Running OpenWRT on an early Pentium 4 machine?
Running OpenWRT on an early Pentium 4 machine?
I found myself using an old system from the Willamette era—Pentium 4 1.8 GHz single core, ECS L4S5MG3 board, 256 MB RAM, and a 40 GB HDD. I’m planning to install OpenWRT, likely as a home router with a TP-Link connected as an access point. Maybe it’ll help with Squid caching for some data saving, or even use it to stream files from Steam. I’m also thinking about USB tethering. It seems to work on this setup, right? The goal is to support two PCs and four phones via Wi-Fi.
OpenWrt works well on low-end ARM processors and limited RAM, making it efficient. It consumes a lot of power for basic functions, yet a $10 device can manage it easily.
It's basically a plain old potato if you're looking for something super affordable. A used LGA 775 system might cost around $20 to $30, while older prebuilt models like Optiplexes can range from $50 to $100 depending on location. Just don't go for it unless you're into retro gaming.
Really frustrating to craft it from scratch. Any other options like pfSense would work, right? Yeah, better getting a fresh router while I test things out haha
Couldn't find a suitable match for Warcraft 3 on this setup. We own a Pentium Dual Core E2160, but my dad prefers to use it elsewhere, so I won’t be using it. I also have a Prescott Pentium 4 at 3 GHz with hyper-threading, though I can’t locate it. I’m not planning a replacement—it’s only for testing.
Just purchase a budget Pentium E5800 and install it in your computer with a bit of overclocking. It won’t match the performance of the E8000 series clock, but you’ll likely be able to run an E8000 board on your setup. These cheaper CPUs are usually priced very low, making them a small investment overall. Just keep in mind that they require a lot of voltage for overclocking—my E5400 needs around 1.52V for 4.5, while my E8400 needs about 1.45V, and even at 4.5 it requires ~1.6V for the E5700. So, in terms of overclocking, these chips are pretty limited.
Just a quick note after hours of searching. It actually functions, and I’m writing this while using the brand-new router. The setup for USB tethering was tricky since I don’t have Ethernet internet, but the custom OpenWRT firmware really helped me out. Check it out here: https://www.helmiau.com/blog/helmiwrt-os
It's great to see the solution function, though a device like the Atom N2800 can handle the task effectively—about six times more powerful than a high-end Pentium 4—while using far less power. If you plan to run it continuously, investing in a much newer, energy-efficient system will quickly recoup the savings on electricity. I own an older 2.4Ghz Pentium 4 laptop, and to be honest, it’s no longer useful. Even back then, its design was quite outdated.
It’s really exhausting managing all the expenses. I’m using an old laptop with a dual-core 1.6 GHz processor and 3 GB of RAM. Unfortunately, it keeps restarting constantly on the same custom OpenWRT (64-bit version) I installed, making it unusable despite my efforts. It also failed to detect the LAN connection, which is a real setback. I’m considering getting an affordable Android setup or moving to a Raspberry Pi in the future.