My main system is already in a nice Corsair Carbide Series 400R tower, so that switch makes even less sense.

So I'm left with replacing my Dell Dimension E521 with this new computer case.  Ok - sold on that idea.

Now, how to approach this?

At first, it would almost seem easy.  Strip everything from the Dell case and install into the new Corsair SPEC-01, right?  Wrong!  There are two issues with that thinking.  First and most importantly, the Dell Dimension motherboard is a BTX form factor and the SPEC-01 will only house ATX, microATX, or ITX form factor boards.  The second, minor issue is, the Dell has a multi-format card reader in a 3.5inch bay.  The SPEC-01 does not have any external 3.5inch bays.

So, I'm now looking at using a different motherboard and letting my card reader go into a box of spare parts.

Checking my meager collection of parts, I have an ASUS M2A-VM motherboard that used to be in my HTPC system until the audio died on it.  This motherboard is compatible with the AMD Athlon 64 x2 5600+ and the DDR2 memory currently installed in the Dell.  At first glance, it seems like I have the perfect and CHEAP solution to replace my old Dell with a "home-built" system.

I let the idea sit in my head for a few days before I tossed it out.  At best, all that proposal would do is give me a nice case with an old computer with no new capabilities, and even lose the card reader in the process.  Nope!  Ain't going there!

So back to the drawing board!

I still decided that the Dell will be replaced with a new system, but now I needed to plan out what my requirements were for the replacement.  What did it need to have to fulfill the role of my home file server? What processor family? What generation? What type of memory and how much? Type of video?

Many questions...

And of course, the biggest question was:  what's my budget?  This one was probably the easier to answer, as it's tax season.  I completed my tax return, and set aside the refund for my computer budget.  This would restrict my spending, but also prevent the spending from hurting any of my regular budgeted expenses.

So, time to make a checklist of what I need/want for the new computer...