My New Computer, Finally

Well, I have a new computer--sorta. Faced with the reality of not being able to responsibly afford a new $1500 computer for many months yet, I converted what I was using as a Unix box (a bare-bones Athlon 2500 XP in a Soltek mobo--overkill for what I was using it for) into a Windows XP box using some mid-range gaming hardware (a Radeon 9600 and 512 MB of extra ram) that I had been using to play games during my lunch break at work. I also invested in a new 200 gig HD for the occasion. The result is that I have a zippy, quiet PC that doesn't run games ideally, but is good enough to play Half-Life 2 with reasonable settings.

Old Comp:
- Athlon 650 MHz Slot A CPU
- ASUS K7V mobo
- GeForce 2 Pro, 32 MB cache video
- 256 + 128 MB RAM
- 120 gig HD w 2 MB cache
- does well with Quake 3, Max Payne
- KOTOR chugs, but runs

New Comp:
- Athlon 2500+ XP (1.35 Ghz) Socket A CPU
- Soltek NForce2 series mobo
- Radeon 9600 Pro, 256 MB cache video
- 512 + 256 MB RAM
- 200 gig HD w 8 MB cache
- does well with Unreal Tournament 2004
- Half-Life 2 definitely playable