IBM 300GL Pentium II 400 MHz Booting and Running Xubuntu 10.04 LTS

IBM Personal Computer 300GL '98
CPU= Intel Pentium 2 MMX 400 MHz on Slot 1 512 KB cache
RAM= 256 MB PC100 SDRAM
Video Card= S3 Trio 3D Onboard 2 MB VGA out
Audio Card= CT4810 Sound Blaster PCI
HDD= 80 GB Maxtor IDE + Quantum Fireball 6,3 GB IDE
LAN= RTL8169 Gigabit in PCI slot
USB= Ok, 2 integrated USB ports (1.1) + 5 USB from dedicated PCI card
Internet= via Wi-Fi, D-Link USB dongle
Boot time= very fast, 20-35 sec

Some photos:
http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/8761/imag0022wi.jpg
http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/8507/imag0025v.jpg
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/3798/imag0030kk.jpg
http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/2048/imag0031wd.jpg
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/1131/imag0035hr.jpg

The system running slightly smooth, but poor RAM and poor CPU cause sometimes slowdown or continuous swap. Adobe Flash, DVD and Divx/Xvid can't be playable. The resolution is locked at 800x600 (2MB video card).
This system have not AGP. With a decent video card it can run very fast using hw-accelerated UI.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• intel
• pentium
• mmx
• old
• computer

[talldude123]

Just got an IBM 300GL for free from the schoolboard. Really fast machine and aside from a rubber foot missing under the computer, it's pretty good shape. Is a Celeron 500 that my machine has based on the Pentium 3? And is it as fast as a Pentium 3?

[RobbyElektroDeejay]

@talldude123

Hi, personally i don't know, but Celeron is great for overclock, it can run faster than a Pentium III if you increase the front side bus (or the multiplier). But the Personal Computer 300GL hasn't this setting in bios (maybe you can try with jumper if there are), then you must buy a Pentium III processor if you want more "stamina".

[talldude123]

@RobbyElektroDeejay I will look for a used P3 chip providing the motherboard supports it (I have not opened the case to verify the motherboard model). The maximum memory in the 300GL is 512MB or 1GB? I belive this one has about 383MB RAM (1MB for onboard video).

[RobbyElektroDeejay]

@talldude123

I think the maximum RAM that you can install is about 384 MB, because it (my exemplar) support only 128 MB modules double sided (64x2), i have not try with a 128x2 module, but in this site (goo. gl/z2yEF) you can read "1 GB" in maximum supported RAM. Is very strange because my PC300GL has only 3 RAM slot, no AGP, no integrated audio card, PII is fanless, but probably there are several variants of this model.

[spectralparanoid]

you say that this machine have a ethernet gigabit, what speed you have reached to transfer files across the LAN? thanks i wait for your answer

[RobbyElektroDeejay]

@spectralparanoid

About 15-20 MB/s

[lincolnredsox]

Found the 300GL tower version in a dumpster this weekend throwing Debian on it right now. I was looking for which ram it took and found this video.

[shootbootleg]

someday - this'll be worth a million bucks. when at that someday you will be able (if you will) buy a loaf of bread for a million bucks.

[criss1975]

Yo tenia una de esas, andaba muy bien, hasta que se me quemo la fuente y no pude conseguir una igual, muy triste

[talldude123]

@Frankzvpl Mine is 133Mhz FSB and memory. Runs quite well suprisingly

[Frankzvpl]

@talldude123 Celeron ~450MHz and above is based on PIII, and is slower compared to P3, due to slower FSB (66MHz vs 100(or even 133MHz on some models)

[jart122]

does the wifi dongle work out of the box, just plug and play. Can you also tell me the model of the wifi dongle. I'm trying to do the same,but with a gateway desktop.

[giovanni12494]

ate´que ta bom essse cpu

[LutMejiaJ]

TRY PLAYING mw2 on that!

[shadow444222]

hey do n e one know where i can find a good northbrige cooler?

[daiatlus79]

i use Xubuntu as well but on hardware like that i would recommend running either Lubuntu (LXDE is a lot smaller RAM-wise) or one of the Puppy Linux distros.