Do you know what I can do to fully test it?
There are quite a few things you can do to test it, but a lot depends on what you want to use it for. If you are just going to use it as a file server, then there is not much point in carrying out a lot of tests, because the machine will not be used in such a manner. This is a problem with lots of machines, how you test them is seldom analogue to what you are actually going to use them for.
The vast majority of modern high performance desktop machines are only really challenged at all by some high end games. The actual speed/performance of the machines is governed more or less entirely by the processor and peripheral chips on the board. The only real bottleneck is invariably the mass storage used, still mostly mechanical hard drives. The other major problem still to be addressed is satisfactory cooling for high performance chips. The more powerful these chips become, the larger the problem.
With an old board and CPU as you have there, it is not going to do anything spectacular, and once you actually have it running, then they tend to be fairly reliable. Just about the only things that will kill a file server like that are overheating, and damage to moving parts, like hard drives, cooling fans etc, mains power faults, and things like lightning strikes! If you want a reliable server, then use at least a power filter plug socket.( Overvoltage protection ).
Overvoltage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Multi-outlet extension lead with over-voltage protection - ELFA electronics store
This will prevent most damage due to mains power faults like high transient spikes or lightning strikes in your area. These will often kill switching power supplies and motherboards without such protection immediately.
Make sure you have a decent cooling system. Usually on these machines a heat sink coupled with a cooling fan. I would not advise you to skimp on that, because if it fails the CPU will die more or less immediately. Also, depending on where you are going to run the machine, constant noise can be really annoying, so go for a good quality fan assembly. This is worth it even on a cheap machine, as even a very good one will not cost a lot, but makes the machine much less noisy and also more reliable. I like these on machines of the type you are using, quiet, and reliable;
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Kühler für Socket 775: Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör
You might also like to couple that with this software for fan speed regulation among other things;
SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer
Once upon a time when building machines like the one you have we would run a so-called "Burn-in" test, at least 12 hours, usually overnight, with various test programs. If a machine was going to fail it would usually do so within that time period. This was de rigueur if you didn't want a lot of customer complaints. These were more or less all new machines. At one time we turned out thousands of them in various configurations. I assume that most good companies still do it. Comprehensive professional testing equipment and software is beyond the reach of most private individuals, mainly because of the cost, but also because you have to know how to use it, and it costs time and money to train technicians who can do it.
Here is an example of such;
QuickTech for Windows- Windows diagnostics and burn-in
They don't sell "retail packages", you can only get a tailor-made suite from them, and they will quote a price once consultations are completed on your requirements. You can get various packages from other companies, but even the cheapest setups will usually be far out of a private individual's price range.
Also, it is as well to remember that many professional technicians will see more faults in a day than many "normal" computer users will see in a lifetime. These are also often "unusual" faults to anybody except somebody who is required to diagnose and repair them. This is also one major reason why such technicians can find and cure the majority of faults very quickly, they know them from experience.
Once you have a "new" or "unknown" system up and running, as you obviously now have, then you have already passed the most difficult stages, and low level hardware diagnostics are no longer necessary.
Here are a few examples of test software you can use if you want to test various stuff. This is all freeware for personal use, and is adequate for the sort of testing you want to do.
HD Tune website
Probably the most important test software for you, especially if you are using old or suspect discs. Gives a lot of useful information.
also extremely useful;
| Seagate
Ram Tester, self explanatory.
MemTest: RAM reliability tester for Windows
Information tools;
Speccy - System Information - Free Download
http://www.hwinfo.com/ ( you want the HWiNFO32 for Windows).
Monitor tester;
Download Nokia Monitor Test 1.0.0.1 Free - Nokia Monitor Test helps you adjust your monitor to your needs - Softpedia
I have a lot of other stuff on some other machines and I will try and put it together for you later today.
Here is a fairly comprehensive selection of stuff you can try;
Monitor tools - LCD Display tools, Freeware, Free Download, computer monitor and display test tools, CRT display, LCD TFT monitor
These tools and utilities are in German, from a computer magazine which puts a lot of emphasis on hardware, but most are self-explanatory, and you should be able to use them. One of the most important from your point of view is c't BIOS:
c't-Systeminfo | c't
I will send this post now though so you can get a start with some of the stuff..............
Just one final point in this post. There is some software available for running "load testing", and similar. This is not a good idea on systems like the one you have. It can easily kill a system which otherwise might have run happily for years as a simple file server, but wont last five minutes under extreme loading, which would never actually occur in "normal" use.
Regards....Mike Connor
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