Question Pentium 4 build question

Feb 2, 2020
2
0
10
Hello,

For fun, I am seeing how far I can take my old Dell E310 Pentium 4, 3.0 GHz.
I have installed Windows 10 32-bit (after a lot of research I found that even with the P4 630 Prescott having NX, MMX, SSE SSE2 SSE3 and EM64T that 64-bit Win10 was not possible).
I upgraded the ram to 4 GB (2x2GB) DDR2, however the MB only supports 3 of those 4 GB.
I added a 120GB SSD, and the system is running adequately for web browsing (using it now), using usb 2.0 wifi adapter.
I have a 2nd HHD for booting back to XP for old games and nostalgia.
My question is: which graphics card to buy? This motherboard only has 2 PCI slots and 1 PCIe-1X slot.
The integrated intel 915 graphics is not supported by Windows 10 (nor anything beyond XP that I can tell), so I need either a PCI or PCIe-1x card that has drivers to support Win 10-32bit.
Basically no PCI cards exist that are supported by Win10, so I am forced to use the PCIe-1x slot. Luckily there are some that are supported by Win10!
I am currently relegated to using the craptastic Win10 default video adapter drivers, which SUCK!
I have narrowed my search to two very cheap options:
  1. ZOTAC GeForce GT218-ION 512MB 64 BIT DDR3
  2. ATI FireMV 2250 256MB
I know nothing about these cards other than they can be made to work with Win10-32 (despite the ATI not having Win10 drivers, Vista or 7/8 will work).
Which card is better for BASIC web browsing & YouTube/Netflix?
3) is there another inexpensive option that I should consider?
Thank you for any insight!
P.S. I know this is a silly project, but it is fun making a 15 year old computer run in 2020. Like driving a Model T Ford or hunting with a bow.
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
You will need to understand that adding a GPU with the necessary minimum driver support is only one part of your concerns. You will need a higher wattage PSU to drive all your components, if you're still dealing with the prebuilt's PSU which in this day and age should be unable to deliver much power.

Then is the matter about all GPU makers relegating driver support for their older gen cards.

In 2020, for the amount of resources you're going to drop in, to run as a daily drivers(sans any gaming) then you're better off just building a new system from the ground up that sips on power as opposed to being a nightmare in terms of troubleshooting.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Avatar8
Feb 2, 2020
2
0
10
Thank you for the reply!
The two options I am curious about, the ZOTAC and ATI will both work, that much I have researched.
I hadn't considered they would require more power than the stock 230W PSU would be able to deliver. I may have to get a cheap PSU upgrade.
I have no problem spending money on making this silly project work. I just want to know which card is better.
 
Mar 5, 2020
1
0
10
I dunno if this is related to your question but I'd share what i did with my e310. I got a Dell Dimension e520 mobo from ebay for 20 bucks (they have the same case although you need to modify the I/O port at the back, a bit of dremeling required :) ), E520 Front I/O panel for $9 (this is not necessarily needed but fan will spin at high rpm due to lack of thermal sensor on old e310 front I/O panel), installed c2q q6600 for 8 bucks (q6700 will also work), 8GB (4x2GB) ram $20 and GTX750ti $60. Can game relatively good at medium settings. (CS:GO, Rocket League, Fortnite but i use it as my dedicated Stardew Valley gaming rig :p). Got the inspiration from this LTT video (
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8ja79SlA-g&t=721s
)