I need your advice
Posted by Kalki_the_Tenth@reddit | retrobattlestations | View on Reddit | 14 comments
Hi everyone!
I'm looking for a retro PC from the Windows XP era so I can play old games (mostly from the early 2000s) that don't work properly on modern systems. I found an interesting one on sale for a decent price but being my first time buying and using old PCs I'm not sure if it's suitable for the purpose. The PC is a HP Compaq 6000 Pro Microtower with the following specifics:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200
RAM: 2 GB ddr3 1066 MHz (can be expanded)
GPU: Nvidia GeForce 8400GS 512 MB gddr3
HD: Seagate sata hard disk, 250 GB
HDMI, VGA & DVI ports, 2 CD/DVD drives, memory card reader
OS: Windows XP Professional SP3
I'm not an expert by any means but I think it should run most games from around 20 years ago and older. What do you think? Should I go for it?
just_hanging_on@reddit
Replace GPU with something like Radeon X1950 Pro or even 8600GT/GTS and you would have very nice XP rig. To be honest this CPU is overkill for 90& of XP games :)) But whatever, enjoy what you have.
Kalki_the_Tenth@reddit (OP)
I think I will stick with the 8400GS at least for now, then if it's not powerful enough to run the games I want to play I will consider upgrading it but it should work just fine. Thank you!
MikeTheNight94@reddit
Core2quad makes it a later model xp machine. Should have no problem running anything from 1999-2009
Kalki_the_Tenth@reddit (OP)
Yes, it was released in 2010 and it was offered with a license for upgrading the OS to Windows 7, so I hope I can put another HDD with that too and do a dual boot. Thank you!
Plenty_Article11@reddit
You might want to look into the people running XP on the most modern hardware (usually to get high CPU-Z or 3Dmark scores).
Then get an XP supporting video card installed in a second slot of your PC.
If you just want old hardware, I recommend a first gen Core i series Xeon in an Intel brand motherboard. Mine does 3.7ghz at 1600 RAM with a FSB tweak, it's even viable for a modern office machine 😆
Should still be compatible. 8400GS is a bit of a turd, not sure about compatibility, would probably recommend a 6800-7900GS or early 8600-8800 with the 320bit memory bus. Then you have access to more horsepower and better drivers.
Kalki_the_Tenth@reddit (OP)
This is my first desktop (I've only owned laptops so far) and my first retro machine, I'm fairly new to this so I'm not skilled enough to do a lot of modifications and upgrades, but I will look for it in case the GPU isn't powerful enough to run games (but it should be). Thank you!
VivienM7@reddit
So... I think that's probably a nice enough starter XP system, you might want to see if you can get a newer system to have a completely insane XP system, e.g. a Sandy/Ivy Bridge. Often, newer = cheaper.
As others have said, the only possible issue might be the video card. And since this is a prebuilt it may not have the PCI-E power connectors, etc to run a more serious GPU.
But one other point I would note: if you are looking at games from the early early 2000s, you may want a Windows 98 system as well. XP came out in late 2001 and was the first NT-family OS to be used for serious gaming. Games from 1999 or 2000 may be hit or miss on whether they will run on XP. Now, the unfortunate thing is - a nice Win98SE system will cost you way, way more than an XP system for much less performance, but that's how vintage things go...
Kalki_the_Tenth@reddit (OP)
Thank you!
AudioVid3o@reddit
This is better than all of my (current) xp builds, it should be able to run games well from 1999-2004, but if you upgrade your GPU (which is holding back your totally overkill CPU) you should be able to run games from 1999-2006 maybe even 2007
Kalki_the_Tenth@reddit (OP)
Thank you! At the moment all the games I would like to play are from the 1999-2005 period, and I'm no planning to play more recent stuff on that computer, but in case I will upgrade the GPU.
SpeedBo@reddit
It's a good system for early-mid XP games but it will struggle with the later games. However if you upgrade the video card you'll be able to run just about anything. And like u/SchmidtCassegrain said, if you're looking to run 90s games you'll want something a little older.
I would recommend getting a new ssd or hdd. The hard drive is one of the first things to fail in an old PC. Also look the motherboard over to make sure it doesn't have any blown capacitors.
Kalki_the_Tenth@reddit (OP)
Thank you! The computer is sold as working and the seller appears to be reliable, but I will check.
SchmidtCassegrain@reddit
There's nothing there that is a bad idea. Just make a list of the games most important to you, and check they are indeed from 2000 and later, if they're more from 1996-2000 you'll be better served with a windows 98 build and that requieres completely different components. On the other hand check the games you like are not too bear 2010 as that graphic card will become a bottleneck. Just try it and learn from your experience.
Kalki_the_Tenth@reddit (OP)
Thank you!