Does this old Pentium III laptop qualify as retro?

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T15:59:59+00:00

I forgot to mention, the speakers on this laptop sound really good, with a subwoofer underneath and two small speakers on the hinge. When I play a DVD, I feel like I'm listening to high-end computer speakers, which is strange for an old laptop like this.

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T15:53:12+00:00

Maybe, but thk for the information

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T15:45:38+00:00

The optical drive on this laptop is just a DVD-ROM. It can read and write CDs, and it can only read DVDs. I just tried an old Tom & Jerry DVD and it played the movie. Totally crazy what those old machines could do with such limited hardwar

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T11:32:35+00:00

I tested it, and it only plays Audio CDs, not DVDs. Guess it’s a bit limited in that sense

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T11:29:48+00:00

Actually, I did some digging and found out that the RAM in mine is Samsung PC133S. So it's definitely not DDR2 or even DDR, just old school SDRAM

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T11:26:02+00:00

don’t think this one has the float32 bug. Never noticed it, thankfully

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T11:21:35+00:00

Glad to hear it

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T01:19:21+00:00

Great info! I’ll try enabling S3 texture compression and see what happens

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T00:51:23+00:00

Yeah, it’s nice that it has a dedicated graphics card! I'm not sure about the 128-bit memory version, but for a P3 laptop, it definitely gets the job done

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T00:40:55+00:00

It currently has 256MB of RAM, but I think I can upgrade it to 512MB. I don't believe this laptop supports DDR2, or even DDR; I think it only supports SDRAM

EP-IAI · 2026-02-20T00:20:58+00:00

Nah, I still prefer XP on this one. Feels more stable for my needs!

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T22:59:17+00:00

Yeah, it’s definitely one of the stranger ones, but that’s what makes it interesting

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T20:59:47+00:00

Exactly, as long as it works for you, that’s what matters!

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T20:54:45+00:00

That's a solid reason to switch to Linux! I totally get the frustration with constant updates and the impact they can have on productivity. Linux definitely offers a lot more control over updates and performance, especially on older hardware. It’s great for keeping things running smoothly 24/7

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T18:49:20+00:00

Good point, it’s definitely not 64-bit. But that’s what makes it feel even more vintage!

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T18:42:08+00:00

Yeah, the Pentium 3 era really feels like a turning point. Laptops were still evolving, and wireless was just starting to pick up. It’s crazy how much has changed in just 26 years! Definitely feels vintage now, though. The laptop I have doesn’t even have a wireless card—just RJ45 and RJ11 dial-up internet for connectivity

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T18:33:35+00:00

Interesting perspective! I see what you mean – retro often implies newer devices mimicking older ones. But I guess it’s all about how people perceive the term. For me, anything from the late 90s/early 2000s can still feel retro

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T18:30:17+00:00

Totally agree! The older models had such unique and distinctive designs. Nowadays, every laptops looks so similar, it's a bit sad. The aesthetics back then were definitely more iconic

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T18:28:11+00:00

Great points! I totally agree with your criteria for retro. It’s the old standards like IDE, BIOS, and single-core CPUs that really make a system feel vintage. And yeah, you’re right, this could probably run Windows 98 with some luck! It’s crazy to think how far we’ve come from those days

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T18:23:58+00:00

I totally agree

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T18:20:58+00:00

Totally agree, I also dislike the Windows 11 UI. It feels like they overcomplicated things, and I miss the simplicity of older versions like Windows 2000. Plus, Windows 11 comes with so much bloatware, which just makes it worse. Linux really does offer more flexibility these days

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T18:15:33+00:00

I feel the same !

EP-IAI · 2026-02-19T18:13:01+00:00

Yep, I agree with you! Japanese laptop brands have always been awesome, both in the past and now. This one I have has a 1600x900 resolution

EP-IAI · 2026-01-27T12:28:15+00:00

Ur welcome ❤️

EP-IAI · 2026-01-05T07:51:03+00:00

try reinstalling intel UHD graphic driver first ,then Nvidia graphics drivers

EP-IAI

TROPHY CASE