TWIN TOWERS? (send help!)

[5STONE]

Hi. I'm new here and in desperate need of some advice. I promise to pay back your kindness with advice of my own in my field of expertise, mainly graphics. So here's my question...
I'm happy with my monitor, speakers, scanner and all that--but I want more power from my PC tower! I'd like to buy a new, custom-built tower as a work horse for my graphics needs but still maintain and use my present tower and its OS (Win 98) for email, Word, playing music and everything else I love it for (I also honestly don't want to deal with transferring everything from my present HD to a new one). And the big question is...
*Am I able to run two towers, two Operating Systems, from one monitor and keyboard?*
You know, sort of toggle back and forth? And can I use my cable modem with both? Will I switch between two Desktop views? Or is this just a nutcase idea from the get-go? No one told me that keeping my old tower was the way to go, it just seems logical to me somehow. Please help.
Thanks very much in advance,
Eli 5

[kenja]

I'm thinking about getting one of these: KVM switch kit (http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10232552&loc=101). Some users report slight "ghosting" effects on the monitor with an electronic KVM switch, some don't. Buying a KVM switch and top quality (shielded) KVM cables separately would lessen the chance of this, but since your "thing" is graphics, I'm not heartily recommending this solution to you.

I have no idea how well Aloha Bob (http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=20325062) software works, but you might want to give it a try for transferring everything to a new computer.

[5STONE]

Thanks Kenja! ...I'm going to look into the KVM switch kit right now. I'm still looking for that good, "DUH--You newbies make me laugh! All you have to do is..." letter, though. I mean, I can't be the first person to ever want to do this twin tower thing, right? Anyway, about transferring everything to a new computer, I'm still holding out. I mean, I've got the CD burner in this one and 10 gigs of HD I could still use and, well, I'm sure there /must/ be something easier than using the present tower for parts or just tossing the thing, yeah? Oh god, somebody please just use the word "toggle"! Thanks again, Kenja. Much appreciated. ~5

[kenja]

Okay, how about this: KVM (Keyboard-Video-Monitor) switches used to be purely mechanical toggles, but they are even more prone to video signal degradation. Keeping the cables as short as possible reduces the chances for problems (a total of fifteen feet is considered a maximum for good quality). Also, modern KVM switches allow toggling by using the keyboard.

For sharing your cable modem: I'll assume you currently have an Ethernet NIC (Network Interface Card) installed, so I'd get another one for the new computer and a router-hub (http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10235958&loc=101) combination.

[5STONE]

Hey Kenja, Thanks for the further advice and thanks for using the word toggle. I'm thinking maybe I should rephrase my question to something broader, like...
I want to /seriously/ upgrade my system without completely discarding my old tower and its functionality as storage space, CD burner and DVD drive. Thoughts or advice?
Thanks again, ~5

[kenja]

What sort of tower is this? Something along the lines of Compaq Presario or Dell Dimension? I own(ed) these, and rather than hassling with the proprietary switch/LED connectors and/or proprietary I/O (Input/Output) backplate and/or proprietary power supply, I started with a new "ATX" case/power supply. I bought an ATX form motherboard, and "mixed and matched" my existing processor/memory/CD and hard drives with some new stuff. People in these forums are really enthusiastic about "rolling your own" http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif . It really is (mostly) "plug and play"!

[5STONE]

So, if I'm guessing right, a potential plan of attack might be to...(deep breath)...
Buy a decent, new, fast tower (from Dell or some such), back up all important files on my present Gateway 450 to CD and/or remote server, remove my present 10 gig HD, my DVDROM and my CD burner and place them gently on a table, hook up, power up and check out my new tower to see if it's running smoothly out of the box, power down, install my old 10 gig HD alongside the new tower's HD, install the CD burner & DVDROM and finally re-install all of my programs and files (and then cry when it doesn't work for some reason). But seriously, am I beginning to make sense? And are HDs really that interchangeable? I am one confused guy, huh? No matter what, I want to thank you for all your help. ~5

[kenja]

Well, Dell doesn't sell the cases by themselves (although Palo Alto makes the equivalent mid-tower case as the one my Dimension had). I've developed a fondness for Antec cases and power supplies, but there are several other good brands available.

Reviewing your situation: you say you want more power. To me, power in a PC means speed, but if you're involved with graphics you would probably like more (hard drive) storage as well.

I'm not familiar with Gateway, but the following may be options for your machine, while maintaining the current software setup: 1.) Upgrade the processor to a faster speed (more MegaHertz); 2.) Increase the amount of SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) (MegaBytes of system memory); 3.) Install a second hard drive for more GigaBytes of data storage, and perhaps faster access.

Current hard drives and CD drives are very interchangable, but going to a new motherboard usually requires a new installation of the Operating System (and of course, all your application programs and settings).

[This message has been edited by kenja (edited 03-13-2001).]

[bassman]

Morning 5
Kenja has you on the right track for sure. You should check to see if your Gateway has the ability to accept these upgrades before you buy a new case. Your absolute necessity here is a second hard drive and more Ram. You may need to upgrade your CPU but you should determain that after use.
Check with Gateway to see if your board can take a faster CPU. The other upgrades are not TO complicated if you follow instructions well.
Good luck

------------------
If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried

[5STONE]

Big thanks to Kenja and Bassman for all the tips you've given me. After thinking about what you had to say, reading a lot of other letters in the "How Do I..." section and doing some online and phone inquiries about new systems, I've ultimately decided to do something completely different! I got to thinking, "I like my machine for what it is but I do need something that can handle animation and video editing. And what's really the difference between linking a new tower to my old none and just having a whole new system? Pretty much just the purchase of a monitor. So..." I'm simply going to get a new complete system! I'll network the two for file sharing ease and use whichever monitor is better for the graphics-related machine but pretty much I'll just have "the simple machine" and "the work horse". Why toggle a switch when I can just swivel my chair, right? But I don't want you to think that all your advice has gone to naught because, really, I couldn't have come to this simple conclusion without bouncing my original idea off of someone. So thanks again. I guess all that's left to do now is to decide on a new, high performance (but affordable-ish) machine. I'm still in the newbie category so I'll probably just buy out-of-the-box. That in mind, can anyone recommend a good machine? I was looking at the Dell 8100 series last night and was pretty tempted, but I don't want to be too hasty.
Thanks! ~5
p.s. Again, if either of you guys are wrestling with how to create a rusty effect or eliminate your ex's from old pictures in PhotoShop, I'm around.

[kenja]

I like your conclusion, 5STONE. I was hoping I wasn't leading you down the path to frustration. Building your own machine is great fun, but it may help to look at it as a hobby.

Things don't always go as they "should". Case in point: yesterday, I put a new PC133 DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module) into my Presario; the Compaq refused to recognize it. Thought I might have to make use of the "lifetime warranty" on the memory, but first tried it in another computer with the same "chipset" as the Compaq. Works great! Put a PC100 DIMM into the Compaq; no problem!

For your existing computer, increasing the memory would probably be the most effective upgrade (in terms of performance and cost and effort).

Anyway, Dell is the only "factory built" computer I would even consider buying. I don't know if they still use their own proprietary power supply design. It's a darn good one, but I prefer to stick with "ATX" standards.

In the forum, people have occasionally recommended firms that custom build computers, but I can't think of any names right now.