I picked up this 2009 Mac Pro with Dual quad core Xeon’s for cheap this weekend.
I am going to use it in my Home theater as a media server.
I am going to load it up with hard drives Which is why I really wanted this computer
Because it supports up to 6 hard drives and NVME SSD’s.
These are selling for dirt cheap right now because of the NEW M1 mac.

I also picked up this Intel 486 DX2-66 CPU for my IBM PS/1
Which only supports the 169-pin 486 overdrive CPU.

ARMSID is back in stock, so I bought one.

imi wrote on 2021-05-28, 13:52:

that's the second trashed presario I received in 2 months...

Man, this post is haunting me and I keep thinking about it every day ever since I saw it, it is breaking my heart, as would any Presario 460 owner...
How badly damaged was the first one?

PC@LIVE wrote on 2021-05-29, 19:50:

...
I have done it in the past with other cards, the alternative you suggest of the external battery, instead requires the setting of the jumpers, theoretically it is simple to do, unfortunately I do not have the manual and therefore I do not know how and what are the jumpers to set.

I'm 99% sure that the ext. battery connector is the 4-pin connector next to the barrel battery, and pin marked "1" (closest to the barrel battery) is the positive. It's also likely that the 3-pin jumper block right next to the battery connector is the one responsible for enabling the external battery. You could try changing the jumper setting and see if the board remembers the CMOS settings.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 03:02:

I am going to use it in my Home theater as a media server.

I think it is a cool idea, but I must ask you about power use. To me it seems like a waste of energy for something that run 24/7 and really just are a network storage. My storage server uses 2amp at 5volt.

EDIT:
And physical space.... That thing takes up a lot of space for such a trivial job. How about noise level? is it silent?

EDIT, EDIT:
This equals Woooooo.... 😳 😳 I am so happy that it is not my media server.

brostenen wrote on 2021-05-31, 14:19:

I think it is a cool idea, but I must ask you about power use. To me it seems like a waste of energy for something that run 24/7 […]
Show full quote

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 03:02:

I am going to use it in my Home theater as a media server.

I think it is a cool idea, but I must ask you about power use. To me it seems like a waste of energy for something that run 24/7 and really just are a network storage. My storage server uses 2amp at 5volt.

EDIT:
And physical space.... That thing takes up a lot of space for such a trivial job. How about noise level? is it silent?

EDIT, EDIT:
This equals Woooooo.... 😳 😳 I am so happy that it is not my media server.

Well, its not on all the time and it has energy saving and sleep mode. Yes, its pretty quiet.
The fans are silent only the hard drives make noise when seeking and writing.
Yes, I am waiting for some new low power computers to come out.
Maybe the next Intel gen CPU’s
I was going to go with the intel 10700k but I them the prices went up to high and short supply on GPU’s.
So I think I will wait for Next gen Intel CPU’s which I here are suppose to have more cores.
So this Mac Pro will have to do in the mean time.
Its just for my home theater TV and NOT a NAS media server.
But I see your point.

Yet another quad core from Ebay, they are still cheaper in China. Wonder how long it'll last though.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 14:41:

Well, its not on all the time and it has energy saving and sleep mode. Yes, its pretty quiet. The fans are silent only the hard […]
Show full quote

brostenen wrote on 2021-05-31, 14:19:

I think it is a cool idea, but I must ask you about power use. To me it seems like a waste of energy for something that run 24/7 […]
Show full quote

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 03:02:

I am going to use it in my Home theater as a media server.

I think it is a cool idea, but I must ask you about power use. To me it seems like a waste of energy for something that run 24/7 and really just are a network storage. My storage server uses 2amp at 5volt.

EDIT:
And physical space.... That thing takes up a lot of space for such a trivial job. How about noise level? is it silent?

EDIT, EDIT:
This equals Woooooo.... 😳 😳 I am so happy that it is not my media server.

Well, its not on all the time and it has energy saving and sleep mode. Yes, its pretty quiet.
The fans are silent only the hard drives make noise when seeking and writing.
Yes, I am waiting for some new low power computers to come out.
Maybe the next Intel gen CPU’s
I was going to go with the intel 10700k but I them the prices went up to high and short supply on GPU’s.
So I think I will wait for Next gen Intel CPU’s which I here are suppose to have more cores.
So this Mac Pro will have to do in the mean time.
Its just for my home theater TV and NOT a NAS media server.
But I see your point.

Well.... Your mac uses eighter 115 or 145 watt in idle, and my media server uses just under 10 watt when going full speed.
You can actually set more than 10 PI's up and run then full hammer, while that mac is running in idle, and still use less power.
When your mac runs full hammer, it eats up power for 26 to 30 PI's going full hammer.

I think ppl misoverestimate what typical boxes do at idle, I've had some X2 boxes on a wattmeter and they were reading 40-50, it didn't actually seem to make much difference whether it was a 45W B series or a 95W CPU for idle consumption. That was with the rust spinning too, I hate using power down on HDDs.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 14:41:

Well, its not on all the time and it has energy saving and sleep mode. Yes, its pretty quiet. The fans are silent only the hard […]
Show full quote

brostenen wrote on 2021-05-31, 14:19:

I think it is a cool idea, but I must ask you about power use. To me it seems like a waste of energy for something that run 24/7 […]
Show full quote

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 03:02:

I am going to use it in my Home theater as a media server.

I think it is a cool idea, but I must ask you about power use. To me it seems like a waste of energy for something that run 24/7 and really just are a network storage. My storage server uses 2amp at 5volt.

EDIT:
And physical space.... That thing takes up a lot of space for such a trivial job. How about noise level? is it silent?

EDIT, EDIT:
This equals Woooooo.... 😳 😳 I am so happy that it is not my media server.

Well, its not on all the time and it has energy saving and sleep mode. Yes, its pretty quiet.
The fans are silent only the hard drives make noise when seeking and writing.
Yes, I am waiting for some new low power computers to come out.
Maybe the next Intel gen CPU’s
I was going to go with the intel 10700k but I them the prices went up to high and short supply on GPU’s.
So I think I will wait for Next gen Intel CPU’s which I here are suppose to have more cores.
So this Mac Pro will have to do in the mean time.
Its just for my home theater TV and NOT a NAS media server.
But I see your point.

I wouldn't apologize for it. That Mac Pro looks way fucking cooler than a shitty PI imo. Let's get real. This hobby is also majorly into aesthetics and tbh I think that Mac Pro looks better with its side panel off. Enjoy it.

brostenen wrote on 2021-05-31, 15:47:

Well.... Your mac uses eighter 115 or 145 watt in idle, and my media server uses just under 10 watt when going full speed. You c […]
Show full quote

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 14:41:

Well, its not on all the time and it has energy saving and sleep mode. Yes, its pretty quiet. The fans are silent only the hard […]
Show full quote

brostenen wrote on 2021-05-31, 14:19:

I think it is a cool idea, but I must ask you about power use. To me it seems like a waste of energy for something that run 24/7 […]
Show full quote

I think it is a cool idea, but I must ask you about power use. To me it seems like a waste of energy for something that run 24/7 and really just are a network storage. My storage server uses 2amp at 5volt.

EDIT:
And physical space.... That thing takes up a lot of space for such a trivial job. How about noise level? is it silent?

EDIT, EDIT:
This equals Woooooo.... 😳 😳 I am so happy that it is not my media server.

Well, its not on all the time and it has energy saving and sleep mode. Yes, its pretty quiet.
The fans are silent only the hard drives make noise when seeking and writing.
Yes, I am waiting for some new low power computers to come out.
Maybe the next Intel gen CPU’s
I was going to go with the intel 10700k but I them the prices went up to high and short supply on GPU’s.
So I think I will wait for Next gen Intel CPU’s which I here are suppose to have more cores.
So this Mac Pro will have to do in the mean time.
Its just for my home theater TV and NOT a NAS media server.
But I see your point.

Well.... Your mac uses eighter 115 or 145 watt in idle, and my media server uses just under 10 watt when going full speed.
You can actually set more than 10 PI's up and run then full hammer, while that mac is running in idle, and still use less power.
When your mac runs full hammer, it eats up power for 26 to 30 PI's going full hammer.

Yeah, I have run the numbers on computer energy consumption. Its also going to be a dual purpose dual boot desktop computer/Media server. Windows/OSX operating systems.
Its a little high on energy costs but should only be in use about 8 hours a day and will be in sleep mode the rest of the time.

BitWrangler wrote on 2021-05-31, 15:52:

I think ppl misoverestimate what typical boxes do at idle, I've had some X2 boxes on a wattmeter and they were reading 40-50, it didn't actually seem to make much difference whether it was a 45W B series or a 95W CPU for idle consumption. That was with the rust spinning too, I hate using power down on HDDs.

I still think that a data storage machine (no matter what type of data) is insane to set up, if it uses more than a low energy light bulp. If for instance a media center uses some 140 to 300 watt, and have a USB port, then why set up another 115 to 145 watt computer? That is like using at least 300 watt plus tv plus potential amplifier to watch a movie.

But then again. It may just be me, who want to save money on the electric bill.

Yeah I can plug a 4TB external drive in my router, I was investigating idle consumption for a PVR rig that has to be ready to go to record on time.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 16:05:

brostenen wrote on 2021-05-31, 15:47:

Well.... Your mac uses eighter 115 or 145 watt in idle, and my media server uses just under 10 watt when going full speed. You c […]
Show full quote

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 14:41:

Well, its not on all the time and it has energy saving and sleep mode. Yes, its pretty quiet. The fans are silent only the hard […]
Show full quote

Well, its not on all the time and it has energy saving and sleep mode. Yes, its pretty quiet.
The fans are silent only the hard drives make noise when seeking and writing.
Yes, I am waiting for some new low power computers to come out.
Maybe the next Intel gen CPU’s
I was going to go with the intel 10700k but I them the prices went up to high and short supply on GPU’s.
So I think I will wait for Next gen Intel CPU’s which I here are suppose to have more cores.
So this Mac Pro will have to do in the mean time.
Its just for my home theater TV and NOT a NAS media server.
But I see your point.

Well.... Your mac uses eighter 115 or 145 watt in idle, and my media server uses just under 10 watt when going full speed.
You can actually set more than 10 PI's up and run then full hammer, while that mac is running in idle, and still use less power.
When your mac runs full hammer, it eats up power for 26 to 30 PI's going full hammer.

Yeah, I have run the numbers on computer energy consumption. Its also going to be a dual purpose dual boot desktop computer/Media server. Windows/OSX operating systems.
Its a little high on energy costs but should only be in use about 8 hours a day and will be in sleep mode the rest of the time.

What is your monthly electricity bill? Mine is at 65 US Dollars total each month. (aprox 108 KW/H a month)

BitWrangler wrote on 2021-05-31, 16:18:

Yeah I can plug a 4TB external drive in my router, I was investigating idle consumption for a PVR rig that has to be ready to go to record on time.

Cool.... You have build in server-services in your router. That is a nice addition. 😜

Only the NEW Mac M1 has low energy consumption.
But I dont think these old Mac Pro’s are DEAD just yet. There is something magical about having a Mac Pro
In you home theater room. Also I think NEW energy efficient graphics cards are going to keep these old Mac Pro’s alive.
I am just waiting for the next release of CPU before I go and invest in an energy efficient system.
Also my home theater surround sound amp and speakers must use allot of energy.
We mainly use laptops and tablets and this is going to be the only desktop computer in the house.
The Mac Pro only uses about 1-to-3watts of energy in sleep mode.
Also this is a Retro home theater/game room.

assasincz wrote on 2021-05-31, 12:36:

imi wrote on 2021-05-28, 13:52:

that's the second trashed presario I received in 2 months...

Man, this post is haunting me and I keep thinking about it every day ever since I saw it, it is breaking my heart, as would any Presario 460 owner...
How badly damaged was the first one?

see: Re: Bought these (retro) hardware today
not nearly as severe as this one, but still cracked all over 🙁

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 16:36:

Only the NEW Mac M1 has low energy consumption. But I dont think these old Mac Pro’s are DEAD just yet. There is something magic […]
Show full quote

Only the NEW Mac M1 has low energy consumption.
But I dont think these old Mac Pro’s are DEAD just yet. There is something magical about having a Mac Pro
In you home theater room. Also I think NEW energy efficient graphics cards are going to keep these old Mac Pro’s alive.
I am just waiting for the next release of CPU before I go and invest in an energy efficient system.
Also my home theater surround sound amp and speakers must use allot of energy.
We mainly use laptops and tablets and this is going to be the only desktop computer in the house.
The Mac Pro only uses about 1-to-3watts of energy in sleep mode.

But your mac would be awesomme as a workstation for older software. Perhaps spice it up and you have a decent Minecraft gaming machine. It would also be good as a video editor rig and a machine that you use to keep schematics and drivers.

Indeed ARM based machines are nice for servers. Low power use.

Bought a NOS 64pin 251715-01 PLA chip.

brostenen wrote on 2021-05-31, 16:23:

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2021-05-31, 16:05:

brostenen wrote on 2021-05-31, 15:47:

Well.... Your mac uses eighter 115 or 145 watt in idle, and my media server uses just under 10 watt when going full speed.
You can actually set more than 10 PI's up and run then full hammer, while that mac is running in idle, and still use less power.
When your mac runs full hammer, it eats up power for 26 to 30 PI's going full hammer.

Yeah, I have run the numbers on computer energy consumption. Its also going to be a dual purpose dual boot desktop computer/Media server. Windows/OSX operating systems.
Its a little high on energy costs but should only be in use about 8 hours a day and will be in sleep mode the rest of the time.

What is your monthly electricity bill? Mine is at 65 US Dollars total each month. (aprox 108 KW/H a month)

My monthly bill is only $50 a month at this time of year, and I run folding at home on a GTX 1060. I do have solar panels though 😀