Vintage E-Waste Haul - The DELL Quadruplets!! 

Absolutely and you are right about indestructible! They are built like tanks haha!

It was a party win toss mys to the trash bin. Dell is Hèll

This is a great share, thank you! I'm happy I was able to bring back some Nostalgic memories for you!! Thanks for watching and hopefully you are subscribed, so you can catch more! :)

@@TheRetroRecall been subscribed for a few weeks now and love all the content! Keep it up! Definitely a nostalgic memory trip :)

Thanks so much for your support. :)

True! I still don't know how I feel about the Clamshell case though lol.

@@TheRetroRecall i have a few and the outside plastic tends to break and fall off. :( Easy for maintenance though.

Yeah I suppose that's true.

Haha nice! I have soooo many Dell's. To LGRs point, they were everywhere lol.

@@TheRetroRecallthey certainly are.

Nice!!

Awesome, does your system still function? Dig it out and bring back some memories! :)

@@TheRetroRecall I need to find a power supply for it, but I think it’ll still work

Thank you!!

Agreed and it was a pretty nice surprise for sure.

Great thoughts! Thanks for the insight and you are probably correct. Love the perspective.

You really could use any one of them, but I like your style - the first one would be the most unassuming / covert one!

Holy, really? You worked in the Dell manufacturing center? Nice!! Would love to hear some of your stories.

@@TheRetroRecallBiggest thing Dell did back then was hire from a temp agency. You would get hired for a maximum 9 months and then be considered for permanent placement if your fast and accurate enough for building. They had or have this three strike rule and as such due to my very damaged eyeglasses I managed to miss the fact that I had severed a cpu fan wire with a screw marking my third strike because that system had to come off the line to be repaired causing a shipping delay for that customer specifically. Honestly the job no matter the department in that factory was mostly bar code scanning to assure you had grabbed the right part. My shift was on weekends. I got to spend from Friday morning before the sun came up to Sunday night just working and sleeping or traveling from or to work and home. However I got to spend four days off doing absolutely nothing each week with job and for $9 an hour as well in 2004. The whole campus was rather larger than I cared to explore but consisted of all kinds of activities and a very large cafeteria and more vending machines than I can count by memory. Probably the best thing was getting paid weekly and having your bank’s atm machine in the cafeteria. The worst part was I couldn’t have my mp3 player on the floor because it doubled as a flash drive. Actually the worst thing ever was the blister I got by walking three miles in the boots they provided to get to work on time because there simply wasn’t any bus service on that side of Austin. I quickly upgraded to a bike with a small headlight I would recharge while I slept.

Nice! It's the first time that I saw Linux Mint. It seems to be a favorite distro!

@@TheRetroRecall Linux Mint is an excellent starter distro for anyone interested in using Linux a lot of stuff "just works" out of the box and the Mint desktop environment is tailored to feel similar to a windows 7 desktop interface. Speaking of a Radeon x300 my friend had one of those in his circa 2006 Dell XPS tower with a pentium D but we upgraded it with a HD 4670 so he could do some heavier gaming with it until he upgraded to a better pc.

What about Kubuntu??

@@TheRetroRecall I like the regular Ubuntu desktop, but any variant is good.

Great share! Yes you are right, however I seemed to always have gone down the road of a Custom build. Only now have I been experiencing the OEM builds of that time. So neat seeing the different ways they were built. Neat and challenging to work on as well haha.

Airflow is actually better with the case closed

On #1, I have seen Much dirtier 😂🎉

That's a great call out. I'll see if I can get the utility and run a scan. I will go out on a limb and say the 500gb in System #4 is not original haha!

@@TheRetroRecall Oh no, 500GB would be a bit much for system 4 when it was new. Someone went over the top with the 500gb drive on that one. I have 2 3Ghz HT Pentium 4s still rocking 80gb drives and for those systems, that's plenty of space. These are nice finds for "trash" computers. It makes me want to go dumpster diving for computer stuff. lol

Hahaha! Be careful... I can become a bad habit lol! I'm not in trouble... Yet. :)

Haha thanks for the info. You found out first hand :)

Awesome!! Sleeper may be a great idea actually.

It's a pretty basic case for sure. I'm just glad they aren't using the Clamshell case in systems 2 and 4!

Now that's a shame. It happened quite a bit unfortunately.

Absolutely! I particularly love the IBM systems of that era as well. Ibm and Dell's at the time were tanks.

with capacitor plague we both know that's a lie or just your luck

@@miregoji2959 No, these systems weren't really affected by that it seems. The smaller form factor optiplex and dimension systems were affected, but I have only seen a couple of the mini tower machines with bad caps. Even then, it doesn't seem to cause any major issues. While I have not seen it on these dells (because like I said, I haven't seen many bad caps on these), I have seen many HP systems which have almost all of the caps on the board bloated and leaking, and they still run just fine. Yes, they should probably be replaces, but somehow they continue to run just fine. I have a great example of this in use right now, an HP D-530 SFF which has almost every cap on the board bloated, and it runs 24/7 displaying a digital clock. It has been for 3 years now without an issue.

Hahaha! Welcome home!!

I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw the CPU stats in the BIOS. Having the 64 bit option is neat and should be pretty quick!

What an awesome share and a great recommendation! Edutainment series coming up!!! Tookey Dookey approved!

They are pretty fun to play around with!

Nice! It's a cool machine for sure. It's system number 4 that peaked my interest :)

Haha so true.

Seems like the 2400 line were a popular machine. Shame it suffered from the cap plague. Thanks for the RAM info!

That's a pretty cool share. It sounds like that was the case for a few people at the time - upgrading systems the moment they got home haha. I agree - shame on the lack of AGP slot.

Haha so true. It seems the build quality remained along with a similar design leaving the internal components to be upgraded and released. Each time I get a system like this I never truly know how they are spec'd!

Haha, well I'm sure if you keep looking I'm sure you will find one. For now I keep these systems in inventory for future projects.

This is amazing. You are right. I was shocked to see PCI-E. I can't wait to experiment with this system! So many options.

Yes definitely in the middle of the capacitor plague!

Hahah that's awesome!!!! 28 drives.. That's crazy. Safe travels to Asia!

Thanks for sharing this memory - that's what this channel is all about haha. I had no idea about the legacy option in the BIOS, I will definitely have to check that out. Thanks!!

So I've been told. They are NOT fun to open hahha.

@@TheRetroRecall My previous comment is shown here, but it has disappeared from the main page and it's not just your channel which that happens on and it happens to many folk, there must be a bug in the YT., system.

No problem.

Omg hahahaha. 'suggestive force' was used and no one was harmed lol. Well I was almost at that point until I realized there was a second latch. Still it was an interesting challenge.

Good to know! I never really took the time to compare them.

Thanks for the recommendation! I have several written down here now from viewers. So many to choose from - not sure how I am going to pick one or two to do installations of.

Nice! And yes, quite a surprise. I really expected Windows lol.

Nice! Now.. What to do with these ones haha. System 4 interests me the most.

Haha!! Oh the engineers / designers of the day lol!

Nice! They aren't bad machines if spec'd right. I still have Dell's from 2012 that are still going today with Windows 10!

Ewaste recycling centers, online marketplaces, and I'm fortunate to have a friend who orders systems in lots that I'm able to pick through :)

@@TheRetroRecall Thanks! Love the videos; keep it up! By the way, if you are interested in learning more about Linux, that’s what my RU-vid channel is all about. (Yes, it’s a shameless plug. 😀)

Not shameless!!! I'm going to check it out now, because I'm about to start getting into Linux!

Subscribed!!

@@TheRetroRecall Greatly appreciated! I hope you find some of the videos useful and I have some interesting content on the way.

My thoughts exactly! Will be cool to get this system cleaned up and fully running!

Great to know, thanks for this!

Another viewer indicated theirs had an AGP slot in that spot and another said that they had a spot where an AGP could go. So I would say it was AGP.

Nice! Those 2400s seem to have been pretty popular!

Hahaha the best!

Thank you for this!!!! Makes sense now haha. You could see why I would be confused.

Definitely an option and if so, I think I'm leaning towards system 4!

As I've discovered and through various comments, although there is a possibility of it lining up with a standard ATX power supply (including the connector to the MB) the voltages may be different on the various rails. So to your point, always look inside and check :)

I was as surprised (or more) than you were! Thanks for this additional clarity!! Stick around the channel and keep commenting - very helpful and much appreciated :)

@@TheRetroRecall No worries man, I always come around to your clips sooner or later! 😉

True, but talk about bringing back some Nostalgic memories. Great for running XP era games on real hardware.

Haha, I can definitely see them overheating.

So true - always a surprise... You never truly know if it is going to work or what you are going to get! Linux will definitely be on one of the systems, just don't know which one yet. As for distro, there are so many! So hard to pick from all of the great recommendations.

These were made during the height of the counterfeit cap plague. Out of hundred of these I've worked on as tech, I've only seen a couple of any of these models that didnt have blown caps on the mother board and the power supply. Those yellow caps these came with were junk from the factory. Most I've tried to recap just kept violently killing hard drives and graphics cards and had stuttering sound issues due to some kind of cascading damage to the SB/NB caused by being ran for probably 15 years with bad caps. Go figure. I.ve got three of them, and dont even bother trying to mess with them.

I will definitely be digging in deeper with these systems during any restoration type videos :). Just need to get some parts.

True the same could be said about the others as well?

Haha! I always saw them but never owned any.

That would make more sense. It isn't terrible but definitely not my choice of case design haha!

Nice that you were able to get a system that cheaply and it was usable with some upgrade capabilities. I'd have to look closer.. Could we solder an AGP port on??? As for the Clamshell case - it was definitely 'interesting' to see these. They weren't awesome to open, or work on but I got the hang of it by the second one haha.

@@TheRetroRecall Not sure about soldering in an AGP connector. The clamshell appears to be a "tool free" service feature.

A question I will say I've only been asked twice thus far on this channel :). The same could be said for all of the items featured in all of the videos made to date. This is content that people enjoy watching while sparking nostalgic memories from all walks of life. Granted that this being a 'Retro' channel, a few or a lot of items depending on your perspective may not be able to be used in today's world (although some distros of Linux can overcome that barrier). These systems would be worth the value to the end user and whatever their use case may be. You mention old games like 'frogger'. I get your point, however these machines are definitely capable of doing a little more than frogger :) and heck... What's wrong with frogger? Through a little Pac Man and Donkey Kong in there while your at it. I will leave it to the masses to decide what their own specific use cases would be. For my own use case - it is rescuing items from being melted down, creating content for everyone who chooses to sit back and watch some old tech and eventually decide to donate these to a museum of some sort or to some that would love to just play some 'frogger' :). As for storage, I have plenty for now and am selective of what I bring in as it has to have content purpose - just as these systems did. Hopefully this helps to shed some perspective and in the end, hopefully you enjoyed the content :) thanks for watching!

@@TheRetroRecall I certainly did enjoy the content, you videos are well made and entertaining. May you long continue to do so. There seems to be an endless supply of unloved computers free for the asking. Every now and then I come across one that is worth repairing or refurbing, the rest I walk away from. Times change, people today seem to prefer mobile computing or consoles.

Thanks for watching!!!!

Good catch. The CPU in System #2 is clearly much different than System #4 P4.

@@TheRetroRecall Dell #4 is really the coolest, to me anyway. Really nice video once again! I really like seeing these good ol' retro machines! Like they say "One man's junk is another man's treasure! The more they throw out, the better it is for we retro collectors! Yeah.....we have an addiction... but a FUN one anyway. It's only bad when we finally run out of space.....which we ALL eventually do! Lol!! 😂😂

Hahha so true and yes you are right, its a great system.. I haven't run out of space just yet.. Nor have I gotten into trouble at home... Just yet haha.

might be, i only ever seen one and that one is in my Dell 8300 though i always thought the 3.2/3.4 were more rare along with the models that have the 1MB L2 cache with SSE3.

And to think this has 2mb L2? Well at least according to the BIOS.

Good to know! Thank you! I literally have 0 experience with Linux. That is going to change now haha.

Thanks for that info, I figured that out afterwards - definitely a different design!

Hahaha Arthur behave!!! (Ps - nice!!!) lol

@@TheRetroRecall I try, but it's difficult sometimes.....😕😂

Hahah we wouldn't have it any other way!

Nice!

Love that you are enjoying this type of content! It takes quite a bit to do these types of videos :). I know Linux although used in business is widely used today in the consumer market. Usually for those who do not wish to use the windows environment. That said, I am not really sure yet what I will do, but that system number 4 is definitely an interesting one for me to restore!

Linux for home users isn't as rare as you would expect, especially for old low power systems

Possibly, I was just shocked to see it.

@@-aexc- Maybe, but I've been buying used pc's for a long time, and I've never seen it

Haha! The same applied to many manufacturers unfortunately. I feel that drove people to build their own custom systems to give them a bit more control. Unfortunately that was always a cheaper option, but future them would appreciate it.

@@TheRetroRecall Ohh indeed. And some of them still do (cough, cough HP) But that was the thing i suppose, control the spare parts, control the income from said spare parts.

100%!

Lol .. I loved wow

Haha so true. Systems from this era were tanks for sure.

I'm not sure what you are referring to. I just rewatched that segment and it states designed for windows xp.

@@TheRetroRecall Windows XP Home Edition or Professional? This is the first thing I always check.

Oh, it was for home :)

Nice! You can definitely luck out.

I've been really lucky. I have a lot of great supporters of the channel that hunt these down for me.

Thanks and I agree!

meanwhile my dimension 8400 decided to just shit itself one day and not boot, but instead turn the cpu into a vacuum cleaner

@@baguette4205 so... your 20 yr old machine stopped working and you are bagging on it? Got it. 🙄

@@atariforever2002 it stopped working after 6 years not 20. every other computer i've owned over the years has lasted longer

@@baguette4205 so this thing died in 2012 and you're just now talking about it? Ok

Absolutely. It's crazy how many I come across. Fortunately Im an honest person and I destroy the data as part of my restorations.

I get done I crush the hard drive if it's too small not worth anything

@@big8news I saw on someone else's video where they discovered a disposed PC had a bullet shot through a hard drive

Nice!! And thanks for that clarity regarding the CPU. I'll have to take a look at that. Also, the 8400 definitely has some expansion possibilities!

Yikes!!!

Hopefully you can find a system in the wild, or collect some parts and enjoy some vintage building fun!

Hahahah 4 of them!!!

Time to dig it out, dust it off and get some cool stuff going on it!!! Lol.

@@TheRetroRecall Keep in mind Dell made the Big tower 270 and a small form factor one too..

I had no idea.

Fortunately these machines all worked. I did make a visual inspection.. However I was willing to take my chances haha!

luckily if you got a soldering iron blown caps aren't too terribly difficult to replace since most radial lead capacitors are thorugh-hole components. Sadly that era of dells were still during the 1999-2008 era of the capacitor plague when companies used poor quality electryic fluids that were notorious for leaking.

For sure. I do have a desoldering gun making the job even easier so that will be good if needed. Oh and a pile of new caps. Will be neat to dig into these further and see if any of that is required.

@@TheRetroRecall As long as the microfarads are the same value and the voltage is at or above the rated cap you're replacing you're 100% good to go.

Awesome thanks!

Thanks!

For sure. I would think they were definitely entry level systems. Just have to find a decent PCI graphics card of the era haha.

Hahaha I was floored when that loaded up! Ps - love your avatar - coincidence??? :)

Probably, with the Linux distros.

@@TheRetroRecall and the ram, i had a gx270 that came default with 512mb

Definitely!!!

Hahahaha definitely a possibility based on the weight and build of these machines!!

@@TheRetroRecall Dells were mostly built like tanks..

Haha, I love this memory! Nostalgia at its finest. I especially laughed at the tie wrap comment - you are so right lol. Thanks for sharing and for watching!

Stay tuned :). Lots of projects on the go!

Great to know! Not a lobster? Hahah

I've built a couple of these machines from throw away servers to decent windows XP gaming machines. Love the clam shell even if it's a pain to get open sometimes. 🤣

It was crazy annoying.. The first one was so hard to work with, however the 2nd one was good :)

@@TheRetroRecall it's really hit and miss when it comes to how easy some want to open. 😂

So I've discovered haha

Hahahahaha ismt it fun?!?? :)

Nice.

Appreciate that and yes, these systems can definitely be restored. hopefully yours didn't get recycled

Hahaha sorry, I was laughing reading your comment - trying to out myself in your shoes lol. Then when you said the CRT is sitting right there too and in the way... Lol. When I'm doing these types of videos, its definitely a workout when moving the towers from scene to scene.

Nice.. And Dude I got several! Hahaha! Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the heads up!! Great call out. I will definitely test before ever changing out.

For sure. System 4 was definitely a nice surprise!!

I was extremely shocked to see Linux on these for sure!