im building a pc for the first time and just kind of doing it for fun, so im kinda trying to save a little money. so would i be able to use an older motherboard from like a windows 98 computer and would it make my computer significantly slower? -mary

Your older motherboard probably won't accept your new processor! The old motherboard will only run the CPU family that it was designed for (for example, a Pentium III board will only take Pentium IIIs or P3-derived Celerons). The New Furnace, replacing Lennox G12 Trane XV90i 2 stage furnace 112,000 BTUs 92.5% efficient Direct venting Variable speed fan Trane XL600 thermostat CleanEffects air cleaner

Yep, everything has to be compatible: motherboard, processor, RAM, drives, power supply, graphic cards, etc. But if you're doing it just for fun, there's no reason why you couldn't build a Pentium III computer with scavenged and salvaged parts from various computers, then install Windows 98SE, Linux, or whatever. You can save a lot of money by recycling some parts from older computers on a new build too. Many components from Windows 98-era computer ~are~ compatible with modern hardware. I just built a basic computer for $420 using all brand new parts. Using recycled stuff from an older computer, that could be cut that down to $300. Here's an example of a very basic machine using current prices: Motherboard, $50 Processor, $35 Hard drive, $44 RAM, 1GB, $34 PCIe graphic card, $20 Case and power supply, $30 Windows XP, $90 Salvage a sound card, monitor, CD drive, mouse and keyboard, speakers, modem, and floppy drive from an old computer ------------------ Total, $303 Install Linux for free instead of Windows, and the build price drops to $213.

In the UK older PII/PII PC's can be picked up for little or no money. http://www.freecycle.org PuppyLinux will run on a PII with 128mb Memory....

Look on eBay. You can get a motherboard/CPU combo for $50 to $65, some with RAM! And these are newer boards with newer processors. And as Bobthearch says, you can reuse a lot of the old hardware. It doesn't HAVE to cost a lot to build a decent PC. When it's time to upgrade, see how much of your old stuff you can reuse, buying only what you have to, to get an up to date system. Good luck. Bob A positive attitude won't solve all your problems, but it will annoy just enough people to be worth the effort.

"would it make my computer significantly slower?" It depends upon what you select for the operating system. If you select an older OS to go along with the older hardware, it will probably run pretty well.

I'm always picking up older computers for little to nothing even if they don't work. Chances are that there are parts in there that you can use, from the case itself, a powersupply, older optical drives, floppy drives, ram, even down to small things like screws, jumpers, or those little plastic standoffs. Even an old 8 or 10 gig hard drive is fine for Windows 98 or almost any flavor of Linux. Picked up a "free" ATX case from a local ad, the fellow said there was an old motherboard in it and when I get it home, its got an Athlon XP 1.2Ghz and 256M of PC133 ram. The ram wasn't seated properly so it wouldn't boot up. Once corrected, I added an old DVD rom, a 10 gig drive and a floppy and installed puppy Linux and it works great. Free computer! Building older computers is fun and a great way to learn. I hope the OP has some fun and its a great learning experience. Asus P5N-E SLI Intel Dual Core E6750 2.66Ghz Asus EN8600GTS 256Meg 2 gig Crucial 800Mhz DDR2 WD 320 gig SATA 2 Lite On 20x20 DVD-RW CoolerMaster Mystique case w/500 watt PSU