maxtherabbit wrote on 2025-11-19, 14:40:

if you intend to use the system for anything other than gaming the extra cores will be quite noticeable

back when I was still daily driving an XP machine I upgraded from C2D to C2Q (well xeon actually) and the difference was very significant

Hahaha, you and shevalier, good people, finally reveal yourselves to be the mighty Xeon guys) Well, that could be guessed before, with the deep knowledge that you display. My deep bow and my sincerest gratitude to you, gentlemen) Your software and your tasks are so much different from what the regular people ever meet) Like I have never touched an SCSI, or never created a RAID array, not even as a hobby) Actually I have to be honest that I'm drooling over an Intel SC5100 server case on display somewhere, but what I see is a floppy bay and a physical door lock, and what you probably immediately see are the 5 hot swap baskets)) But I myself will never ever have a need for those baskets))

Halofiber86 wrote on 2025-11-19, 17:59:

I'm happy to report, that you're completely right! The Q8200s that I see available is 4x more expensive, than the E8400, and that before the shipment. The money saved can be surely put to a better use with that old car of mine, which is also much loved and more practical btw ))

Consider that I even thought I was gonna spend too much on my E8600... Luckly I found a seller offering those for 22€ including shipping. But originally I had planned to get a Q9650, to build the exact system I wished I could afford in 2008.
That would've required spending more than double what I did for the E8600. And since I was gonna build this machine for XP, it was pointless getting four cores over two.
I'll go four cores+ on my Windows 7 build in the future.

Halofiber86 wrote on 2025-11-19, 18:36:

maxtherabbit wrote on 2025-11-19, 14:40:

if you intend to use the system for anything other than gaming the extra cores will be quite noticeable

back when I was still daily driving an XP machine I upgraded from C2D to C2Q (well xeon actually) and the difference was very significant

Hahaha, you and shevalier, good people, finally reveal yourselves to be the mighty Xeon guys) Well, that could be guessed before, with the deep knowledge that you display. My deep bow and my sincerest gratitude to you, gentlemen) Your software and your tasks are so much different from what the regular people ever meet) Like I have never touched an SCSI, or never created a RAID array, not even as a hobby) Actually I have to be honest that I'm drooling over an Intel SC5100 server case on display somewhere, but what I see is a floppy bay and a physical door lock, and what you probably immediately see are the 5 hot swap baskets)) But I myself will never ever have a need for those baskets))

CloudFlare can afford to hire vibe-coders and bring down the entire Internet of the globe.
In a real enterprise, someone will have to bear responsibility for a leaky, outdated OS and downtime from old hardware.
So, even if a Pentium Pro with Windows 3.11 is sufficient, you're still installing Windows 11 on a Ryzen.
And Microsoft will be to blame for all the problems.
The main thing is to prove that you strictly followed best practices. 😀

Halofiber86 wrote on 2025-11-19, 00:06:

theelf wrote on 2025-11-18, 00:27:

I dont play games, no interest, but use my XP system for programming/compiling, and 4 cores is amazing, in fact i move to a super cheap i7-3770K 4C/8T and difference was pretty nice from my latest setup, a 775 xeon 4c

Your reply is much appreciated here! You are the first to report any positive difference from the 4 cores vs 2 cores in this thread. Based on so many opposite reports/opinions above, may I humbly suspect that you have had a Windows XP 64-bit system though? Or was it a 32-bit XP indeed?

i7 is flying like a helicopter compared even to i3. I have had an i7 on a MacBookPro, still miss that big guy, only had to swap because of the XCode...

I use XP 32bits because i have too many 16bits software, old robot software and rom programmers, even DOS one that still work on ntvdm

I have 16GB ram right now, 3.6GB reported to system, and rest, 12,4GB for temporary files and swap file in a ramdrive

I think what people dont see much difference is because they use for gamming, when most games use only one core, two maximum, but for other task like compiling, all cores are used

The prices normally are so low for hardware, than using only a core, two or 4 cores CPU is just personal choise, taste, because for example, here in spain i paid for the motherboard and i7 CPU plus 16GB ram, 30 euro, like 35 us dollars, is not too much money

theelf wrote on 2025-11-20, 10:05:

I think what people dont see much difference is because they use for gamming, when most games use only one core, two maximum, but for other task like compiling, all cores are used

I used to cross-compile OpenWRT (up to version 19) on a Phenom 2 x6 (3,5GHz) with 16GB of DDR3 and a SATA2 SSD.
That was depressing.
If the toolchain is tied to Windows XP 32-bit, it's better to look at something like Sandy Bridge (I think they still have drivers for them, or something even more powerful).
The low-frequency ( Up to 3-3.5 GHz) Core 2 Duo doesn't have great performance.
When there was nothing else, it was incredibly fast.
But now—well, let's face it.

i have 4gb of ram in my q9550 pc. for win xp 32 bit that is high overkill.

Let s be hones , we only play games on these old things , nothing more. And there are no games up to 2010 that require even 4gb or ram.

I reiterate , for anything after 2010 , you can play on your modern machine.

the idea of a 775 pc that is overkill is only for old games pre 2010.

If all things were equal I'd recommend the quad core, but I'm guessing not all things are equal and none of the quad-core's you were considering match mhz/cache of the E8400.

Depending on your motherboard or comfort with pin modding, you could overclock the quad core to get back some of the missing mhz, but not everyone is comfortable with that.

bitzu101 wrote on 2025-11-20, 11:03:

Let s be hones , we only play games on these old things , nothing more. And there are no games up to 2010 that require even 4gb or ram.

he? my main PC is a socket 775, 8GB ram, XP 32bits, and i use for... everyday stuff, from web surfing, mail, bank/goverment stuff, to watch movies, programming, networking stuff etc etc whatever but gaming, i almost never play games

And I found socket 775 still good for my daily needs

BinaryDemon wrote on 2025-11-20, 11:53:

If all things were equal I'd recommend the quad core, but I'm guessing not all things are equal and none of the quad-core's you were considering match mhz/cache of the E8400.

Depending on your motherboard or comfort with pin modding, you could overclock the quad core to get back some of the missing mhz, but not everyone is comfortable with that.

As far as I remember, all quad-core CPUs on the 775 socket (including modified Xeon processors) consist of two physical dual-core CPU crystals located on a single PCB.
Therefore, even at the initial 3.2 GHz, the QX9775 has a TDP of 150 watts (And that's without taking into account the very hot memory controller in the North bridge.).
https://www.techpowerup.com/cpu-specs/core-2- … eme-qx9775.c532
Or, in fact, E8500 * 2.
150 watts in those days was unpleasant in every sense.
Overclocking a quad-core S775 processor is a task for those who enjoy high achievements in sports.

theelf wrote on 2025-11-20, 10:05:

I think what people dont see much difference is because they use for gamming, when most games use only one core, two maximum, but for other task like compiling, all cores are used

I do 3d modeling and rendering.

Going from a Pentium T4200 to an i7 3630 it was a blast. Then going to a Ryzen 3600 was an even bigger blast.

Now I render in Twinmotion (basicall Unreal Engine) with an RTX 5090. Yeah, what used to take tens of hours for a single image, now I can do it in less than a minute. I delivered a full set of path traced 4K renders recently, and rendering alone for all images took less than 15 minutes.

It feels like cheating, TBH.

bitzu101 wrote on 2025-11-20, 11:03:

I reiterate , for anything after 2010 , you can play on your modern machine.

Not quite.
Some games released before Windows 10 do experience some troubles with modern systems, be it recent GPUs, drivers or the OS itself.

That's why I'm planning a Windows 7 retro build with hardware from around 2014/15.

theelf wrote on 2025-11-20, 11:59:

he? my main PC is a socket 775, 8GB ram, XP 32bits, and i use for... everyday stuff, from web surfing, mail, bank/goverment stuff, to watch movies, programming, networking stuff etc etc whatever but gaming, i almost never play games

And I found socket 775 still good for my daily needs

OOF. I wouldn't do banking/public services stuff on such old hardware/OS. Not only the OS is full of security holes, even the hardware has huge security problems that are rooted in it's design.

If I was a hacker (👀) you would make for a great target for stealing accounts/banking and cards data/info etc...

I would suggest doing those thing, if not on a modern mini PC, at least on an up to date smarphone, on a home network.

Mondodimotori wrote on 2025-11-20, 12:32:

OOF. I wouldn't do banking/public services stuff on such old hardware/OS. Not only the OS is full of security holes, even the hardware has huge security problems that are rooted in it's design.

Windows 10 on a 775 socket works.
Not perfectly, but it works.
It will remain relevant for another year.
With a video card that can decode VP9 for YouTube, you can even watch videos.
The experience is not ideal, but it is far from being enjoyable to work with.
Of course, we are not talking about Windows XP/7.
The Internet is contraindicated for them.

Mondodimotori wrote on 2025-11-20, 12:32:

OOF. I wouldn't do banking/public services stuff on such old hardware/OS. Not only the OS is full of security holes, even the hardware has huge security problems that are rooted in it's design.

If I was a hacker (👀) you would make for a great target for stealing accounts/banking and cards data/info etc...

I would suggest doing those thing, if not on a modern mini PC, at least on an up to date smarphone, on a home network.

technically is opposite, we (2k-XP) users are not a target for anything anymore, win10-11,android 5.x+ or macos 10.x are the targets

The only problem in XP is lack of some modern versions of some software, for example, Im a freelance worker, and every 3 months i need to do taxes online, and always have some problem, because government update something and need or new java or the software need some NT6+ functions etc.

In general biggest problem is java for me, always need to do some dll patching or something weird to do my taxes jaja but until 2025 still do everything in XP, bank and taxes online. Maybe 2026 not if they move to a much higher java version

shevalier wrote on 2025-11-20, 07:10:

CloudFlare can afford to hire vibe-coders and bring down the entire Internet of the globe. In a real enterprise, someone will ha […]
Show full quote

CloudFlare can afford to hire vibe-coders and bring down the entire Internet of the globe.
In a real enterprise, someone will have to bear responsibility for a leaky, outdated OS and downtime from old hardware.
So, even if a Pentium Pro with Windows 3.11 is sufficient, you're still installing Windows 11 on a Ryzen.
And Microsoft will be to blame for all the problems.
The main thing is to prove that you strictly followed best practices. 😀

Same thinking here) The hardware for work has to be always up to date, the software has to be legit, the browser and the anti-virus have to be mainstream and updated. If something bad happens (God forbid!) I can say that I've done all I could...

theelf wrote on 2025-11-20, 10:05:

I use XP 32bits because i have too many 16bits software, old robot software and rom programmers, even DOS one that still work on […]
Show full quote

I use XP 32bits because i have too many 16bits software, old robot software and rom programmers, even DOS one that still work on ntvdm

I have 16GB ram right now, 3.6GB reported to system, and rest, 12,4GB for temporary files and swap file in a ramdrive

I think what people dont see much difference is because they use for gamming, when most games use only one core, two maximum, but for other task like compiling, all cores are used

The prices normally are so low for hardware, than using only a core, two or 4 cores CPU is just personal choise, taste, because for example, here in spain i paid for the motherboard and i7 CPU plus 16GB ram, 30 euro, like 35 us dollars, is not too much money

Thank you for sharing, Sir. This is much appreciated. I see your point clearly: it is the software that uses the extra cores, or does not. Professional products benefit from extra cores, whereas old consumer stuff (like in my case) has to appeal to everyone and runs on what's most available at the time.

BinaryDemon wrote on 2025-11-20, 11:53:

If all things were equal I'd recommend the quad core, but I'm guessing not all things are equal and none of the quad-core's you were considering match mhz/cache of the E8400.

Depending on your motherboard or comfort with pin modding, you could overclock the quad core to get back some of the missing mhz, but not everyone is comfortable with that.

Excellent advice, much appreciated. You see me through - normally my M.O. would be to buy the processor together with the motherboard, so the seller would have the pins set right and tested) I only dared once to upgrade a 400 MHz Mendocino to 533, been reading the Internet for a week to confirm the voltage is the same and nothing else should be touched) Never do overclocking, even to Mendocino))

theelf wrote on 2025-11-20, 14:44:

In general biggest problem is java for me, always need to do some dll patching or something weird to do my taxes jaja but until 2025 still do everything in XP, bank and taxes online. Maybe 2026 not if they move to a much higher java version

If you know dll patching then you surely know what you do. Now that Mr. Mitnick has passed away, you may by any means do as you see fit, Mr. Shimomura))

Here I've managed to set up a virtual XP 32 SP3 machine on corei5 with the updated Anti-Virus. It is indeed working, and I have a legit Office 2010 activated, which is completely enough for any office work. But it is the browser that I feel is the weak spot. Opera, Mozilla, FireFox, a couple of more exotic ones that I tried out of despair - even their latest versions not working right with the modern websites. 68k.news is great as fun, but this is not business. I set up with Supermium, which is a Chrome fork with the greenish logo. Having donated some money to the developer, I think have some right to say that I still do not know what kind of a person he is. The chances are great he is a diligent stand-up guy making himself a shiny portfolio out of it. But still I'm absolutely not doing any banking via Supermium.

There is a good point, that them young hackers may have little experience with the older systems, and if the target is the mass user, why bother customising the tool to reach some 0,1% of the prey, whereas the goal is to snatch fast as much as you can and run away as fast as you can. All airlines are down, just the little Southwest reigns, because they still run on 3.1 - and their clerks can not watch YouTube at work.

Halofiber86 wrote on 2025-11-20, 16:33:

If you know dll patching then you surely know what you do. Now that Mr. Mitnick has passed away, you may by any means do as you […]
Show full quote

theelf wrote on 2025-11-20, 14:44:

In general biggest problem is java for me, always need to do some dll patching or something weird to do my taxes jaja but until 2025 still do everything in XP, bank and taxes online. Maybe 2026 not if they move to a much higher java version

If you know dll patching then you surely know what you do. Now that Mr. Mitnick has passed away, you may by any means do as you see fit, Mr. Shimomura))

Here I've managed to set up a virtual XP 32 SP3 machine on corei5 with the updated Anti-Virus. It is indeed working, and I have a legit Office 2010 activated, which is completely enough for any office work. But it is the browser that I feel is the weak spot. Opera, Mozilla, FireFox, a couple of more exotic ones that I tried out of despair - even their latest versions not working right with the modern websites. 68k.news is great as fun, but this is not business. I set up with Supermium, which is a Chrome fork with the greenish logo. Having donated some money to the developer, I think have some right to say that I still do not know what kind of a person he is. The chances are great he is a diligent stand-up guy making himself a shiny portfolio out of it. But still I'm absolutely not doing any banking via Supermium.

There is a good point, that them young hackers may have little experience with the older systems, and if the target is the mass user, why bother customising the tool to reach some 0,1% of the prey, whereas the goal is to snatch fast as much as you can and run away as fast as you can. All airlines are down, just the little Southwest reigns, because they still run on 3.1 - and their clerks can not watch YouTube at work.

Hello, Supermium works fine, no complain in XP, everything go as good as can go a chromium based browser… I hate chromium!!! but in XP no choice, mypal69 is fine for some websites but thats all

Also theres Thorium Legacy, shame this one stuck in 122 I think and dont seem to update, but I find it little better than Supermium.

In my case Im programmer, obviously I work, got family so my time limited, but when I got problem with XP and some time, I usually write wrappers for dll or some library to fix it.

In my case, besides using PC like hobby, I need it for real life stuff, make invoices, taxes, bank transactions, digital certificates, etc, and I still find XP totally useful, the day I cant work anymore I gonna have to change it. If I still use it is because i relly dont like Vista+

theelf wrote on 2025-11-20, 14:44:

technically is opposite, we (2k-XP) users are not a target for anything anymore, win10-11,android 5.x+ or macos 10.x are the targets

The only problem in XP is lack of some modern versions of some software, for example, Im a freelance worker, and every 3 months i need to do taxes online, and always have some problem, because government update something and need or new java or the software need some NT6+ functions etc.

In general biggest problem is java for me, always need to do some dll patching or something weird to do my taxes jaja but until 2025 still do everything in XP, bank and taxes online. Maybe 2026 not if they move to a much higher java version

Pretty sure you don't need to be a target specifically (like it could be for Linux or MacOS).
Those OSs had plenty of vulnerabilities, and I doubt that everyone stopped using those to gain malicious access and gather sensitive information.

Unless you have a strong hardware firewall on your modem, you are at high risk.
This not counting hardware vulnerabilities that won't ever be fixed on such old hardware.

Now, I know someone may not like certain OSs, but... You can do those sensitive thing on the latest Linux distro available. You probably won't even need to get new hardware, since it's extremely lightweight, just a second partition for sensitive tasks that could be interesting for a data breach.
At least you would be covered from software vulnerabilities with that.

theelf wrote on 2025-11-20, 17:33:

Hello, Supermium works fine, no complain in XP, everything go as good as can go a chromium based browser…

Thank you, Sir, It's good to know that professionals like you approve Supermium. I'll give it more trust then.

theelf wrote on 2025-11-20, 17:33:

In my case, besides using PC like hobby, I need it for real life stuff, make invoices, taxes, bank transactions, digital certificates, etc, and I still find XP totally useful, the day I cant work anymore I gonna have to change it. If I still use it is because i relly dont like Vista+

I remember the day I was selling my Vista laptop. The buyer came, plugged in a thumb drive and it was not recognized to the point the LED was not blinking. What an embarassment for myself, because the laptop was advertised as 100% working. I had a mouse on the table, and plugged it in. Luckily it was recognised, and I said like "sorry, this is Vista", shaved off some money, and the deal was made.

Is it worth using LGA775 now?
Everyone decides for themselves.
Quick comparison
Xeon L5420, 8GB DDR3, SATA2 SSD(IDE), Windows 10 22H2 ~100Watt
Celeron J3455M, 8GB DDR3, SATA3 SSD (AHCHI), Windows 11 25H2, fastboot, UEFI, secureboot, TPM2 ~ 30Watt ("Sport" mode)