I hang on to my computers a bit 
longer than the average tech-obsessed male. In fact, thanks to a CPU upgrade from Powerleap, I've managed to run my Dell Dimension 450 for almost six years.
I've dreaded the inevitable misery of swapping to a new computer, but finally had to accept that the old box had exceeded its shelf life and it was time to move on. In an iPod world it's hard to live without USB 2.0 or Firewire, for example. And it's almost impossible to survive with only two USB ports.
I drooled over a Mac G5 for a week or two, but reluctantly conceded that I am not an architect or games developer so a Windows-based machine is still the way to go. It was back to Dell.
Since I only pony up for a new machine every five years, I figured I could break the bank with a clear conscience. Playing with Dell's spec sheet can be quite fun (how much can you spend?), but after an hour I stopped mucking about, pushed ENTER, and ordered . . . the Beast.
Where shall we start? Dual core Pentium D 840 CPUs (just in case one isn't enough). Top of the line Geforce 7800 GTX graphics card, dual hard drives, dual DVD+/-RW. I think it has more RAM than the hard drive memory on my first PC.
Shall I play a video game or assume control of NASA? This thing is awesome.
Comments