*UPDATE- Donating it to TeamAnandtech Gaming* Buy a case + mobo just because I have a Celeron 850Mhz chip lying around?

[JEDI]

I have a p3-1.1ghz, 512megs ram, gf4 ti4200.
My parents have a DELL p2-400 256megs ram, used for Word and Internet and maybe used 1hr/week.

I have a spare Celeron 850mhz lying around. I'm very tempted to buy a case + mobo to upgrade my parents machine just because i hate seeing usable hardware just lie there. i have all the other spare parts needed for a new system. (i need a new case because the Dell case is propietery.)

my dilema is that I will upgrade my machine when the CPU becomes the limiting factor in my games. right now EVERYTHING plays fine at 1280x1024. when it starts to play lousy at 1024x768, i'm going to upgrade. and when i upgrade, i'm going to give my p3-1.1 ghz to my parents. (hm..what are the REAL WORLD requirements for Doom3?)

so should i spend $75-100 to build a machine JUST BECAUSE I CAN? 🙂 and if i do build it but dont need it, WHAT DO I DO WITH IT? i cant think of anyone that needs a 850mhz machine. all my friends as geeks and have better systems.

Edit: Hm..a Duron 1.1Ghz system for $199 (no OS) at Walmart

Edit 2: Donating to Anandtech Gaming Center

 

[Eug]

You can get cases with power supplies under $30 and you can get a new BX motherboard for $30, or else a little more for integrated sound and video.

 

[JEDI]

how do i edit my poll to change the "To spend $75-100 to build a new system" part? i want to change it to $60 . the update poll doesnt give me that option. just allows me to edit the poll answers

 

[mechBgon]

I regard those leftover computer parts as "spores." 😀 If you don't eradicate them quickly, they will plant themselves in your wallet and convert money directly into more computers :Q

But if you have the fundage, it would be nice to perk up your folks' system. My mom now has my dad's old Cyrix PR333 Emachine, and that is one slow system now that I've installed ZoneAlarm and McAfee VirusScan on it 😛 I would go out of my mind if I had to use it for very long!

 

[JEDI]

hehehe..the problem is that my parents wouldnt notice the difference. Hell, they were still happy w/a Pentium Pro 200 (overclocked to 225mhz) 2 years ago :Q

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I'd say try both. Run some benchmark tests and see which one does good. Oh and by the way, Celeron chips are really coming down in price, last I checked $50 for a 1.7 or 1.8ghz chip. You might wanna dish out like $20 or $30 and buy one that works with your mobo.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: AgaBooga
I'd say try both. Run some benchmark tests and see which one does good. Oh and by the way, Celeron chips are really coming down in price, last I checked $50 for a 1.7 or 1.8ghz chip. You might wanna dish out like $20 or $30 and buy one that works with your mobo.

Try both? yes and no???


celly 1.7: dont think it is compatible w/my mobo since the celeron is based on the p4 platform. and besides, my mobo will only take a p3-1.1ghz max (no fcpg2 form)

 

[yoda291]

motherboard shouldn't cost you that much. I say build a case, it'll give you a hobby to keep your mind off the chip. That way, you could fashion something that wouldn't be an eyesore for your parents...then ebay the dell.

 

[Macro2]

I always get caught with the same thing. Trying to build a system around some old component. Rarely does it work. For $50 more you can get a Athlon XP 1700+ and maybe even OC it. It will blow away your Celeron 850 which will likely be a bottleneck if you play games...

Mac

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: Macro2
I always get caught with the same thing. Trying to build a system around some old component. Rarely does it work. For $50 more you can get a Athlon XP 1700+ and maybe even OC it. It will blow away your Celeron 850 which will likely be a bottleneck if you play games...

Mac

k7s5a pro mobo is $60. (i want to reuse my pc133's since i dont have any Dimms.) Xp1700 retail = 72

60+72=$132 + 30 for case = 160

where as buying a mobo for the 850 is 30 (i've been told). +case = 60 total

and if i do build a new system (which i dont need), i still have that celeron 850mhz lying around.

but the point is moot..i'm donating that celeron 850mhz to TeamAnandtech Gaming Center 🙂