Decisions decisions...

[Tanooki]

So I have recently purchased the parts for a new computer. I have all of them but the mobo which I had to send back because it was DOA. Now I need to decide what to do with my current desktop.

I'm going to make a NAS box for my music which completely blew away my original idea with my current desktop, which is making it a Music Server. I have a Pentium 4 for my NAS box... then I have another old PC which is going to be a Smoothwall Firewall... Now I don't know what to do with my current desktop

The specs on it are: 250 GB HDD, 3 Gb of RAM, AMD 3200+ (Over clocked to 2.30GHz), a ATI Radeon X800 GTO, and a XFI Platinum Sound Card...

What I'm looking for is some suggestions on what I could convert it into... I don't really need a server, and before you suggest a Linux box, I have a 650 GB HDD for my new PC that I'm going to install Ubuntu and Fedora on. I've stumped myself on what I could use it for.. because I don't really want it to be a back up. I want to convert it to something... just can't think of what to do with it...

 

[Chris82]

Home media center? If you have a router (wireless is really helpful here) you could set up a program to stream media to it and connect it to your TV. That processor and video card should be fine for 1080p. TVersity is a good program to do this (and you could extend this media serving to your Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii if you have one). There are also Linux distributions designed for this purpose.

Alternatively, you could use it as a backup PC in case the new one has a hardware failure.

Oh, and as far as Linux goes, Ubuntu is OK, but it's really nothing special. Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu but is lighter and easier to configure.

 

[Tanooki]

Home media center? If you have a router (wireless is really helpful here) you could set up a program to stream media to it and connect it to your TV. That processor and video card should be fine for 1080p. TVersity is a good program to do this (and you could extend this media serving to your Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii if you have one). There are also Linux distributions designed for this purpose.

Alternatively, you could use it as a backup PC in case the new one has a hardware failure.

Oh, and as far as Linux goes, Ubuntu is OK, but it's really nothing special. Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu but is lighter and easier to configure.

Ya I was actually thinking of making it a media center with Boxxy on Linux... but my streaming media for my music is going to be coming from my NAS box, which I have DVR so I don't really need to record much from the TV. And as far as Linux Mint goes... it's running on my laptop...

 

[Ryken]

put it in a XBOX?

 

[GARRRRR Cub!]

If you like to listen to music in different rooms of your place, I'd suggest putting the box in your main TV watching and music listening place as a media box for jukebox needs as well if you have people over at all.

 

[Tanooki]

put it in a XBOX?

Me and a buddy actually did that once... put the Xbox hardware in the PC case, and the PC hardware in the Xbox case... was one of the original Xbox thought