On 08/23/11 5:40 PM, Thomas Dukes wrote: >> any Intel Core 2 or newer, or AMD Opteron processor from >> about 3-4 years >> ago or newer would suit you just fine. the newest ones have >> 4+ cores. > > What determines if it's a 64 bit machine? Dual core? no, the CPU itself. btw, I meant to say Athlon, not Opteron (Opteron is the server version, just like Xeon is Intel's server version) almost any mainstream Intel CPU since the P4 "Prescott/2M" are 64bit enabled, this includes all Core 2 Duo CPUs, and all Core I-series. The Core I3 stuff is a particularly cheap now. note that 64 bit CPUs can run 32 bit operating systems.... and a 64 bit OS on a 64 bit CPU can run most 32 bit applications. > Any suggestions on a mainboard with that can accommodate my needs? 100s of desktop motherboards out there, any one that fits the CPU you want, holds sufficient memory for your needs, and has the IO slots and SATA channels you need would be good to go. Don't go looking for ATA/IDE or floppy controllers, they are also history. So are serial/parallel ports, if you need them, get a PCI-Express serial IO card. -- john r pierce N 37, W 122 santa cruz ca mid-left coast