Cool things to do with a PIII?

I have some old PC133 RAM, an PIII 700 board and CPU, an old hard disk, a micro ATX PSU and an old optical drive.

I was thinking of turning this into somthing funky, ITX style has anybody got any ideas. Idealy it will plug into a TV using a cheap PCI card with TV out.

I wonder if this could be used a basic media centre?

 

I found the most liberating use of an old PC was to 'sacrifice it to the Gods of the skip'. That was a very therapeutic move on my part, and it felt damn good.

Cue Zep legend, on the subject of chucking TVs out of hotel windows: "Have one on me!"

 

You could think of me sat here using my PIII 450!!!

Didn't you post something before about how someone had used the casing from an old C64 and put a pc inside it? Maybe give that a go?

 

I did yes. The reason I gave up on that was down to money. About the money thing that will fit into a C64 is a ITX board and they cost £50 for a basic 500Mhz version.

If I can get hold the MK1 C64 then I may be able to get it work.

 

Just had idea of using an old CDP player. This is perfect because the transport can simply be replaced with a CD ReWriter drive and they usualy have metal chasis which means drilling holes won't be a major problem.

 

What's cool? Modern or Traditional?

I've seen a nice one where the PC was built into a box that looked like a book. Stick a copy of Geexbox on it and you've a dead cheap media player

 

Basicaly I have not got a penny to spend on this project, so cool is making somthing for nothing I have an old goodmans multi changer which is looking like an idea doner.

Basicaly the drive optical drive is 5.25" and the HD is 3.5" and I have not got £200 to spend on ITX stuff.

 

Geexbox is free so there's a start.

What size is your Mb?

 

My hard drive is only 15gb and I have no spare DVD ReWriter yet or TV card but these things can easily be added budget permiting.

The specs are :
PIII 733
256MB RAM
15GB HD

I have got an 80GB drive I may be able to use if the BIOS can regonise it.

 

80Gb should be no problem, only >137Gb on old boards due to no support for 48bit addressing.

 

The PIII board is an IBM even though it is a standard ATX board the BIOS made by IBM and it was taken out of an IBM Netvista, it currently sits in a standard ATX case. However this means it won't boot from CD-ROM hence it Geexbox will be a problem.

I also have spare PII 400 which does allow booting from CD and this also spare, i.e I don't need to break up a working system.

So it looks like the old PII is going in instead

 

It occurred to me a few years ago, when cases with windows and lights first became fashionable, that perhaps going in an extreme 'visibility' direction would be funny. My idea was to dispose of the case altogether and spread all the components as far and wide as I could, and mount everything on a boad attached to a wall and lit by various leds. Obviously a lot of components sit on the mobo, but for everything else I was going to go for the longest cables I could find, and spread the drives/power supply as far apart as I could get them! No cooling worries either!!

Of course, it didn't get any further than my initial 'concept'....

 

I think we can bring together some skills from across the forum.

Chris1968 - We're going to need some LN2.
WM - Some of your finest tweaky wire and bybees and stuff
Me - some overclocking skillz...

Let's see how fast we can get it to go before the LN2 runs out....

 

I still like the idea of submerging the computer in a fish tank filled with oil.

Good cooling. The fans still spin, but slower and it gives the fish something to play with!

 

Can the P2 mobo take the P3 chip? It's so long ago I can't remember which was interchangeble with which.

Geexbox can be installed on a HDD it's just it's Linux so I don't know how, other than from the CD when booting.....

The 'caseless' PC and vegi oil ones have already been done, I think the oil one started to smell after a while.

 

Sadly the PII is a slot type (i.e the cartridge slot) and the PIII is a socket. I am going to use the PIII anyway and install the OS then install the HD and hope it works .

This is the CDP I plan to convert to a PC

 

Have they really? Jesus, what a lot of strange people there are out there, have they nothing better to do with their time but come up with dumb ideas like that? Bet the creators were hifi geeks as well....

 

So don't use vegi oil. T suggested Silicone oil when I told him about the idea.

 

If yiu want an odd pc with all bit a long way apart then this remote graphics unit could be just one of the bits your are seeking. Might be expensive

 

Auric, you seem to have put the wrong link in.

Clicking on that just does the same as clicking on reply.