Is this old computer safe to use?

[Prevet]

deleted

[shep]

One option to investigate is swapping out the motherboard. HP's reputation for long term support is no better than Intel's but I would also check their site for Bios updates

[jmccue]

Well with OpenBSD disabling SMT by default (assuming it has it), I would say you are safe

[bsd-keith]

I've never updated a BIOS in all the time I've used computers.
I mainly use Linux, but have used OBSD at various times.
I use a 2008 Toshiba Satellite regularly on the internet with no ill effects.
Most of my other computers are from 2010/11, & I've never had any trouble with them on the internet either.

Edit: As long as you are running an up to date system, I don't see any problems, as the kernels have patches to cover the microcode problems.

[ibara]

Originally Posted by Prevet

Can it be used online with OpenBSD installed on it

Yes.

[ibara]

What does your dmesg(8) say? A 10-year old Intel desktop CPU will likely have integrated graphics on it.

[IdOp]

Can you boot OpenBSD via CD or USB stick and capture a dmesg? That should tell you what Intel graphics chips it has. (For that matter, any Unix-like OS should tell you that.) The graphics may be perfectly good, allowing you the option to save a bit of money.

[IdOp]

Thanks for the report. I looked at the online man pages for intel(4) which is the X video driver, and for inteldrm(4). It indicates that "Intel(R) HD Graphics: 2000-6000" are supported. I think this means it should work both as a high-res framebuffer wsconsole as well as in X. However, I hope that a more experienced expert will weigh in if this is not the right or full story.

[ibara]

Originally Posted by IdOp

Thanks for the report. I looked at the online man pages for intel(4) which is the X video driver, and for inteldrm(4). It indicates that "Intel(R) HD Graphics: 2000-6000" are supported. I think this means it should work both as a high-res framebuffer wsconsole as well as in X. However, I hope that a more experienced expert will weigh in if this is not the right or full story.

Yup.

[IdOp]

That's great news. Now you get to have lots of fun!

[Sherrant]

I am using a sony vaio laptop from 2008 that is running like a champ right now, I say go for it.

[raindog308]

Originally Posted by Prevet

Sorry I took a while to get back to you. I just tried it with an OpenBSD 6.5 CD and at VGA1 it says Intel HD graphics 2000 rev x09.

For posterity, you can also run the 'dxdiag' program in Windows to get a nice overview of the system hardware, especially graphics/video card/display-related hardware.