01-09-2015, 01:02 PM
(01-09-2015, 08:09 AM)Old Sparky Wrote: For the time being, I'm using Google Chrome instead of Firefox, but may well consider either a new HDD or replacing this now 13 year old computer, although I'm one of those who'd rather not scrap something that's working just because it's old (I still have a CRT TV & Freeview Box for example)
I think that everyone here will appreciate that sentiment, myself included. But honestly, you are on borrowed time.
Buying a newer machine does not mean that this one has to be thrown away. The OS could be rebuilt - which you really ought to do anyway - and kept as a "hot spare". Or you could experiment with Linux...
Your machine is probably a Pentium 4, and if so, those processors were notorious for their power consumption, which was really tough on the power supplies and the DC-DC converters on the motherboard. The increased heat inside the case stressed everything else too. Add to that the "bad caps" debacle, and it doesn't look good. There's no way I'd rely on a machine from that era as my primary machine.
Ultimately, you have to ask yourself how worthwhile is it to waste time on this. A PC is a tool that needs to work reliably. But it needs to keep up to date. Every new release of Firefox adds significant new features beneath the surface to support modern web technologies, which places greater demands on the underlying operating system and hardware, and already, even a top-end P4 struggles to just browse the web. I upgraded my workshop P4 because watching YouTube videos made the processor run at 90-100%, with the fans ramping up to full speed, and the power consumption rising to a couple of hundred watts. The newer Dual-Core system doesn't have that issue - even at 1080 HD running full-screen.
Using a P4 today is like using an AVO 8 to repair modern circuitry. Yes, the AVO might be in perfect working order, but it's no longer adequate for most tasks. Fine for vintage stuff, obviously. Likewise, if you only visit websites that were coded in 2002, then you might be OK, but things have moved on a long way since then.
Today, I only have one P4 system hooked up and ready to go, and that runs Windows 98 for certain electronics tasks that require direct access to serial and parallel ports - it doesn't connect to the internet. I have a number of P4 systems in the attic, gathering dust - they will never be used.. I even managed to watch several end up in the WEEE skip at work. I would rescue dual-core machines, however. Like a shot
Yes, I still watch CRT TVs. There are 5 in this house in regular use, and probably double that in the attic. But it's not quite the same argument, as good CRTs are still better than LCDs. But that's another thread entirely
