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So what do you do with *really* old systems?

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Homebuilt system Master

Essentially, I have two functional and one questionable (really) old core systems. They are:

System 1 - Functional
Intel PIII-800mhz processor
One PC-100 RAM (unknown RAM quantity - four RAM slots)
EPoX EP-BX7+100 motherboard

System 2 - Functional
Intel P4 Celeron processor (unknown speed)
1x512Meg RAM DDR-2100 - 2 RAM slots
Imperial_GL_VE motherboard

System 3 - Questionable
AMD X2-3800+ processor (s939)
2GB (2x1GB) DDR333 RAM
ASRock 939Dual-SATAII motherboard

Additional components I have available include:
Zotac(?) FX5200TV AGP Graphics card
Soundblaster XTremeMusic Sound Card
B-Gears B-Enspirer Sound Card
ASUS IDE CD-ROM Drive

The first two systems, I can't see as usable as the cost for upgrades (RAM) is prohibitive. The last system was at one point, not too long ago, my primary system, but I believe it took a power hit. I did actually rebuild the system, at that point, to where it would boot up and run, but whenever I plugged in any type of USB cable/flash drive/accessory to any rear port, the system shut down.

I already have three other fully functional systems (All-Purpose, HTPC, dual boot Gamer/Server) and a laptop. Also, all family members have newer systems.

So what do you long-time builders do with your old systems?

-Wolf queries

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Homebuilt system Master

Typically, you can donate to places like GoodWill or Senior Centers. This gives people a chance to get / use a PC that might not otherwise have. They don't need to be fast... just be functional for their needs. I would of course make sure you wile the drive of any old data and set the systems up with "fresh installs".
Homebuilt system Master

Unfortunately, these are just core systems (MB/CPU/RAM). Even if I could get my questionable system running again (going to try a quick bread-board build), I'd still need to get a case, power supply, OS, and hard drive. That's almost $200 out of my pocket.

I suppose I could talk to Goodwill and see if they have non-functional systems I could part out/repair.

Thanks for the suggestion. Any others?

-Wolf sends

Edit:
Well... so much for bread-boarding... I don't have a power switch!

Edit 2:
So I salvaged a power switch from an old Compaq system. That seemed to work, but I could never get a signal on my monitor. System *sounded* like it was trying to boot, but never a video signal.

Last edit for tonight. Heading to bed, but if anyone has other suggestions for what to do with the other systems, please let me know.
 
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