Uses for older Intel 4th Gen PCs

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aliaskary77

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PC1: My main rig is a 4790K.
PC2: The HTPC/Plex Media/Data Backup server is a 4770K.
Both have a 1080Ti and 16GB or RAM, running Win10Pro.

With Windows 10 EOL in October, I am replacing my main rig this year with a 9950x3D and likely a 5080 GPU.

Trying to figure out what to do with the old PCs. They still run well, but would not want them online once Windows 10 support runs out. I don't want to use them for the kids (16 and 11) if they will be online or on the same network.

I have not looked much into the unsupported Windows 11 path. If it can run stable and secure, I would upgrade them to Windows 11, at least the HTPC.

If that doesnt work, any suggestions for what OS and other uses for them?
 
I currently have an older laptop that has Win 10 and doesn't meet the Win 11 requirements. I'll probably switch it to Linux. Some Ubuntu variant like Pop OS, and continue to use it for internet browsing, email, Plex & Youtube viewing, remote in to my PC's from afar.
Plex works fairly well in linux, so you could continue it's use for that. Or try your hand at a NAS
 
Wanna roll your own custom router? pfSense/OPNsense/untangle/whatever and you can have far more control over your home network, plus a VPN at the gateway that won't slow you down if you have a service. Sell the GPU and buy an Intel NIC if the board doesn't have a pair already.
 
windows 10 will still get security updates for a while, theyll be fine.
if you have keys, you can upgrade them to 11 using any of the numerous and documented(here) work arounds.
 
I am using Windows 11 Pro on my old 4th Gen NUC. works fine, no issues other than you can't use Intel's Driver Assist program since Win11 isn't supported by the Intel App for that hardware.
That won't be an issue for your though, just wanted to point that out.
I use this machine just for web browsing and my girlfriend uses it with a webcam for tele-medicine doctors appointments.
Oh, I used Rufus to create the bootable Win11 install that removes all the restrictions so that you can install it with ease on older hardware.
 
Zepher said:
I am using Windows 11 Pro on my old 4th Gen NUC. works fine, no issues other than you can't use Intel's Driver Assist program since Win11 isn't supported by the Intel App for that hardware.
That won't be an issue for your though, just wanted to point that out.
I use this machine just for web browsing and my girlfriend uses it with a webcam for tele-medicine doctors appointments.
Oh, I used Rufus to create the bootable Win11 install that removes all the restrictions so that you can install it with ease on older hardware.
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I saw that could be done, but was coming across people complaining about stability. I still may give that a whirl, but felt that a linux variant might be a bit less bloated and seem "zippy" compared to another MS OS.
 
DogsofJune said:
I saw that could be done, but was coming across people complaining about stability. I still may give that a whirl, but felt that a linux variant might be a bit less bloated and seem "zippy" compared to another MS OS.
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I also have Win11 on an older Elite Desk mini PC with a Ryzen Pro 2600. Both of those older machines are pretty snappy and haven't had stability issues.
The NUC only has 8GB and the Elite Desk has a 16GB stick it in.
 
DogsofJune said:
I saw that could be done, but was coming across people complaining about stability. I still may give that a whirl, but felt that a linux variant might be a bit less bloated and seem "zippy" compared to another MS OS.
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havent heard anything like that and i have it on all sorts of "unsupported" hardware, so does gotnorice.
could try tiny11 then. unless you want to move to linux.
 
Option #1, install Windows 11 anyway. Those rigs will work fine and it's easy to bypass the bs TPM requirement.
Option #2, put on a Linux distro and use it like a regular PC
Option #3, make it in to a home "server". You could do Proxmox and spin up LXC containers and VMs. You could do TrueNAS Scale for file storage and lightweight containerization. You could run OPNsense on it and use it as your firewall (though I'd skip baremetal and virtualize it so you can do lots more stuff)
 
Zepher said:
I also have Win11 on an older Elite Desk mini PC with a Ryzen Pro 2600. Both of those older machines are pretty snappy and haven't had stability issues.
The NUC only has 8GB and the Elite Desk has a 16GB stick it in.
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Good to know.

I'm dealing with a Dell Latitude e5440 with a Nvidia 270m, slow ass Intel quad core, and 16 gig of ram.
I'll look up Win 11 work around and see if I like it.
 
DogsofJune said:
Good to know.

I'm dealing with a Dell Latitude e5440 with a Nvidia 270m, slow ass Intel quad core, and 16 gig of ram.
I'll look up Win 11 work around and see if I like it.
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ssd in it? if not, thats step one.
not one of those fake "i7" is it? man i hate those. no intel, a dual core or quad w/o HT is not an i7.
 
aliaskary77 said:
I have not looked much into the unsupported Windows 11 path. If it can run stable and secure, I would upgrade them to Windows 11, at least the HTPC.
Click to expand...

Running Windows 11 on older hardware is fine. I honestly don't understand why some people seem so intimidated and look at it as some massive obstacle when in reality it takes like 10 seconds to do a bypass and then everything runs perfect afterward.

Purely in terms of 4th gen (Haswell) hardware, I have:
My backup computer uses a Xeon E5-1660-V3, which is a direct equivalent of the i7-5960X Extreme Edition (Haswell-E) and it hauls ass with an amazing OC, runs Windows 11 great and still plays games great.
I have a 2nd spare gaming computer also using a Xeon E5-1660-V3 (Haswell-E), also running Windows 11, and runs great.
My backup laptop (Dell Precision M6800) has an i7-4910MQ and runs Windows 11 great.
The computer for my dedicated music stereo is running a 4590k on Windows 11, and runs fantastic.
I built a computer for my mother, also using a 4590k on Windows 11 and it runs fantastic.
My Plex Server is also running a Xeon E5-1660-V3 (Haswell-E), but this is using Server 2025, however Server 2025 is based on the same codebase as Windows 11 24H2.

And I have a lot of even older hardware running Windows 11:
My HTPC is currently using a E5-1650 V2 (6-core Ivy-Bridge-E) with a mild OC and runs Windows 11 great.
My Retro PC is using a i7-2700K (Sandy Bridge) @ 5.2Ghz and runs Windows 11 great.
I have two beater laptops using first generation Clarksdale i3 CPUs, both running Windows 11.

I think that out of ALL the computers I've installed Windows 11 on using a bypass (hundreds at this point), the only one that straight-up did not work (past 21H2 at least) was an old Nforce chipset Core2Quad machine. But those Nforce chipsets ran hot and were always troublesome. Other than that, some VERY old intel iGPUs will act glitchy. This is solved by disabling transparency effects. Drivers are not usually an issue, especially if the device already works with Windows 10. Windows 11 will work with drivers going all the way back to 64-bit Vista in most cases.
 
Grebuloner said:
Wanna roll your own custom router? pfSense/OPNsense/untangle/whatever and you can have far more control over your home network, plus a VPN at the gateway that won't slow you down if you have a service. Sell the GPU and buy an Intel NIC if the board doesn't have a pair already.
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He could run a diy nas build too.
 
Kinda wonky, but proxmox then a single win11 vm.

I have a e3-1270 v3 as a standalone baremetal opnsense router.

Then a e5-2696 v3 as my remote do everything. Nas, nvr and a win10 install for web surfing when I'm there. Works nice.
 
I bought a Skylake desktop PC (made by Dell in 2017) here on the forum. I think the CPU is much older than what Microsoft requires for Windows 11. However, the seller shipped it with Windows 11. I promptly ran the media creation tool and reinstalled Windows 11 from scratch. There was never any hint of a problem.

Is this normal, or is my experience unusual? Why is Microsoft allowing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware without even notifying the user?
 
the_servicer said:
I bought a Skylake desktop PC (made by Dell in 2017) here on the forum. I think the CPU is much older than what Microsoft requires for Windows 11. However, the seller shipped it with Windows 11. I promptly ran the media creation tool and reinstalled Windows 11 from scratch. There was never any hint of a problem.

Is this normal, or is my experience unusual? Why is Microsoft allowing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware without even notifying the user?
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there are plenty of other case that its allowed, like my edu copy that will install on anything...
yours is probably because it was upgraded to 11 before it was disallowed.
 
This might be further off-topic, but does Microsoft seem to have a good reason for disallowing hardware that seems quite functional and compatible?
pendragon1 said:
probably because it was upgraded to 11 before it was disallowed
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Quite possible. I would have assumed Microsoft disallowed it right when it was released, though.
 
I thought MS rolled back the TPM requirement in December, but said it would mess with some updates?
 
the_servicer said:
This might be further off-topic, but does Microsoft seem to have a good reason for disallowing hardware that seems quite functional and compatible?

Quite possible. I would have assumed Microsoft disallowed it right when it was released, though.
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security and certain functions that normal desktop use rarely uses.*
no, it was allowed for years before they implemented the limits. sorry, i was on insider. when it officially launched they put them in place.
*explained in the link in my next post
 
I've been reading lately that Windows is probably more secure than Linux. That goes against what I believe, which prompted me to give Windows 11 a fresh look. So if I'm sacrificing security by running Windows 11 on old hardware, it would defeat the purpose of using Windows in the first place.
pendragon1 said:
security and certain functions that normal desktop use rarely uses
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I'll have to find out how bad those security problems actually are.
 
the_servicer said:
Since you mentioned, I'm downloading CachyOS right now as I write this.
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I love linux. It's amazing. But ive kept to either debian or red hat based distros. This might not the place to spin off this discussion, but i see a lot of people using Arch and i am curious what makes it so great?
 
the_servicer said:
This might be further off-topic, but does Microsoft seem to have a good reason for disallowing hardware that seems quite functional and compatible?
Click to expand...

All of the CPUs that are not officially supported contain security vulnerabilities. Those vulnerabilities can either be mitigated at the hardware/firmware level (BIOS updates) or they can be mitigated at the OS level. Most of the older CPUs aren't using motherboards that are getting BIOS updates anymore, and many never even update the BIOS on their boards. So it would all fall on Microsoft's shoulders to mitigate new and existing vulnerabilities on these increasingly old CPUs. Most of these vulnerabilities were created by shortcuts that Intel took to increase performance, and even Intel lists most of those CPUs as EoL (or "End of Servicing Lifetime" in Intel terminology). Example: https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...r-8m-cache-up-to-4-20-ghz/specifications.html Why would Microsoft keep supporting CPUs that the vendor themselves doesn't even support anymore?

It's really just Microsoft's attempt to make Windows a more secure platform overall. That said,

Microsoft doesn't care if you run Windows on unsupported hardware.

They could break actual compatibility in a heartbeat if they really wanted to. Like the way Windows 11 24H2 broke compatibility with anything pre-Core-i3/i5/i7 (SSE4.2 / SSE4A now required). So for example, a Core2Quad cannot upgrade past Windows 11 version 23H2. Those changes are directly in the new Windows 11 24H2 kernel, and as far as I know there is no way to bypass it. They could do the same for "newer" old CPUs if they really wanted to, but they obviously don't. They made it just difficult enough to scare your average PC user away from doing it while keeping it easy for enthusiasts. They have no reason to piss off PC enthusiasts as those same people are also influencers who tend to help others make their PC decisions. It's pretty obviously implied that if you use a bypass, that you are doing so at your own risk. Like driving an old car without airbags or maybe even a shoulder-strap seatbelt.

the_servicer said:
Is this normal, or is my experience unusual? Why is Microsoft allowing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware without even notifying the user?
Click to expand...

The requirements have always been slightly more relaxed when installing directly from install media.

HeavensCloud said:
I thought MS rolled back the TPM requirement in December, but said it would mess with some updates?
Click to expand...

TPM has been one those requirements that, even before, was relaxed if you installed directly from Install media. It was still required, but I believe it let you by with TPM 1.2.

The only updates you won't get when using a bypass are yearly feature updates. You will have to do an in-place upgrade for every feature update, or ride out the older version to EoL.
 
Or pay the $30 a year for the extended Windows 10 support. It is an option.
 
Advil said:
Or pay the $30 a year for the extended Windows 10 support. It is an option.
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That extension can only be used once. You cannot renew it once that one year period expires.
 
Advil said:
Or pay the $30 a year for the extended Windows 10 support. It is an option.
Click to expand...

If someone is hell-bent on staying with Windows 10 after EoL, they can just download the latest Windows 10 ISO every once in a while and do a quick in-place upgrade for free.
 
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Windows 10 LTSC 2019 has security updates until Jan 2029, and LTSC 2021 goes to Jan 2027 or 2032 depending on version. These versions work great on older hardware and I still have some elderly acquaintances on fixed incomes using ancient Core 2 Duo systems to do plenty of useful work using the 32-bit version of LTSC 2019 - so it has kept these machines out of the landfills! Literally various IBM T60/R61 and Dell D630/1545 systems with SSD/4GB/CPU upgrades doing banking, light browsing, card games, etc. Not everyone needs to be or even cares about the "cutting edge" of hardware. Then again looking at my signature rigs I'm in the same crowd I guess.

My backup laptop is a 2006 Dell D520 I found at a yard sale for $10 a few years ago that I put 4GB in, an Intel X25M 80GB SSD, and a T7400 2.16GHz CPU (total parts prices less then $25 lol) running LTSC 2019 32-bit and it does the web surfing I usually do just fine, as well as 480P YouTube. It gets broken out during bad lightning storms when my main system gets unplugged. For an 18 year old machine, I have zero complaints and I'm going to see how long I can keep it in service. I find that LTSC with some tweaking actually runs faster on Core 2 era hardware then Windows 7 did.

Incidentally if you would have told the 90s version of me (who built a new PC every year in those days) that way in the future an 18 year old computer could still be used daily to perform internet activities and useful work, I would have said you are crazy!

https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowsLTSC/
https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowsLTSC/wiki/index/
 
Thanks for all the responses.

I would be curious to look into some of the recommended linux distros, more for curiousity, on VM. It has been a very long time since i tried any variation of linux.
Using it as firewall/proxy/vpn etc....i have a ubiquiti setup that runs well and idiot proof for the family. I have read and been tempted to try these, but never put time into it.
NAS may be an option for one of the machines and i can put it away and out of sight. The HTPC front end can then be like a NUC hidden away.

I think I will do image backups and try to do the Windows 11 bypass upgrades. I do have all keys for the Win10Pro installs.
I have a feeling that some software will not work, but will deal with it as it comes or roll back the images if needed.
 
aliaskary77 said:
Awesome. I was going to look it up so you save me a few clicks. In place upgrades for now...may do a clean install on these once the new pc is up and running.
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fyi, you can make a new usb with it all disabled and then launch setup from the usb(in windows) to do an upgrade.
 
Last edited:
That's all I did was an update of 10 to 11 wif roofus with the bypass stuff in place. I didn't want to do a clean install in my laptops case.

Appears to work fine, the laptop is a little slow with some things, but doing it's thing
 
I love old hardware for saving money. I always assumed CPU security vulnerabilities can't be that bad, especially when using Linux. Do I need to pull my head out of the sand? You're making me wonder if my old gear is just too risky.
GotNoRice said:
All of the CPUs that are not officially supported contain security vulnerabilities. Those vulnerabilities can either be mitigated at the hardware/firmware level (BIOS updates) or they can be mitigated at the OS level.
Click to expand...
How well does Linux patch those holes when Windows gives up?
 
the_servicer said:
I love old hardware for saving money. I always assumed CPU security vulnerabilities can't be that bad, especially when using Linux. Do I need to pull my head out of the sand? You're making me wonder if my old gear is just too risky.

How well does Linux patch those holes when Windows gives up?
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I don't understand how those are a risk to you? The risk (as i understand it) is that process "a" can get information about process "b". If you're running a vm with different users or if multiple people are logging into your machine, those are risks.

I literally turn off all cpu mitigations in my linux machines.
 
uOpt said:
The Linux kernel drags all fixes around. They don't give up on older CPUs' security vulnerabilities.
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Also, anyone can download and compile whatever from source. Linux doesn't have to assume all responsibility for how the code is used on what hardware.
 
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