If I haven't forgotten anything, I need:
Case, motherboard, CPU, memory, power supply, SSD, and cooling if necessary.
I think my main concern is getting a motherboard and case where I can slot my old components in, though I'd like the case to be as small as possible. I'd like to pop in:
At least one (preferably 2) of my SATA drives (and are IDE ports still available?).
I'll need a VGA port for my old CRT monitor (which is still perfect for photo editing).
An M Audio Delta something that's a few years old.
A DVD drive.
The PC doesn't need to be top-of-the-range as the main strain will be for Photoshop (probably CS3 if I can find a legal copy for <£100) photo editing, Bryce 7 (the last update of a 6 year-old 3D modelling & rendering programme) and sound editing and basic sound recording purposes. But if I could keep Bryce and Photoshop open at the same time (not possible on my current PC), that'd be great.
I currently use a Windows XP machine, with an AMD 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ 2.21GHz and 6GB RAM - so I guess almost anything will be an improvement.
As I'll be using old software, I'm thinking of going for Windows 7.
I'm not sure about budget - I'm guessing I won't need to go over £500-£600 for what I need?
I might also consider a laptop if it can come in at 1kg or less - screen size isn't an issue as long as I can plug my CRT in. My laptop budget would be higher.
Thanks for any help.
Case, motherboard, CPU, memory, power supply, SSD, and cooling if necessary.
I think my main concern is getting a motherboard and case where I can slot my old components in, though I'd like the case to be as small as possible. I'd like to pop in:
At least one (preferably 2) of my SATA drives (and are IDE ports still available?).
I'll need a VGA port for my old CRT monitor (which is still perfect for photo editing).
An M Audio Delta something that's a few years old.
A DVD drive.
The PC doesn't need to be top-of-the-range as the main strain will be for Photoshop (probably CS3 if I can find a legal copy for <£100) photo editing, Bryce 7 (the last update of a 6 year-old 3D modelling & rendering programme) and sound editing and basic sound recording purposes. But if I could keep Bryce and Photoshop open at the same time (not possible on my current PC), that'd be great.
I currently use a Windows XP machine, with an AMD 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+ 2.21GHz and 6GB RAM - so I guess almost anything will be an improvement.
As I'll be using old software, I'm thinking of going for Windows 7.
I'm not sure about budget - I'm guessing I won't need to go over £500-£600 for what I need?
I might also consider a laptop if it can come in at 1kg or less - screen size isn't an issue as long as I can plug my CRT in. My laptop budget would be higher.
Thanks for any help.

Last edited: