Dell 2300 Server as a pc??

BriTer · 02-28-2007, 02:11 PM

Hello folks!
I am in the process of buying a Dell Poweredge Server, dual 700mhz pent.3 processors.
I want to use it as a pc. How do I go about upgrading connectors? It has 9 pin male, 15 pin female, I need more modern ability for newer equipment, printer, scanner, external hard drive etc etc.
This unit is running on Win 2000 Pro.
Ideas??

**TheMatt** · 02-28-2007, 03:09 PM

What hardare does it have? It should work. I would get a separate video card though, and a USB 2.0 PCI card so you can connect new devices.

BriTer · 02-28-2007, 04:03 PM

Hi Matt!
Since posting I have found more info, although it is a lower end 2300:
C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\techspec.htm
Looks like things aren't as bad as I suspected and pretty sure it will run as a pc. It does have PS/2 connectors. All hardware is what is inside (9ghz hard drive) plus the cd reader/writer and dvd reader. Haven't got my hands on this unit yet (this week!) so still not sure what all is included. Paying $150 (Canadian) That's about.ummmm.... $12 US isn't it?? heehee
Thank you Matt! :)

**TheMatt** · 02-28-2007, 08:52 PM

Hi,

That link doesn't work. Use the upload feature of the forum by clicking Go Advanced and scrolling down.

It looks pretty good. One thing you will need are drivers, you will find them on www.dell.com.

I would take a look at these accessories:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...Tab=2&NoMapp=0
If the computer has onboard video or a GPU already and you really don't think you will need an upgrade, you can stick with it, but I would definitely look at this:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...1794&CatId=510

BriTer · 03-01-2007, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMatt

Hi,

That link doesn't work. Use the upload feature of the forum by clicking Go Advanced and scrolling down.

It looks pretty good. One thing you will need are drivers, you will find them on www.dell.com.

I would take a look at these accessories:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...Tab=2&NoMapp=0
If the computer has onboard video or a GPU already and you really don't think you will need an upgrade, you can stick with it, but I would definitely look at this:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...1794&CatId=510

The link: Darn! I copied and pasted from a file on my desktop. :( Anyway, it does have PS/2 apparently.
I'm told the sound card is ATI Rage Pro.

Ports
Externally accessible:
Serial two 9-pin connectors
Parallel (bidirectional) one 25-pin connector
Video one 15-pin connector
PS/2-style keyboard 6-pin mini-DIN
PS/2-compatible mouse 6-pin mini-DIN
Server management bus daisy-chain connectors
two modular 8-pin connectors
Internally accessible:
Ultra2/LVD SCSI controller 68-pin connector
Ultra/Narrow SCSI
controller
50-pin connector
Diskette drive 34-pin connector
SDS_SMB connector 6-pin header connector

Comes equipped with a SCSI CD Read/Write and a SCSI dvd reader and a 9mhz SCSI hard drive.

AH! Dell has a ton of documentation on the 2300:
http://docs.us.dell.com/support/edoc...m/en/index.htm

crazijoe · 03-01-2007, 05:35 AM

Normally the ATI Video in these are very low performance. They are made for basic tasks and nothing video intensive.
You also might want to look at the amount of memory this machine has and make sure it has at least 512MB memory.

02-28-2007, 02:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
BriTer Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 7 OS: Win 98 se	Dell 2300 Server as a pc?? Hello folks! I am in the process of buying a Dell Poweredge Server, dual 700mhz pent.3 processors. I want to use it as a pc. How do I go about upgrading connectors? It has 9 pin male, 15 pin female, I need more modern ability for newer equipment, printer, scanner, external hard drive etc etc. This unit is running on Win 2000 Pro. Ideas?? Last edited by BriTer; 02-28-2007 at 02:13 PM.

02-28-2007, 03:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	What hardare does it have? It should work. I would get a separate video card though, and a USB 2.0 PCI card so you can connect new devices. __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

02-28-2007, 08:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Hi, That link doesn't work. Use the upload feature of the forum by clicking Go Advanced and scrolling down. It looks pretty good. One thing you will need are drivers, you will find them on www.dell.com. I would take a look at these accessories: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...Tab=2&NoMapp=0 If the computer has onboard video or a GPU already and you really don't think you will need an upgrade, you can stick with it, but I would definitely look at this: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...1794&CatId=510 __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides

03-01-2007, 05:35 AM	#6 (permalink)
crazijoe Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Omaha, The Center of the Universe Posts: 7,632 OS: WinXP, Win2K3 My System	Normally the ATI Video in these are very low performance. They are made for basic tasks and nothing video intensive. You also might want to look at the amount of memory this machine has and make sure it has at least 512MB memory. __________________ Microsoft MCSA + Messaging, MVP, A+, Network+ http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3...other/Help.jpg Do you want a real Republican? HDD diagnostic tools / HDD data recovery software

02-28-2007, 04:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
BriTer Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 7 OS: Win 98 se	Hi Matt! Since posting I have found more info, although it is a lower end 2300: C:\WINDOWS\Desktop\techspec.htm Looks like things aren't as bad as I suspected and pretty sure it will run as a pc. It does have PS/2 connectors. All hardware is what is inside (9ghz hard drive) plus the cd reader/writer and dvd reader. Haven't got my hands on this unit yet (this week!) so still not sure what all is included. Paying $150 (Canadian) That's about.ummmm.... $12 US isn't it?? heehee Thank you Matt! :)