versawizkid2002 wrote on Yesterday, 03:41:

Bought an Nvidia Quadro K1200 low-profile graphics card (basically a GTX 750 with 4GB RAM for workstations) for a Dell OptiPlex 755 SFF I rescued from The Dump™.

I'm also considering options for the same computer, aren't you concerned about the fact that the manual states 25W is the maximum supported? Wondering what were some common low-profile cards that fit this requirement and are a notable upgrade from the integrated Intel GMA 3100. Quadros seem like a possibility I missed.

konc wrote on Yesterday, 08:36:

versawizkid2002 wrote on Yesterday, 03:41:

Bought an Nvidia Quadro K1200 low-profile graphics card (basically a GTX 750 with 4GB RAM for workstations) for a Dell OptiPlex 755 SFF I rescued from The Dump™.

I'm also considering options for the same computer, aren't you concerned about the fact that the manual states 25W is the maximum supported? Wondering what were some common low-profile cards that fit this requirement and are a notable upgrade from the integrated Intel GMA 3100. Quadros seem like a possibility I missed.

I didn't even know about the supposed 25W limit for the PCIe slot when I bought the card, though it seems like it works fine even when gaming. I tested Portal at 1360x768 and also ran both 3DMark2001SE and 3DMark06 (albeit at 1024x768) and I really didn't have any problems. Will have to see how everything holds up over time.

Honestly, anything would make for quite the upgrade over the GMA 3100... when I was 10, my main computer was a 755 MT with an E6550 and GMA 3100. Over time it was struggling to do anything 3D that I was up to, and it was eventually the recipient for my first GPU - which was a 1GB EVGA GTX 750. Had it not been for me getting that, I would have killed for a display adapter Radeon or something just to play Minecraft 1.7 viably.

I modified a Chaintech 4SLDE-Z1 to accept 1MB L2 cache.
This mod can also be done on:
- Chaintech 4SLD.3
and with much less effort on:
- Chaintech 4SLE
- Chaintech 4SLE2

Instructions for the Chaintech 4SLD.3 and 4SLDE-Z1:
- Remove all jumper caps from RP12-RP14.
- Install RP15 and populate it with 5 jumper caps or just hardwire 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10.
- Move the hardwired jumper on JP19 from 1-2 to 2-3.
- Extend the eight 28 pin IC sockets of Bank 0 and Bank 1 to 32 pins.
- Populate Bank 0 and 1 with eight 128kx8bit SRAMs
- Install using two extra 28 pin IC sockets, a 64kx8bit SRAM in the TAG socket with the left 4 pins overhanging JP19.
- On the 64kx8bit SRAM in the TAG socket connect pin 30 to pin 32.
- Connect pin 31 from the 64kx8bit SRAM in the TAG socket to pin 2 of the Bank 1 128kx8bit SRAM right next to it.

Instructions for the Chaintech 4SLE and 4SLE2:
- Remove all jumper caps from RP12-RP14.
- Install 5 jumper caps on RP15.
- Put the jumper on JP20 to 2-3.
- Populate Bank 0 and 1 with eight 128kx8bit SRAMs
- Install using two extra 28 pin IC sockets, a 64kx8bit SRAM in the TAG socket with the left 4 pins overhanging JP20.
- On the 64kx8bit SRAM in the TAG socket connect pin 30 to pin 32.
- Connect pin 31 from the 64kx8bit SRAM in the TAG socket to pin 2 of the Bank 1 128kx8bit SRAM right next to it.

This is how it should look, with one cache IC removed to show the socket extension:

I was messing about with midi files nd soundfonts and found out one of them was m=not right (made a post on it so if you want to know more about that then please read my post)

Did a thorough cleaning of one the Das 4 Professional keyboard. Removed all the keys, blew out the gunk and hair underneath with compressed air, cleaned the remainder with alcohol-soaked q-tips, wiped all the surfaces and the individual keys with wet-wipes, reassembled. Looks much better and almost new.

an update to my NetBSD-on-Wii escapades, I did get Netsurf and XFCE working somewhat although.... uh.

The screen was just too small, XFCE is not made for 640x480 at all and there was no way to raise the resolution (probably just the Wii can't output anything more)

Surprisingly in spite of the limited RAM though, Netsurf did work when I moved back from XFCE to the default CTWM window manager, I could even visit and browse Wikipedia albeit slowly.

To be honest I am surprised with how usable it ended up, it's still not anything anyone could ever daily drive (you'd have better luck with that old PS2 Linux given the extra screen resolution there) but there is a shred of usability in here.
Even if it is just browsing simpler websites that don't need Javascript, you can still actually browse the web on a Wii, and with modern SSL encryption at that.

This makes me wonder though, how much older of a system can work with NetBSD? especially since they could probably have more RAM than a Wii does, let alone actual graphics hardware acceleration
(I know the i486 architecture is at least supported by NetBSD, but how usable would that end up being?)