When your old PC gets to the end of its life, you’ll often find yourself lumbered with a particularly large doorstop that isn’t doing anything particularly useful in your already cluttered household. You could sell your machine onto someone else, but you’re likely to make very little off the sale. Worse still, if it’s someone you know you’ll probably be playing a tech support role for the rest of your days. Not exactly what you anticipated! So here are some fun ways to reuse old computers.
Build an Arcade Machine
Your venerable old PC can become a complete games centre. This is achieved via software ‘emulation’, programs that interpret old video games using the technically different electronic architecture of your Personal Computer. A ten year old machine should be capable of running any game five years its senior via Mame or any of the other major emulators out there. You can really have fun with an arcade machine project, and not just because you get to play some great games at the end of it. At its most simplest, you can load up the old software, connect your PC up to a modern television screen with a VGA cable and play away. Programs like ‘Joy 2 Key’ and ‘Xpadder’ can even be mapped to keyboard and mouse controls so you can control the machine with a joypad. But if you want to go more advanced, literally construct an old style arcade machine out of wood! You can purchase proper arcade quality monitors, joysticks and buttons online.
Build a Server
Old computers can still do an awful lot of donkey-work. Stick yours on the network and host files via Windows’ file sharing systems, or set up a dedicated server for your favourite online shooter.
Create a Media Centre
Though High Definition entertainment may be out of reach of your old machine, you can still create a very respectable machine to connect up to your TV (again with a VGA cable). Connect it to your home internet, and you can often stream YouTube, Netflix and other regional video providers straight to your TV screen. Alternatively, load it up with music and connect it to a good set of speakers for a the ultimate hi-fi. Either way, you may want to build a nice cabinet for it: Old PCs are kind of an eyesore. Take the arcade machine approach above and recommission an old jukebox!
When in doubt, give it away
Have a working PC? Email your local school, search for local PC recycling initiatives or try the freecycle network. You should never simply throw a PC into the landfill: even if you can’t find a use for it, someone can!
Steph Wood is a copywriter and blogger writing on behalf of Vanquis card credit cards. Steph is a computer enthusiast and huge gamer.
Steph is a copywriter and internet marketer from South East England. Their principle passions are videogames, comedy shows and animated film, but if it can be researched, it's usually interesting!
