Best OS for old P3 System?

Brutalfate · Nov 16, 2006

Hey, I have an old P3 800Mhz, 256MB, 20Gb HDD, system with no OS installed.. I know its old, but it still works fine and it'd be a waste to toss out... Any suggestions as to what OS i should install on it? Something other than boring 'ol windows... :roll:

Thanks in advance..

Agility · Nov 16, 2006

Linux?

Deleted member 3 · Nov 16, 2006

Windows 2000 or XP will run just fine, though adding some RAM wouldn't hurt for XP.

MrSeanKon · Nov 16, 2006

Windows 2000 or Millenium.
You may try XP but it will run like o tortoise!

Deleted member 3 · Nov 16, 2006

XP runs fine with 256MB, Windows ME is a big no go. Crappiest release ever. Windows 95 was a bad idea already, 98 wasn't better and ME made it even worse.

MrSeanKon · Nov 16, 2006

DanTheBanjoman said:
Windows ME is a big no go. Crappiest release ever.

I agree with this.
For this reason I did not install them I had Windows 98 and 2000 later.

Deleted member 3 · Nov 16, 2006

MrSeanKon said:
I agree with this.
For this reason I did not install them I had Windows 98 and 2000 later.

98 was crap too, NT4 >2k>2003, I skipped the crap releases

Agility · Nov 16, 2006

I think he's asking for other os other then "boring olo windows".

Deleted member 3 · Nov 16, 2006

Agility said:
I think he's asking for other os other then "boring olo windows".

XP has a Teletubbie look, that's not boring, just ugly

Though you're right

I'd say Zeta. Zeta ftw and such.

tkpenalty · Nov 16, 2006

Windows XP, dude... do you guys realise that although windows XP isnt the best release, most tools these days only work for windows XP

Agility · Nov 16, 2006

I totally agree..but he's asking for other os other then windows. BTw what is FTW?

Munkul · Nov 16, 2006

ubuntu.
tho iv never tried any other linux versions, so i dont know how they compare.
if it has a hardware t&l card, try running games that require more than you have, see if the reduction in resources lets them work!

Deleted member 3 · Nov 16, 2006

FTW > For teh win.

infrared · Nov 16, 2006

I'm running xp pro SP2 on my old P3 rig. 933mhz with 192mb of ram, runs like a champ

Brutalfate · Nov 17, 2006

heh, alright. thanks guys!

Solaris17 · Nov 17, 2006

give suse a try to. it has had no problems with anything of mine and is really stable doesnt look to shabby either.

Deleted member 3 · Nov 17, 2006

Or run Solaris on it...

mikek75 · Nov 17, 2006

DanTheBanjoman said:
FTW > For teh win.

Oh, I thought it meant F*&k the world, my mistake :nutkick:

Batou1986 · Nov 17, 2006

i run xp on a 400mhz laptop with 96 mb of ram dont run half bad if u stet it to look like win95/98 hell i even got a wifi card in it to bad the charge lasts about an hour :roll:

Polaris573 · Nov 17, 2006

tkpenalty said:
Windows XP, dude... do you guys realise that although windows XP isnt the best release, most tools these days only work for windows XP

Almost everything that runs on XP will run on 2000 you just have to make sure you have all the updates. I have an old PII based system running windows 2000 I've never had any compatibility problems. Of course all it does is internet and word processing. Although I did run photoshop on it once when my computer went down for a couple of days. That was a nightmare, but I got what I needed done.

Migons · Nov 17, 2006

I recommend Xubuntu. Absolutely one of the best choices for that kind of PC.

ktr · Nov 17, 2006

i can run XP on my pentium pro rated as 150mhz with 128mb. it runs slow but runs just fine for email and web.

also my older lapy has a p3 600mhz, with 192mb, 8mb ati rage...and runs xp like a champ

Alec§taar · Nov 17, 2006

Windows 2000 (fully service pack level + hotfix patch updated of course) will do the job nicely...

APK

PVTCaboose1337 · Nov 20, 2006

Alec§taar said:
Windows 2000 (fully service pack level + hotfix patch updated of course) will do the job nicely...

APK

Yes, but also, DSL, if you are not gaming.

strick94u · Nov 21, 2006

Migons said:
I recommend Xubuntu. Absolutely one of the best choices for that kind of PC.

Only if you want that old p3 to be powerful and fast for free other than that do the windows 2000 thing who needs all that power for free along with powerful free programs :slap:

listen to migons

Processor	Q6600
Motherboard	Asus P5k
Cooling	Zalman 9500 LED
Memory	Kingston HyperX 4GB Kit 1066
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte HD5770
Storage	2x Samsung 500GB SataII
Display(s)	LG 22" 1680x1050 2ms
Case	Tt Soprano
Audio Device(s)	Onboard 7.1
Power Supply	Coolermaster RealPower M520
Software	Windows Vista Ultimate

System Name	Half-fucked overclockedd
Processor	Intel Core i7 2600k 3.40Ghz @ 4.20Ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte P67 UD7 B3
Cooling	Antec Kuhler H2O 920
Memory	G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 8GB X2 1866Mhz (Model F3-2133C9D-16GXH)
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte AORUS 1080Ti Extreme Edition
Storage	Samsung 840 Pro 256GB / Western Digital Black Cavier 2TB X2
Display(s)	Dell U2715H 2560X1440
Case	NZXT Phantom
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional
Power Supply	Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1000W
Mouse	Logitech G510
Keyboard	Tesoro Excalibur Spectrum
Software	Microsoft Windows 10 Professional

System Name	Half-fucked overclockedd
Processor	Intel Core i7 2600k 3.40Ghz @ 4.20Ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte P67 UD7 B3
Cooling	Antec Kuhler H2O 920
Memory	G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 8GB X2 1866Mhz (Model F3-2133C9D-16GXH)
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte AORUS 1080Ti Extreme Edition
Storage	Samsung 840 Pro 256GB / Western Digital Black Cavier 2TB X2
Display(s)	Dell U2715H 2560X1440
Case	NZXT Phantom
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional
Power Supply	Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1000W
Mouse	Logitech G510
Keyboard	Tesoro Excalibur Spectrum
Software	Microsoft Windows 10 Professional

System Name	Half-fucked overclockedd
Processor	Intel Core i7 2600k 3.40Ghz @ 4.20Ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte P67 UD7 B3
Cooling	Antec Kuhler H2O 920
Memory	G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 8GB X2 1866Mhz (Model F3-2133C9D-16GXH)
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte AORUS 1080Ti Extreme Edition
Storage	Samsung 840 Pro 256GB / Western Digital Black Cavier 2TB X2
Display(s)	Dell U2715H 2560X1440
Case	NZXT Phantom
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional
Power Supply	Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1000W
Mouse	Logitech G510
Keyboard	Tesoro Excalibur Spectrum
Software	Microsoft Windows 10 Professional

System Name	Munkuls ol' faithful
Processor	AMD Athlon 64 3200+ @ 2.4ghz 1.45v
Motherboard	ASrock 939Dual-SATA2
Cooling	mixture of Innovatek and Asetek Watercooling w/ Eheim pump
Memory	1gb corsair XMS TwinX PC3200; also two further sticks of noname 512mb PC3200
Video Card(s)	POV 8800gts 320mb @satndard clocks
Storage	500gb hitachi deskstar
Display(s)	2x 17" CRTs
Case	Raidmax Ninja with triple fan radiator mounted on top
Audio Device(s)	onboard AC'97 - yeah, its crap.
Power Supply	OCZ 600w PSU
Software	XP Pro

Best OS for old P3 System?

Brutalfate

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System Name	Box of Distraction
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Cooling	Custom watercooling
Memory	G.Skill TridentZ 2x8GB @ 3466MHz CL14 1T
Video Card(s)	EVGA 1080Ti FE. WC'd & TDP limit increased to 360W.
Storage	Samsung 960 Evo 500GB & WD Black 2TB storage drive.
Display(s)	Asus ROG Swift PG278QR 27" 1440P 165hz Gsync
Case	Phanteks Enthoo Pro M
Audio Device(s)	Phillips Fidelio X2 headphones / basic Bose speakers
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova 750W G3
Mouse	Logitech G602
Keyboard	Cherry MX Board 6.0 (mx red switches)
Software	Win 10 & Linux Mint
Benchmark Scores	https://hwbot.org/user/infrared

System Name	Rocinante
Processor	I9 14900KS
Motherboard	EVGA z690 Dark KINGPIN (modded BIOS)
Cooling	EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB
Memory	64GB Gskill Trident Z5 DDR5 6000 @6400
Video Card(s)	MSI SUPRIM Liquid X 4090
Storage	1x 500GB 980 Pro \| 1x 1TB 980 Pro \| 1x 8TB Corsair MP400
Display(s)	Odyssey OLED G9 G95SC
Case	Lian Li o11 Evo Dynamic White
Audio Device(s)	Moondrop S8's on Schiit Hel 2e
Power Supply	Bequiet! Power Pro 12 1500w
Mouse	Lamzu Atlantis mini (White)
Keyboard	Monsgeek M3 Lavender, Akko Crystal Blues
VR HMD	Quest 3
Software	Windows 11
Benchmark Scores	I dont have time for that.

System Name	As easy as falling off a lorry
Processor	Core I5 2500K auto tuned to 4.2ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P
Cooling	Corsair H80 sealed water cooler
Memory	16gb Gskill Ripjawz 1600mhz
Video Card(s)	XFX 6970 2GB
Storage	Corsair 120GB Force 3 SSD, OCZ 60 GB Agility 3 SSD, Seagate 500GB, 2x80gb Maxtors
Display(s)	DELL 2309w 23" Widescreen 1920x1080+ LG M2294D 22" 1680x1050 LCDtv/monitor
Case	Zalman Z9 Plus
Audio Device(s)	X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Pro
Power Supply	PC Power&Cooling 750w Silencer Quad PCIe
Software	Windows 7 x64 Home Premium

Processor	Ryzen 5900X
Motherboard	ASUS Prime X470 Pro
Cooling	Arctic liquid freezer II 240
Memory	2 x 16 Gb Gskill Trident Z 3600 Mhz
Video Card(s)	MSI Ventus 3060 Ti OC
Storage	Samsung 960 EVO 500 Gb / 860 EVO 1 Tb
Display(s)	Dell S2719DGF
Case	Lian Li Lancool II Mesh
Audio Device(s)	Soundblaster Z
Power Supply	Corsair RM850x
Mouse	Logitech G703
Keyboard	Logitech G513
Software	Win 11

Processor	LGA 775 Intel Q9550 2.8 Ghz
Motherboard	MSI P7N Diamond - 780i Chipset
Cooling	Arctic Freezer
Memory	6GB G.Skill DDRII 800 4-4-3-5
Video Card(s)	Sapphire HD 7850 2 GB PCI-E
Storage	1 TB Seagate 32MB Cache, 250 GB Seagate 16MB Cache
Display(s)	Acer X203w
Case	Coolermaster Centurion 5
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music
Power Supply	OCZ StealthXStream 600 Watt
Software	Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Processor	Athlon 64 3500+ ClawHammer
Motherboard	Asus A8V Deluxe Rev. 2.00
Cooling	Zalman CNPS7700-Cu
Memory	2x 512MB A-Data Vitesta DDR500
Video Card(s)	Club 3D GeForce 6200 128MB
Storage	Seagate 7200.7 160GB + 80GB SATA 8MB
Display(s)	Dell M770 17" CRT (!!!)
Case	Antec Performance PlusView1000AMG
Audio Device(s)	Sound Blaster Live! 5.1
Power Supply	Nexus NX-4090 400W
Software	FreeBSD 6.2 w/ custom kernel

Processor	DualCore AMD Athlon 64x2 4800+ (o/c 2801mhz STABLE (Ketxxx, POGE, Tatty One, ME))
Motherboard	ASUS A8N-SLI Premium (PCIe x16, x4, x1)
Cooling	PhaseChange Coolermaster CM754/939 (fan/heatsink), Thermalright heatspreaders + fan built on (RAM)
Memory	512mb PC-3200 DDR400 (set DDR-33 for o/c) by Corsair (matched pair, 2x256mb) 200.1/200mhz
Video Card(s)	BFG GeForce 7900 GTX OC 512mb GDDR3 ram (o/c manually to 686 core/865 memory) - PhaseChange cooled
Storage	Dual "Raptor X" 16mb 10krpm/RAID 0 Promise EX8350 x4 PCIe 128mb & Intel IO chip/CENATEK RocketDrive
Display(s)	SONY 19" Trinitron MultiScan 400ps 1600x1200 75hz refresh 32-bit color
Case	Antec Super-LanBoy (aluminum baby-tower w/ lower front & upper rear cooling exhaust fans)
Audio Device(s)	RealTek AC97 onboard mobo stereo sound (Altec Lansing ACS-45 speakers - 10 yrs. still running!)
Power Supply	Antec 500w ATX 2.0 "SmartPower" powersupply
Software	Windows Server 2003 SP #1 fully patched, & massively tuned/tweaked to-the-max (plus latest drivers)

System Name	Whim
Processor	Intel Core i5 2500k @ 4.4ghz
Motherboard	Asus P8Z77-V LX
Cooling	Cooler Master Hyper 212+
Memory	2 x 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws @ 1600mhz
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte GTX 670 2gb
Storage	Samsung 840 Pro 256gb, WD 2TB Black
Display(s)	Shimian QH270 (1440p), Asus VE228 (1080p)
Case	Cooler Master 430 Elite
Audio Device(s)	Onboard > PA2V2 Amp > Senn 595's
Power Supply	Corsair 750w
Software	Windows 8.1 (Tweaked)

System Name	CrashMaster 17.2/ crashmaster(M) ROG
Processor	CD2 E8400@4.0 ghz/ i5 430@ 2.577 mhz
Motherboard	EVGA 680i/ patogram inc intel north bridge
Cooling	Monsoon vigor gaming II/ fan and vents
Memory	4 gig OCZ pc8500 DDR2/ 4 gigs ddr3
Video Card(s)	2 X EVGA 8800gts 512 735/1045/nvidia 360 gtsm gddr5
Storage	2 X WD 150 Raptors Raid 0+600gig usb/ 500 gig hitachi
Display(s)	Samsung 2232 bw Sync Master 22" HD/16.9 inch asus
Case	Enermax uber chakra/ asus republic of gamers
Audio Device(s)	Creative SB X-FI 5.1 speakers/creative eax 4.0
Power Supply	OCZ extream Gaming 650 watt 4x18a/ external
Software	Dos 6.22/ win 3.11 for networks/ms bob server
Benchmark Scores	3dmark06 18,201/10601 3dmark05 23,943/not run Aquamark 218,094/not run