.
3) Webserver.
4) File server.

The thing is, I don't really need any of the above.

A mailserver would give me what kind of advantage? I have hosting to handle most mail and two gmail accounts for everything else.

Caching DNS server would be a waste of power. My page load times are fast enough already.

Webserver. Again, I already have hosting. Plus, I've only got about 80KB/s outbound bandwidth.

Fileserver. I've got a 300GB drive in my workstation. That drive is a lot newer than the spares I'd be putting in the new box, so using it as a backup seems a bit daft. I've got a DVD-RW for backups in any case.

What shall I do with it? It's not really worth much to sell (I've no monitor, keyboard or mouse I can sell with it). Bearing in mind that I watch my power usage, so anything I *do* use it for, it's got to earn its way!

**Klaidas** · November 5th, 2006

Well, if you don't need it to do anything (doing something with that, as I understand, would cost more than the profit you would get), and you can't sell it...
Well, then throw it away

**maagimies** · November 5th, 2006

Make it a dedicated Quake 2 server

**Dual Cortex** · November 5th, 2006

If you are a nice guy... Install Xubuntu... or Ubuntu with some other lightweight desktop environment, spend $10 on a mouse and keyboard then donate to a family in need of a computer. (There are many places who donate old CRT monitors... or that sell them for ~$15 - maybe not where you live

)

**Bigbluecat** · November 5th, 2006

Donate it to a charity.

**Gargamella** · November 5th, 2006

Originally Posted by Dual Cortex

If you are a nice guy... Install Xubuntu... or Ubuntu with some other lightweight desktop environment, spend $10 on a mouse and keyboard then donate to a family in need of a computer. (There are many places who donate old CRT monitors... or that sell them for ~$15 - maybe not where you live

)

i already made it!

my old pc of 1999

Pentium 400
64mb ram... i did it

my friend hasn't got a pc so i left to him and he uses to surf the web, listen to music and to chat...amazing!

i was gonna throw it

**VinylPusher** · November 5th, 2006

OK, I've decided to give it away.

I can not think of a single thing I could us it for. I've got an AthlonXP 1900+ machine which I also don't use very much (it's too noisy!) so I may do something with that (for profit).

If anyone wants it, please contact me through the email address on the front page of my website http://stefanholmes.com

**jbtito03** · November 5th, 2006

Okey...

I have a idea..

make it an Xbuntu box... or edubuntu... make it that it runs smoothly..

Got to the center for social matters (or how do you call it) and talk to someone who works with poor familyes and give it to one child that would really like it. Afterwards you will feel a lot better

Cheers

Jb

**kc8hr** · November 6th, 2006

Originally Posted by VinylPusher

OK, I've decided to give it away.

I can not think of a single thing I could us it for. I've got an AthlonXP 1900+ machine which I also don't use very much (it's too noisy!) so I may do something with that (for profit).

If anyone wants it, please contact me through the email address on the front page of my website http://stefanholmes.com

If nobody wants it, why not put a couple of cheap NICs in and use it for a router/firewall?

Tim