I am assuming that if you are reading this blog then you already know that the software you run can and will tax your computer hardware.  And of course, without hardware your software will not run and vice versa.  Software manufactures work hard to create programs that take full advantage of computer hardware and hardware manufactures work hard to create new components that will exceed the software requirements. It is the circle of computing life.  

Any good DIY computer fan geek will tell you that the first thing you need to determine before purchasing any component for your computer is what software will you be using.  Right now, I am in a video game playing frenzy and looking for the next great game.  I am a big fan of simulation games and can waste hours sitting at my desk building the next great city or planet.  Right now I’m waiting with anxious breath for the mailman to deliver my copy of Lego Indiana Jones.  I love these silly games and I love the fact that my family will play them with me.

Now usually, I have no problems running these computer games on my system.  Most of the games I choose are considered “mainstream” and not designed to tax my computer’s hardware but this time, my family is going to want to play and I need to get a second computer set up.  I will not give up my computer in order to allow other people to play Indiana Jones.  Can you tell, that I am really not good at sharing?

In anticipation of the mailman showing up soon, I spent today pulling out one of my old computers and trying to get it ready for play.  This is a DIY dream job and if you work at home you know it is the perfect way to allow time to fly right by.  Whenever I am upgrading or reconditioning a computer for a specific purpose, I always try to exceed the recommended requirements for the software.  After all the general rule is that software can and will drain your hardware.  If I spend the time right now making sure this computer will exceed the recommended hardware requirements maybe next time I do this it will not take me as long.

I was able to exceed the RAM, Operating System and DVD drive requirements of this game very easily.  The game is not an extreme RAM hog so 1gb of memory is more than enough.  And the requirements of Windows XP and DVD drive were pretty basic as well.  

But the CPU well that is another issue, remember I pulled out an old computer.  Well not really that old I stopped using the computer about six months ago.  But I need a faster CPU now.  With my goal of exceeding the recommended hardware requirements for Lego Indiana Jones, I now have my eye on a new CPU, the 3.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Desktop Processor.  My only problem is deciding which computer to install it in, my family new gaming computer, or my own computer.  After all, we already know that I am not good at sharing.