Upgrading a 486/66 to (probably) a Pentium/350 just to get a smaller footprint when the job that machine does isn't enough to strain the 486 feels funny to me. But I'd been planning to upgrade anyhow in case the newer kernel I want to use -- to handle port forwarding better and for VPN and IPv6 support -- didn't like a 486. So this is also clearly the time for me to get around to borrowing the clamp-on ammeter a friend offerred to lend me so I can see which consumes more electricity, the faster, more oomphy machine, or the one made with older, possibly less efficient tech. I've gotten a large handful of machines faster than most of the machines I'm already using, and need to get around to seeing which ones work, getting disk drives into them, and setting them up to replace my older hardware. Reclaiming enough work space to be have room to start opening them up and tinkering will be a start.
Sounds like a fun project. I retired the last 486 here a couple of years ago. I guess the slowest machine in use is the K6/200 that does internal mail handling for the family. It's due to be replaced in the next month or so. (I still have a box full of AMD386/40 mainboards & cpus under a table somewhere. I'm tempted to sell them "for shipping costs"...)
Depending on how sensitive the meter is. it might be difficult to see much if any difference between a 486 and say, a K6 or PI. I suspect comparing it to one of the last generation or two cpus, would show a much larger difference.
While I have a small rack or three in storage, I'm thinking of using one of a wire shelving unit for the next machine/network re-organization here. A 4 or 5 shelf, that's 18" or 20" deep and 36" or 48" wide. Put all the power handling stuff on the bottom shelf, Second shelf for the monitors, keyboards, USB ports, etc. for the servers, 3rd shelf for random pc boxes. Top shelves for misc. storage...
(no subject)
Sounds like a fun project. I retired the last 486 here a couple of years ago. I guess the slowest machine in use is the K6/200 that does internal mail handling for the family. It's due to be replaced in the next month or so. (I still have a box full of AMD386/40 mainboards & cpus under a table somewhere. I'm tempted to sell them "for shipping costs"...)
Depending on how sensitive the meter is. it might be difficult to see much if any difference between a 486 and say, a K6 or PI. I suspect comparing it to one of the last generation or two cpus, would show a much larger difference.
While I have a small rack or three in storage, I'm thinking of using one of a wire shelving unit for the next machine/network re-organization here. A 4 or 5 shelf, that's 18" or 20" deep and 36" or 48" wide. Put all the power handling stuff on the bottom shelf, Second shelf for the monitors, keyboards, USB ports, etc. for the servers, 3rd shelf for random pc boxes. Top shelves for misc. storage...
Janice
Janice