What's a good upgradeable computer that I can turn in to a BEAST!!!?!!!

[slayer666metallica]

Okay; my uncle has an 'in' with getting computers as he works in a business where people trash old ones their not using anymore regularly.....now; I know you have to pay money for someone to get rid of your computer; so i figured; why not call up my uncle to see if he can get me a computer no one uses anymore FOR FREE??

So; when I got on the phone with him; he told me he needs to know what kind of a computer he should be on the look out for for me;; so I need ur guys' help;;;;


I was thinking maybe a midrange computer that is easily upgradable. As you guys already told me; that old HP Pavilion 6630 I have isn't worth it;;; so I need a reccomendation on a variety of computers to choose from (and specs on them) so I know what to tell my uncle to get for me.....


So here goes;;;
what I want to eventually do with this computer is upgrade it enough to where I can fit at least 512 MB RAM (I'd like to boost it to 2 GB in the end); 80 or 160 GB 10,000 RPM gaming hard drive; a solid AMD (maybe 64 athlon dual core?) or Pentium processor (like a high speed p4); a real nice video card for that can handle games nice and smooth; a DVD Burner; and some other stuff; but that's what I mainly want in it....


It will mainly be used for cpu intensive tasks like:
-DVD Burning/Encoding
-Gaming
-N64 Emulation (i need a computer that can accurately play a ROM at at least 59-60 fps in order to play Hydro Thunder)
-Watching Movies
-General Uses like internet...

P.S. those specs i posted above pertaining to the hard drive, cpu, vid card, etc. and everything------------> those aren't REQUIREMENTS....
those are just the upgrade capabilities I want in the computer;;;;
my main question is what's a old-semi-crappy-yet-still-kind-of-good computer that I can turn eventually into what I described above????(a gaming/dvd backup/powerhouse computer)

[Nelson37]

By the time you do all those upgrades you will have nothing left of the original PC but the case, keyboard, and mouse.

The CPU and RAM you can install on an older PC will be out-of-date already and unusuable on a newer PC. You will be throwing money down the drain.

You could start with the used box, add the hard drive and DVD burner, but the major speed boost will be a new motherboard, new RAM, new CPU, and a PCI Express video card.

IF he has something with a PCI Express slot, that handles DDR2 RAM, then at least you can plug those parts into the old one without having to buy obsolete upgrades. But then it would be unlikely such a machine is being discarded, unless it is defective in some way. Now often a dead PC has a good processor and RAM, and only need a mobo or power supply to be functional.

Start with a LARGE case, upgrade in pieces as budget permits. The decision points are when you have to invest dollars either in older parts to fit the existing board, or get a new board which requires lots of new parts. I would not buy a high-end AGP gaming card at this time, for instance. But then I upgrade pretty regularly.

[slayer666metallica]

Well Nelson;;

That's exactly what I wanna do over time......is basically have built my own computer by the time those upgrades are done,,,,the main reason why I want to have a computer already put together is so I'm not stuck with something straight from scratch and I'm out of a computer for how long;;;;
because I don't have a lot of money right now................Because if I use of those computers he gives me to upgrade, then I can upgrade whenever I want and still have a functional computer when I'm done switching out that one part as opposed to starting from scratch and having to wait until I've got all the money to do it...............this way, I can work my way up to having a custom built...........................so do you have a specific model or brand that makes computers worth upgrading???

[Nelson37]

Other than a large case, nothing specific. Brand name is meaningless. Board specs are almost the only thing important. A board which supports DDR2, PCI Express, and SATA would be ideal, but unlikely to be gotten rid of.

Hard drive and DVD drives the only thing really worth changing. You want SATA.

RAM - if it does not take DDR2, don't buy any.

Video - If it is not PCI Express, don't buy it. SLI?

IF you want DDR2 and PCI Express, don't upgrade CPU unless it will fit on the new motherboard that accepts these parts.

The problem is everything is tied to the mobo, and when you upgrade this, you will need to do most all the expensive parts, as well. You could at least use the onboard video for a while.

With new Pc's so cheap, you can't even sell the old ones for any reasonable dollars. Upgrading in pieces is basically a thing of the past.

What may be feasable is take the newest thing he has, and get two. Rob the RAM from the slower one and install in the faster. No cost.

If you will be waiting a year or two before completing the upgrade, an AGP card might be reasonable. BUT, every single dollar you spend putting obsolete parts in the older machine is a dollar you no longer have to spend on the newer one.

Newegg has a deal for an Athlon 64 (3200 I think it was) with a motherboard for $99.00. The Nforce has AGP and the one with PCI Express is a VIA chipset. (I personally have never had a problem with VIA chipsets.) For another $30-40, you can get a better board with PCI Express. It may, or may not, use the RAM from your older machine.

Anything is upgradeable. But you must keep in mind your ultimate target and time frame. A small upgrade that delays the major upgrade is just a waste of time, IMO.

[redwudz]

I rather doubt you will find that great of a computer from one someone throws away. As mentioned you might find one with a decent case and power supply. I'm not sure how much your uncle knows about computers. Probably your best bet is to find one with a P4 CPU, at least 3Ghz. DDR memory would be nice. I doubt you see any with DDR2 that someone wants to throw away. Anything with a 64bit CPU would be good. One with some decent hard drives would also be nice.

If you find a good case and PS, probably better off with a new MB and CPU. But you may be able to use the old memory, DVD drive or hard drives.