Your computer setup and low-end recommendations

Joshua B · Trick Member Joined: 22 Dec 2005 Location: Hudson, MA, USA

I have a pair of Cobalt Fluxes on order. My Stepmania setup will be going into a (just large enough) space in the basement. Most likely, I'll be keeping my computer setup where it is and buying something for dedicated Stepmania play in the basement.

I'm especially interested in a mid to low end computer systems that handles stepmania games without slowdown. I've read Stepmania's hardware recommendations, but what do you find works best. Obviously the fastest computer with the most RAM wins, but what older equipment do you find handles Stepmania and a good skin?

Is 256 megs of RAM ok or do I really need 512?

What do you think about a notebook with an ATI Radeon Xpress 200M chip with s-video out to TV?

What about the budget processor chips that come with low-priced notebooks like AMD's Sempron and Intel's Celeron M?

Is a cheap, direct-view color tv the best way to go for large screen vs. cost?

Thanks!

Kalek

Joshua B · Trick Member Joined: 22 Dec 2005 Location: Hudson, MA, USA

Well, after work tonight, I stopped in at a neat place in Marlborough, MA called Techie and asked about used PCs. They had a P4 1.7 gig, 20 gig hard drive, 256 megs RAM for $199. Almost perfect for my needs! I upgraded it to 512 megs of RAM and added an AGP slot ATI Sapphire graphics card with 256 DDR. The total came out to $300. Yay!

Now I need a monitor and I'll be almost ready when my Fluxes arrive!