Re: Putting together a computer from old components

Spiros Bousbouras <[email protected]> writes:

> Is there any notion of compatibility between computer cases and
> motherboards ? If yes , how do I ensure that I get a case such that an old
> motherboard (one with an AM2 socket) fits ?

ATX form factor for motherboards has been a standard for a couple of
decades now so should be OK.

> Are there any issues related to my efforts I should be aware of ? I mean
> issues specific to putting a computer together from old parts.

RAM size and CPU performance might be an issue. I assume you'll have
SATA for storage and PCIe for video which should be fine.

As for performance, my wife had a Core2quad desktop until a couple of
years ago but it choked really hard on simple stuff in Microsoft Word. I
was surprised the CPU seemed unable to handle a simple document with
text and pictures. Now I assume you won't be running Word or Windows but
performance might still be an issue, with just web browsing.

I remember I had a core2duo laptop, two cores at 1.33 GHz. It was fine
for email and a little software development with Qt but web browsing got
so painful I got something faster. This was about 10 years ago. The
replacement laptop is a core i5, two cores at 2.4 GHz. It's also
starting to feel sluggish now with web browsing. Email and my little
development and whatever stuff is still fine.

So, it really depends what you intend to do with your computer. Light
use, a little web browsing on simple web pages, email, simple stuff
probably not a problem. Heavy web browsing on heavy pages, editing
complex documents or video, encoding video... Might need a lot of
patience.