I have an old 400 desktop...laying around and decided to use it for my new X3. It works fine....If you are comfortable with tweaking a PC, you can probably get one to work.
A 500MHz PC *can* work just fine... in either Mach3 or the SS plug-in, and all have since been fixed. That old PC is still working fine.
That is the thing, if your lucky and want to dink around with it trying to make it work. For new folks there is a lot to learn and adding more confusion to the mix by trying to use some dodgy old computer just does not make much sense (IMHO). I have an older 1.5 gHz machine that I use in the shop that set me back a whole $50. That is also why I like to recommend new folks use a SmoothStepper; it makes the PC configuration much less important and removes another area of potential problems. The first step to simplifying any problem is to reduce the number of unknowns.


Can you guys recommend any kits out there that would get me going within that sort of budget? I would build from a plan but don't have much wood or metal working gear to complete such a task, so a kit is the next best thing. It sounds like the Mach 3 software does the job for the controller and It will go well with my Alibre cad package that I am enjoying using now.
I would have to agree that using Mach 3 as your controller software gives you more flexibility. There are lots and lots of plans, kits, and completed router type machines out there. I'm sure you will get lots of recommendations. No matter what machine you end up with be sure to set aside a bit of your budget for some measurement tools. You'll need a decent dial indicator to get it set up properly. Also, if your looking for a well made drive box or drive/stepper kit I might be able to help you out there: http://soigeneris.com/CNCPartsPage4.aspx .