pollux - Linux (Kubuntu 6.10)

This was an inside-out replacement for an aging K6-500 machine. The original idea was to convert that from a desktop/surfing/gaming computer to a server for a home network, but because of the (apparent) limitations of that motherboard -- that is, the inability to address hard drives over 127 GB -- it was not possible, since I wanted around 500 GB of drive space. Reliability was also an issue, especially since during the testing of that machine, there were various lockups and reboots. So the goal of the project was to build a low-cost, high-capacity machine, which would be running headless (no keyboard, mouse, or video).

The only parts that were reused from the old machine were its case (which was in itself an upgrade from the case of the original machine), its power supply, a Sony CDRW and a no-name CDROM. New components were, as usual, based on recommendations at hardwareguys.com and the book Building the Perfect PC, Second Edition, and bought at NewEgg. Eventually I settled on these:

Case: I like Antec cases, and even this inexpensive ($70) case is quite easy to work with, and very quiet. The Sonata II is definitely quieter, but I actually like the absense of a (fragile) door, and the lack of the intense blue lights. The Sonata II is about $30 more, but with rebates can be even less expensive than the 1650, so I'd choose the Sonata over this, especially where noise is a concern. However the 1650 is definitely competitive.

Motherboard: Gigabyte was chosen simply for the cost ($48) and high ratings. This was my first build with a Gigabyte motherboard, and it was very easy to work with, despite being microATX.

CPU: The Intel Celeron D 331 (2.66 GHz) processor was used, at a cost of $38. I found the heatsink and fan fairly easy to work with. Again, this was done prior to installing the motherboard in the case, despite the instructions that came with the CPU.

Memory: 512 MB of Crucial D400 was used. I like Crucial, Corsair, and Kingston, in no particular order. I did just replace my first failed memory, an old DDR 266MHz 256 MB module from Crucial, but that was after around six years.

Hard Disk Drive: I've found Seagate drives to be highly reliable, so those were chosen for this system as well.

Optical Disk Drive: These were reused from the old system. The CDROM is a very loud 52x drive, but it works fine, and only needed to be in this system for the installation of the OS. All backups from this will be done on an external hard drive.

Operating System: I use Red Hat (Fedora) on all my "work" systems, and (K)Ubuntu on my secondary machines. The OS for this machine was Kubuntu 6.10, and it installed with no problems. Video (integrated) looks very good, and apt-get was a bit tricky to work with; I actually think that Yum is easier to use.

KDE is very impressive graphically, and looks like a next-generation version of OS X.

Power Supply: The 1650 includes an Antec Smartpower 350W PSU, which is sufficient for this system, as well as quiet.

Monitor: An archaic MAG 15" monitor was used for the installation, but this will run headless, so it will go back to the garage, awaiting its next call to duty.

The total cost of the machine was roughly $350, right in the range of a budget PC.