I noticed my points took a huge leap for a couple of days, then settled back down. A few small jobs came my way. Every bit counts.
Being that we're on the subject of points, I'm considering selling the desktop that I have on eBay, and go with a cheap XP desktop for a few months (I can get one, PC, keyboard/mouse/monitor for $60).
Many older computers are still bringing around $200 to $350 with XP (& 20 to 120GB IDE HDD's) still on them, and the buyer still has to (or should) purchase a warranty. So I figure that one with Windows 7 Pro x64 (still under warranty for $599 until Nov 2012) should fetch $400 to $450 easily.
This would give me almost half of the cash that I'd need for a new build. I don't need to buy everything at once, start with the main items (the CPU & GPU), and build the system around those components. Quality MOBO's aren't cheap, but RAM is, I've never seen 8GB RAM at the prices they've been at the last month or two (some of which cost less than I paid for 4GB DDR2 RAM over a year ago). Some of the final touches can be found bundled, such as the case/PSU/fans. I already have a couple of 1TB HDD's laying around for storage, but one of these small hybrid HDD's would make a great OS install drive.
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/laptops/laptop-hdd/
I would consider a last generation SSD, if the price is low enough. Some 64GB ones can be found at a decent price, if one sees the ads & acts fast. Most are guaranteed for 3 years minimum, and while that's not everything, it's peace of mind that I'll have a HDD for that timeframe. Plus, if it's mainly a dedicated folder, the HDD won't be written on a lot, only the bare minimum of programs will even be on it. Seriously, how many apps do I need on a computer to fold with?
An AV/IS suite, the browser of my choice, a backup program, an app like Speed Fan to monitor temps, the folding program, that's it. Why load it up with unneeded apps that drinks resources? Many apps do, whether we realize it or not. Just open the Task Manager & see.
This would free up my notebook for daily use, and even that $60 XP based desktop (a GX260 Optiplex) has a connector for a video card, as long as it's a low profile one. That should be good for something, if nothing else, it should allow me to install Win 7 on it, along with my printer & other accessories, and allow my newer desktop to run 24/7, folding it's butt off with that v7 client.
I've got to get moving. My thinking is that my present desktop is worth more while it still has a year & a half of warranty, than to wait after it runs out. I even have a couple of other items that I may sell for the cause.
Hopefully, by year's end, mabye sooner, I'll have that new one built. I don't believe that I'll have to look far for advice.
Cat
