Mini-ITX Windows XP 64-bit build - help?

[psull48]

Hi,

I'm a not-so-experienced builder - I have only built one PC before and it came as a kit with some parts already assembled -- the mobo and PSU were already installed.

I do have a modern Win10 pc that someone else built.

As partly an experiment and partly for actual use, I'd like to make a new build for Win XP 64-bit. I'm loving the small form factor / miniITX setup - I like the compactness (even if it limits things a bit).

Well, as a not-so-experienced builder, I'm not too knowledgeable on "what is compatible with what". I can take a guess that certain components purchased nowadays, would no longer be compatible with Win XP. I am pretty sure that motherboards are one of these things, and I know for sure that video cards are another one.

So my criteria would be:
1.) Everything needs to be able to work with XP
2.) Small form factor build
3.) Probably OK to run games that are around ~2013 games and older? I don't care too much about super brand new games, and they probably require DX10+ anyways, and I know that XP stops at DX9. Need to be probably OK to do some video editing, PhotoShop, 3D modeling. Just remember that since it's XP, I used older versions of these things, which aren't as cpu-intensive!
4.) Not insanely expensive, but I don't imagine this build could be too expensive anyways? Would like to keep it below 450$-500$.
5.) Don't really need a motherboard with lots of extra built-in stuff like wi-fi/blutooth, only really want 1 video card slot.
6.) Would prefer VGA output.

This is what I picked so far, but again, I'm not experienced. A friend said he preferred AMD so I went with that in mind, but it's not a requirement.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4n7Yhq

My question would be is this fine, considering what I'm going for? Will this all work with XP, and are there any glaring bottlenecks or parts I should definitely swap out? I should also mention I already have the video card in that part list, and it has drivers for XP. However, I am not 100% sure if this video card would be fine enough for 4+ year old games and older, but, I hope that it would be.

Thanks for any advice

 

[gillhooley]

Just Curious Why XP? It is very insecure these days with no security updates, so I hope this is an offline machine. I would look for a newer Intel Pentium chip. Faster than the AMD and much cooler and power efficient, which is a must for a Mini ITX build. Get a 7200 RPM hard drive much faster for really no more money. You can Save quite a bit of money on the Power supply, its overkill

 

[Rogue Leader]

few things, 16gb is excessive for a Win XP build. That PSU is extremely excessive.

Drop it to 8gb (and make sure you install Windows XP Professional 64 bit otherwise even 8 is a waste, drop it to 4gb)

PSU Seasonic makes the same one in 350 and 450w. 350 is fine, but you could do 450 if you can't find the 350w version.

As for 2013 games... try more like 2010 and earlier. 2013 was well into Windows 7/8. Keep in mind XP is grossly insecure nowadays since MS dropped support for it. If you connect to the internet you need to be VERY careful.

 

[boosted1g]

You will need to research that motherbaord to make sure it has windows XP drivers available. This is going to be your immediate hurdle.

Another thing you are not factoring is software. Most internet browsers have now stoped doing windows xp support and so have many other software versions.
It is going to become a massive ordeal to try to find old versions of software just to have a windows xp rig.

As stated that PSU is massive overkill, and dont go with that 5400rpm drive.
Also, there is nothing you would be running on windows XP that will even eat up 8gb of ram, let alone 16.

Given the hurdles of this the only reason to do it would be because you absolutly need XP for a key business software to work, and even then you need to be preparing for the inevetiable and looking for a modern solution.

 

[USAFRet]

Not only "Why XP", but why "XP x64"
Support for that was very spotty. Drivers, etc.

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

ASRock do have XP drivers for that board: http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/AM1H-ITX/?cat=Download&os=XP

However, I have to agree with what previous posters have said - - - XP is not a wise choice for a new build these days, especially considering that ASRock have released drivers for that board for every consumer version of Windows since XP, up to & including Windows 10.

I would seriously reconsider your choice of OS.

 

[GraySilencer]

Hi,

I'm a not-so-experienced builder - I have only built one PC before and it came as a kit with some parts already assembled -- the mobo and PSU were already installed.

I do have a modern Win10 pc that someone else built.

As partly an experiment and partly for actual use, I'd like to make a new build for Win XP 64-bit. I'm loving the small form factor / miniITX setup - I like the compactness (even if it limits things a bit).

Well, as a not-so-experienced builder, I'm not too knowledgeable on "what is compatible with what". I can take a guess that certain components purchased nowadays, would no longer be compatible with Win XP. I am pretty sure that motherboards are one of these things, and I know for sure that video cards are another one.

So my criteria would be:
1.) Everything needs to be able to work with XP
2.) Small form factor build
3.) Probably OK to run games that are around ~2013 games and older? I don't care too much about super brand new games, and they probably require DX10+ anyways, and I know that XP stops at DX9. Need to be probably OK to do some video editing, PhotoShop, 3D modeling. Just remember that since it's XP, I used older versions of these things, which aren't as cpu-intensive!
4.) Not insanely expensive, but I don't imagine this build could be too expensive anyways? Would like to keep it below 450$-500$.
5.) Don't really need a motherboard with lots of extra built-in stuff like wi-fi/blutooth, only really want 1 video card slot.
6.) Would prefer VGA output.

This is what I picked so far, but again, I'm not experienced. A friend said he preferred AMD so I went with that in mind, but it's not a requirement.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4n7Yhq

My question would be is this fine, considering what I'm going for? Will this all work with XP, and are there any glaring bottlenecks or parts I should definitely swap out? I should also mention I already have the video card in that part list, and it has drivers for XP. However, I am not 100% sure if this video card would be fine enough for 4+ year old games and older, but, I hope that it would be.

Thanks for any advice

With the AM1 build you're paying for the APU portion that you're not even going to be using. You should get FM2+ with an Athlon CPU instead. The power supply and RAM amount was way overkill. Go for a 7200 RPM hard drive instead of 5400 RPM. Nostalgia purposes I understand but I'd run this offline.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JpWZHN

ASrock has drivers for Windows XP 64bit here: http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/FM2A78M-ITX+/?cat=Download&os=XP

 

[user11464]

I know you want XP compatibility, but for $500 you could get an awesome Win7/10 build.

 

[USAFRet]

I know you want XP compatibility, but for $500 you could get an awesome Win7/10 build.

And run XP in a VirtualMachine.

 

[psull48]

Thanks for the replies so far, I've learned a lot, I now know that the Ram and PSU are overkill, and to get a 7200 rpm HD.

I do realize XP isn't supported anymore -- I have and use a Win10 computer, : )

Also yes, for clarification, Windows XP Pro 64-bit

I have a question for:

Hi,

I'm a not-so-experienced builder - I have only built one PC before and it came as a kit with some parts already assembled -- the mobo and PSU were already installed.

I do have a modern Win10 pc that someone else built.

As partly an experiment and partly for actual use, I'd like to make a new build for Win XP 64-bit. I'm loving the small form factor / miniITX setup - I like the compactness (even if it limits things a bit).

Well, as a not-so-experienced builder, I'm not too knowledgeable on "what is compatible with what". I can take a guess that certain components purchased nowadays, would no longer be compatible with Win XP. I am pretty sure that motherboards are one of these things, and I know for sure that video cards are another one.

So my criteria would be:
1.) Everything needs to be able to work with XP
2.) Small form factor build
3.) Probably OK to run games that are around ~2013 games and older? I don't care too much about super brand new games, and they probably require DX10+ anyways, and I know that XP stops at DX9. Need to be probably OK to do some video editing, PhotoShop, 3D modeling. Just remember that since it's XP, I used older versions of these things, which aren't as cpu-intensive!
4.) Not insanely expensive, but I don't imagine this build could be too expensive anyways? Would like to keep it below 450$-500$.
5.) Don't really need a motherboard with lots of extra built-in stuff like wi-fi/blutooth, only really want 1 video card slot.
6.) Would prefer VGA output.

This is what I picked so far, but again, I'm not experienced. A friend said he preferred AMD so I went with that in mind, but it's not a requirement.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4n7Yhq

My question would be is this fine, considering what I'm going for? Will this all work with XP, and are there any glaring bottlenecks or parts I should definitely swap out? I should also mention I already have the video card in that part list, and it has drivers for XP. However, I am not 100% sure if this video card would be fine enough for 4+ year old games and older, but, I hope that it would be.

Thanks for any advice

With the AM1 build you're paying for the APU portion that you're not even going to be using. You should get FM2+ with an Athlon CPU instead. The power supply and RAM amount was way overkill. Go for a 7200 RPM hard drive instead of 5400 RPM. Nostalgia purposes I understand but I'd run this offline.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JpWZHN

ASrock has drivers for Windows XP 64bit here: http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/FM2A78M-ITX+/?cat=Download&os=XP

Thank you for pointing out the mobo I picked had a feature I wouldn't be using - APU? I had to look it up to find out what that is - I still don't know what it is exactly, but I'm also not asking for an explanation, since it's something I wouldn't need anyway. But these are exactly the things I'm trying to whittle down.

However, I looked at the newegg page for that Mobo and it got not-so-good reviews and many complaints about BIOS setup or it comes with the wrong version of the BIOS or something. With that in mind, I'm unsure about it, but I do like the better cpu's it's able to use.. thoughts?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157478&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[GraySilencer]

The people that don't leave any reviews at all are usually the satisfied ones.

A large number of people that leave negative reviews are usually the ones that have had a bad experience because they probably don't know what they are doing.

What a lot of FM2+ users don't realize is if they are using an Athlon CPU, they need a separate video card. Because the board likely ships out with an older BIOS, it might not support newer Athlons like the X4 880K.

But there's no need to worry if it will support the Athlon X2 370K out of the box, because all BIOS versions of that board support it. It's one of the reasons I recommended it, and the second reason is Windows XP having four cores is overkill IMO.

 

[user11464]

The people that don't leave any reviews at all are usually the satisfied ones.

A large number of people that leave negative reviews are usually the ones that have had a bad experience because they probably don't know what they are doing.

What a lot of FM2+ users don't realize is if they are using an Athlon CPU, they need a separate video card. Because the board likely ships out with an older BIOS, it might not support newer Athlons like the X4 880K.

But there's no need to worry if it will support the Athlon X2 370K out of the box, because all BIOS versions of that board support it. It's one of the reasons I recommended it, and the second reason is Windows XP having four cores is overkill IMO.

Completely agree with that first part 100%. Most people don't know the truth behind reviews. People who are satisfied likely never even post. They get their stuff working and never look back. lol. Read reviews, but don't let them be your end-all be-all. It's usually easy to read someone's review and use basic psychology to get an idea if their post is based on emotion, or if they actually broke down a legitimate flaw in the product.

 

[boosted1g]

The people that don't leave any reviews at all are usually the satisfied ones.

A large number of people that leave negative reviews are usually the ones that have had a bad experience because they probably don't know what they are doing.

What a lot of FM2+ users don't realize is if they are using an Athlon CPU, they need a separate video card. Because the board likely ships out with an older BIOS, it might not support newer Athlons like the X4 880K.

But there's no need to worry if it will support the Athlon X2 370K out of the box, because all BIOS versions of that board support it. It's one of the reasons I recommended it, and the second reason is Windows XP having four cores is overkill IMO.

Completely agree with that first part 100%. Most people don't know the truth behind reviews. People who are satisfied likely never even post. They get their stuff working and never look back. lol. Read reviews, but don't let them be your end-all be-all. It's usually easy to read someone's review and use basic psychology to get an idea if their post is based on emotion, or if they actually broke down a legitimate flaw in the product.

Reviews are only as good as the people reviewing them. Hell yesterday was looking at HDD and someone gave a internal hard drive 3 stars because they had to go into disk manager and give it a partition/drive letter.

I will look it overall percentage of 5s and 4s but going through the reviews for inelegant breakdown of the pros or its flaws is what matters the most.