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Motherboard suggestions for Current Home se/Future Gamer Handmedown?

M

mcaren

Junior Member
I am going to attempt to build my first computer, but I?m getting confused by some of the ?build for the future? suggestions and home use vs. gaming requirements. I am a home user (not a gamer) ? surfing, office stuff, digital photo stuff (Adobe Photoshop). I?ve got a Dell Dimension Pentium III ? I?ve added memory and an external hard drive but it?s struggling w/multitasking and I plan to let my 6-year-old twins use it for computer games. My dilemma: I want to build an adequate machine that will meet my needs for the next 3-4 years, but would accept the upgrades required if it became a gaming machine for my kids (who would be about 9 ? 10 years old then). While a small, quiet, wireless machine would be ideal, the system?s longevity probably wins out ? we?ve got lots of home remodeling projects coming up and this is more of a luxury than a necessity. I am REALLY trying to keep this computer under $800 if possible ( I have a few old monitors, keyboards & mice lying around). It also needs to be a fairly easy build ? I?ve never done this before (but have taken systems apart and done repairs) -- and w/little kids I don?t have a lot of time to devote to tinkering... I think it's the motherboard issue that's confusing me the most -- I'm considering trying a RAID system (but after posting this idea in another forum am reconsidering), and don't know if I need to prepare for dual core CPU, capacity for loads of memory, multiple fans, huge power supply, etc. Frankly, I don?t want to spend a huge chunk of my budget planning for a toy for the kids, but if this scenario (fairly decent hand-me-down gaming machine) would work without too much sacrifice, it might save us some money in the long run. I am assuming that the motherboard is probably the most critical element in this build -- any tips would be appreciated. Thanks very much.
 
 
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