Two computers - which one shall I keep, which one shall I give away?

[AnitaPeterson]

Hi folks,

I'm appealing to the hive mind with a dilemma.
I have two computers, and I want to give one of them away. And I can't make up my mind which one should go.

Here's the deal:

A couple of days ago, an acquaintance asked me whether I happen to have any spare things I could dispense of... like furniture, appliances and other house stuff. It seems that her sister and family are coming over from Europe (as new immigrants), and they'll be in need of various things in their new home.

I don't actually have any spare appliances or furniture, but, like many here, I DO happen to have too many computers around the house - a trend which started a few years ago, when I donated quite a few machines to some schools in Eastern Europe.

So, anyway, I offered to donate a computer.

Now, the thing is... I have two spare machines, and I'm not sure which one I should part with.

Machine No. 1 is a MSI MEGA PC-651. Here are the general specs: http://www.3dvelocity.com/reviews/megapc/megapc.htm - please note that this is a barebones system, to which I've added a 1.8 GHz Mobile Celeron, 2 GB DDR1 RAM, 160 GB HDD, a DVD+/-RW drive, and a Radeon 9600 Pro (AGP).

Machine no. 2 is a computer put together from the following parts:
- ASUS K8V-MX (TARGA EDITION)
- AMD Sempron 3000+ (1.8 GHz)
- 2 GB DDR1 RAM
- two 80GB HDDs
- Radeon AIW9800 Pro (AGP)
- DVD+/-RW
- Antec case

I am wondering which one is better, and which one I should part with.

The two systems seem to be pretty equal to me. Both of them run XP. Neither one can play 720p content, much less 1080p, but I guess that's not something of particular concern for the recipient(s), who is/are not computer-savvy, and probably would not be interested in things like upgrades, intense gaming and so on. From what I understand, they'll mostly be doing things like MS Office and web browsing (they'll be looking for work as soon as they arrive here). I'll also be giving them pair of speakers, along with a keyboard/mouse combo, and an older LCD monitor.

Other considerations:

1) MSI
- Pros: It's pretty AND small; looks quite smashing; it has a remote control and a FM antenna, and can be used as a standalone radio/MP3/CD player while the actual computer is off.
- Cons: Nothing can be added to it; not upgradeable/expandable; older technology than the Sempron machine; pretty much a dead-end.

2) Sempron
- Pros: Roomier; still upgradeable; SATA ports; nice, solid case
- Cons: Bigger (takes more space); newer than the MSI, but still old by current standards (AGP, DDR1 and Socket 754)



I'm more inclined to give the MSI machine away, but would like to hear your thoughts as well. Thanks much!

 

[Ken g6]

Machine #2 is slightly better than #1. Both are dead-ends. So if you intend to keep and use one, I'd keep and use #2 and give away #1.

But this is a hardware enthusiast forum, so my vote would be to give away one, throw away the other, and build a new i5 2500K system. 😛

 

[AnitaPeterson]

He he.... looks like the i5 2500k is quite in fashion, everyone wants one these days.

I don't like to throw things away, so my plan is to just keep the second machine until another opportunity to give it away presents itself. Actually, perhaps I'll just take it out of the Antec case, and put it in a more generic one. That Antec never goes out of style.

 

[Davidh373]

Do you want to give them the better machine? If so give them #2. If you're looking at giving them the worse of the two, give them #1.

 

[mfenn]

Do you want to give them the better machine? If so give them #2. If you're looking at giving them the worse of the two, give them #1.

:thumbsup:

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I dont think theyll actually care. they will be thankful and the generousity of you

 

[gevorg]

As long as it can handle porn tube sites, they'll be happy.