I need a desktop.

[boredom.is.me]

I've done m research. I've been back and forth on the topic of metal vs non metal machines, belts vs screws, and even big vs little. My biggest desire is support. Yes I can get a metal machine from China, but I get no real support if something goes wrong. For that reason, I've decided to go with a Zenbot.

What I'm cutting:
- foam
- softer/lighter wood
- thin fiberglass or carbon fiber sheet
- thin plastic (delrin and acrylic) sheet
There really won't be much, if any, stress on the machine. The hardest thing I'll ever cut is maybe bass wood.

IMPORTANT BIT:
I intend to use Mach3 which has become quite the standard. The thing is that I will not purchase the machine until I get a desktop to run it. I do not need this desktop to do anything else, but run this machine.

What is a reasonably priced desktop? It definitely does not need to be new. I'm pretty sure I can spend under $200 for a tower, monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

I'm a college student and am on a budget.

Thanks,
Kevon

[boredom.is.me]

It would actually be ideal if I can just get components. I would enjoy building my own case and shoving a big 120mm fan on the side of it. Honestly, I would just mount everything to a piece of ply until I can cut out my own ply case.

[boredom.is.me]

No one?

[ger21]

Intel atoms are very popular with Mach3 users, and they're cheap.
Newegg.com - Intel BOXD525MW Intel Atom D525@ 1.8GHz (Dual Core) BGA559 Intel NM10 Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo

[boredom.is.me]

Thanks!

Sorry for this, but I'm not too component oriented. I can't really tell much, I do still need a power supply right? Also regarding memory, there is 4gb on board which is more than enough.

[ger21]

I've personally never used one of those. But yes, you'd need a power supply. And there is no memory with it, you'd need to purchase that as well, plus a hard drive.

You may be better off just buying a used PC from Craigslist or Ebay. A Pentium4 with XP is usually a good PC for running Mach3, and can be found for under $100.

[boredom.is.me]

Ok I'll take that advice. Thanks.

[warnerbob18]

It completely depends on the requirement of your tools and software you are going to use on your PC.
As requirement always changes according to need.
In case of PC the key things which are noticed mainly are : Graphics card, HDD, RAM, Motherboard, and finally processor.
So choose the one which meets your requirements.