They're multiplying...

I really don't know what it is about being a geek - systems just seem to multiply. I realized today that since I upgraded my HTPC, I actually had an entire system in parts lying around the house; the old motherboard and CPU from the HTPC, plus a hard disk that was no longer needed after I made the bigass RAID storage array, some RAM sticks I found lying in a cupboard, and an old graphics card that was in a drawer. So I went to the oldest, dodgiest PC store in Crystal Mall and asked for the cheapest ATX case they had lying around ($29, *including* power supply...) and hey presto, I have a new system sitting under my desk. I'm gonna use it as a general-purpose testbed, basically - I can do a lot of stuff in VMs, but for things like Windows Mobile sync testing, it's nice to have a real machine. The case is actually surprisingly good for the price, given that the price is "almost nothing". It's made of a very convincingly metal-like material, it almost fits together properly, it has a *few* corners on which it's not possible to cut yourself, and it came with a bag of screws. Oh, and the power supply hasn't exploded yet. :)