Restoring a 2 decade old PC

DestGod

Disciple
Well, I really didn't expect to have this in my hands but here it is. Crazy what a visit to my native's place can uncover. I was rummaging around in the cupboard and found a 23 yr old OEM PC (approx), and the ancient machine had quite some things to play around with. Not sure what the OEM is, but the PSU had a Compaq sticker on it. Disassembling it revealed the following specs=
CPU - Unknown, since I couldn't remove the heatsink
Mobo- PGA 370 socket, Intel 810 chipset, this was all I could make out
RAM- 2x 256 MB DDR 133Mhz CL2
HDD- 80GB Seagate
PSU- 300w Compaq, 1x 20 pin motherboard connector + 4x molex connectors
Opitcal Drive
No GPU

I didnt boot up the system yet, so Im yet to find out if the parts even work. I didn't want to risk booting it up with the Compaq PSU, since it was very dusty and wasn't used for quite a while.

I brought everything the above mentioned parts to my house, except for the PSU. I will set up a test bench next Monday or something, to check the parts. A few doubts before that-

1. I'll be using the more modern and standard PSU, with a 24 pin ATX connector. I've read that plugging in a 24 pin connector in a 20 pin connector wont cause any problems, so I can be assured on this right? The only connectors I'll be needing are for the motherboard, the optical drive and the HDD (Last 2 use molex).
WhatsApp Image 2023-06-02 at 22.11.06(4).jpeg

WhatsApp Image 2023-06-02 at 22.11.06.jpeg


2. Could anyone suggest a way to remove the heatsink? I tried prying out the clips with a screwdriver, but was a bit hesitant since it didnt budge even after applying some pressure.
WhatsApp Image 2023-06-02 at 22.11.06(6).jpeg


3. What front panel connector pins should I short to boot up (since I wont be putting it in a cabinet yet)? It doesnt seem to have the modern front panel connector layout. I've attached pics of the the pins.
pin1.jpeg

WhatsApp Image 2023-06-02 at 22.11.06(2).jpeg




4. Last, how should I go about with this whole thing? I have very limited knowledge of hardware before Ryzen and Intel 3rd gen parts, so I'm mostly taking guesses on how to proceed with everything.
WhatsApp Image 2023-06-02 at 22.11.06(5).jpeg
 
To shed some light it definitely looks like a Celeron processor from late 90s or by the yr 2022 or so as one of my friend had Compact Presario oem desktop back them but his was a P3 733mhz afaik!
The front connectors here look like totally oem branding ones, they haven't mentioned the usual rest/ws/hdd led/power led and so on which was very well defined in friends pc.

Lastly, not to let you down, the rams. I'm 810% sure they wont power on. But even if they do it will be only bsods!

Let us know how it goes..
 
I remember feeling a little smug back then that my older 440BX board was more feature rich than the newer 810E ones that everyone was buying, it was some kind of coping mechanism haha. I later ended up buying one of those motherboards and built my first seedbox that I used to download Star Trek TNG. It took three months at 64kbps. Time was different back then.

So this is a pretty common motherboard you have, it was used in many entry level branded systems: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/mitac-trigon-6513wu

The memory modules you have are actually SDRAM, 133MHz. DDR wasn't a thing on Intel platforms until they gave up on RDRAM with the 820/840/860 chipset and moved to DDR with the 845/865 chipsets.

You can replace the hard drive with flash storage using SD card adapters like this:


You may still need an older power supply if you intend on using PCI devices from this era, they may require the -12V line which is missing on most modern power supplies.

To remove the CPU cooler, you will need to use a serious amount of force. Thankfully you have some kind of support on the clip for your thumb to press against, this was probably a later revision. Earlier clamps needed a flat head screwdriver that was scary because if it slipped, it would send capacitors and coils flying off the board. You should be pressing straight down, and then slightly outward. You will need more pressure than what you feel is necessary.

There are some images here to help figure out the front panel headers: https://www.elhvb.com/ctechinfo/model/bmw/bmw.php

I have a functioning Duron 1GHz system from this era, it still works fine so there's hope this is still operational.


Be sure to have a fresh CMOS battery before you start tinkering away at this.
 
Last edited:
Lastly, not to let you down, the rams. I'm 810% sure they wont power on. But even if they do it will be only bsods!

Let us know how it goes..
810%? Lol ok. But why though, any incompatibility issues or is it because of the age?
Will keep you guys posted, Im a little wrapped for the next 2 days, so will try to set it up asap.
The memory modules you have are actually SDRAM, 133MHz. DDR wasn't a thing on Intel platforms until they gave up on RDRAM with the 820/840/860 chipset and moved to DDR with the 845/865 chipsets.
Ahh, I was wondering why it had 2 notches instead of the traditional 1 notch.
You may still need an older power supply if you intend on using PCI devices from this era, they may require the -12V line which is missing on most modern power supplies.
It came with a networking card as well. I'll check around for old PSUs, maybe I'll add in a GPU later and make it a sweet retro gaming pc:p
Be sure to have a fresh CMOS battery before you start tinkering away at this.
Yeah, my multimeter reported 0.25v on the current battery, so I'll be picking up a new one.
I have a functioning Duron 1GHz system from this era, it still works fine so there's hope this is still operational.
I really hope so as well, much thanks for the advice @nRiTeCh and @rsaeon !
Edit: @rsaeon , you're a real one! Just as my thumb was starting to feel sore, the clamp popped off, revealing a glorius Pentium 3.
cpu.jpeg

Also, before putting the heatsink back on, should I spread the normal thermal paste on the blue area (the die I'm guessing)? After wiping the previous one of course.
More pics of the CPU-
p3.jpeg

all pins.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Back
Top