What to install on ye old PPro?

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What to install on ye old PPro?

Post by cake »

I got an PPro machine that i'm about to fix,<br>the question is what OS to install?<br><br>I know you get a performance hit if you install one of those<br>16/32 bit OSes like win95/win9x, but what impact will it have on performance?<br><br>Or, I could install Win 2k or XP, but then I'd got to scavange some to find all that RAM (currently have 48 MB).<br><br>What to do?<br><br>Never mind, the processor suddenly became a PeeII instead. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub70.ezboard.com/ucake4one.show ... ge=EN>caKe 4one</A> at: 9/27/01 7:03:37 am<br></i>
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Re: What to install on ye old PPro?

Post by io333 »

All the OS's you mentioned perform the same -- some just have more bullsh*t that needs to be turned off after installation than others. Stripped down they're all fast.<br><br>HUGE caveat: the ram necessary to run at the same performance level differs greatly. It goes like this:<br><br>Win95>Win98>Win2k>WinMe>WinXP<br><br>I wouldn't dream of running XP with less than 128. 192 is more realistic.<br><br>With only 48megs of ram, I think you are best off sticking with Win98SE at the most, and Win95 would be better (if you can stand it!) <p></p><i></i>
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Re: What to install on ye old PPro?

Post by cake »

Thanks,<br><br>think I'll go for Win98SE after all <p></p><i></i>
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Re: What to install on ye old PPro?

Post by blue »

NO! do nt do that! the ppro cant handle 16bit worth shit! get NT4.0 or win2k! something 32bit! <p><img src= "http://www.e-ventcentral.com/events/tec ... </p><i></i>
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Re: What to install on ye old PPro?

Post by cake »

Win2k then, cause NT4 sucks and it has to be easy to use.<br>It's for my gf's grandfather <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: What to install on ye old PPro?

Post by blue »

cool a 150mhz ppro is faster then a 200mhz pee2, so on and so forth. so it should do some internet surfing <p><img src= "http://www.e-ventcentral.com/events/tec ... </p><i></i>
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Re: What to install on ye old PPro?

Post by cake »

Sometimes I get frightened by my poor memory..<br><br>The PPro became a Pee2 @ 266 MHz, so I'm going for Win98SE <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>
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Re: What to install on ye old PPro?

Post by io333 »

if that p2 has dimms, stick a $20 stick in it and load up xp <p></p><i></i>
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thats not true!

Post by blue »

the Ppro and the P2 are not the same, close but not the same, the pee2 had a reworked 16bit thingie(Im not sure its called that) making it work good in OS's like win98 and down, so your best bet is win2k <p></p><i></i>
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Re: thats not true!

Post by io333 »

win2k also sucks on less than 128, though 96 is do-able <p></p><i></i>
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...

Post by jsc1973 »

The Pro had to run on pure 32-bit code (something NT or *NIX) to run optimally. In a way, it was the Pentium 4 of its generation, a good concept hobbled by design compromises but don't blame Intel for that one.<br><br>When Intel was designing the Pro, it asked Microsoft if Windows 95 would be released as a pure 32-bit OS, and they told Intel it would be. Armed with that assurance, Intel didn't optimize the Pro for 16-bit code at all. So when Win95 came out as basically Win 3.1 with a new interface and a hopped-up version of Win32s bolted on, it ran like crap on a Pentium Pro. Intel had to go back to the drawing board and redesign the P6 as the Pentium II, with better 16-bit capability.<br><br>I had a Pro back when it was a powerhouse chip, and I dual-booted NT4 and 95 on it. It was the fastest processor in the world on NT, but no better than a Pentium Classic of the same speed on 95. In fact, a crappy Cyrix 6x86 PR200+ could beat a Pentium Pro on Win95 because Microsoft apparently told Cyrix the truth, and Cyrix optimized the 6x86 for 16-bit. Then Quake and Voodoo Graphics showed up and we all learned what a Cyrix couldn't do... <p></p><i></i>
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Re: ...

Post by io333 »

interesting. i learned something this week. cool. <p></p><i></i>
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Post by fortoreibas »

Yeah, I'm only posting 6 years later, but who's counting?

If you want to put a 16-bit OS on your PPro motherboard, then one option is the Socket 8 Pentium II Overdrive chip. Part number is PODP66X333 and SL2KE.

Pros-
-300 or 333 MHz, depending on whether you have a 60 or 66 MHz fsb.
-Based on the PII Deschutes core
-Excellent 16-bit performance
-16KB L1 cache vs 8KB L1 cache on PPro
-512KB full-speed L2 cache (gotta look at a PII Xeon or PII Mobile Dixon to get full-speed cache otherwise in the PII family) vs 256KB L2 50% speed on PII
-Supports MMX

Cons:
-They are rare - it took me 2 yrs to get three without breaking the bank
-They tend to be pricey - around $80 on Ebay
-Locked at 5x multiplier
-No PPro mobo I know of does more than 75 MHz fsb. I somehow got an Intel 440FX mobo to do 70 MHz fsb, and I don't know how.

I am running Win2k on a dual-proc 440FX with two Pentium II Overdrives and 512MB RAM, and it is very speedy. I have another single-proc 440FX with a single Pentium II Overdrive and 128MB running Win2k, and it's still pretty good.
Last edited by fortoreibas on Tue Aug 12, 2008 4:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by jsc1973 »

The Pentium II OverDrive is just a Pentium II Xeon CPU which has been mounted onto a circuit board for use in a Socket 8 system. Intel introduced it long after the PPro had been discontinued, and likely because of threats from PPro system owners who had been promised an upgrade path for their expensive PPro systems and high-capacity EDO SIMMs.

Quite a few of the OverDrives were bought up by people who mounted them on Socket 8-to-Slot 1 converters and put them in Pentium II motherboards, getting Xeon performance for much less than the price of a Pentium II Xeon. Not that the OverDrive was cheap--it wasn't--but it wasn't $2000 either.

You can generally land one for $50 or so now. I sold one for about that price last December.

Another possible upgrade for a Socket 8 system is the PowerLeap PL-Pro/II, which allows you to use a S370 Celeron in a PPro system. But that adapter is fairly rare, too.
FIC VA-503+, Rev. 1.2, AMD K6-III+ 450@550MHz, 80GB Seagate ATA-100, 3dfx Voodoo3 3500 TV, TB Montego II Quadzilla, Win98se, 384MB PC100

Compaq Presario 1273, AMD K6-III+ 450@400MHz 1.8v, 40GB Samsung 5400RPM, extremely hacked Win98SE, 288 (yes, 288!) MB RAM
(Also an AMD FX-8350, which does the heavy lifting these days...)
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Post by fortoreibas »

jsc1973 wrote:Quite a few of the OverDrives were bought up by people who mounted them on Socket 8-to-Slot 1 converters and put them in Pentium II motherboards, getting Xeon performance for much less than the price of a Pentium II Xeon. Not that the OverDrive was cheap--it wasn't--but it wasn't $2000 either.

Another possible upgrade for a Socket 8 system is the PowerLeap PL-Pro/II, which allows you to use a S370 Celeron in a PPro system. But that adapter is fairly rare, too.
I ran across an old heise.de review of the Pentium Pro, and you're spot on -- the Pentium II Overdrive is simply a repackaged PII Xeon "Drake" series CPU. Same flip-chip core and same L2 cache module.
http://www.heise.de/ct/english/98/18/020/

Strangely enough, that's what I'm trying to do right now. No real sane reason, aside from the fact that it's interesting to me. But, I simply cannot find ANY Socket 8 - Slot 1 slockets anywhere. Do you know where I might find one?

Strangely enough again, I'm also working on the PL/Pro II idea, which I am hunting for. I already have the Powerleap Neo S370 adapter so that I can put a Coppermine PIII on the PL/Pro II. Sound insane enough yet? You're right - they are rare.
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