There comes a time in the lifecycle in your computer when things just start to not work. But you've grown so attached to that computer that you don't want to give it up.
That's how I felt about Big Box 1.0. Big Box 1.0 was my first desktop computer in Sweet Home. Despite its abysmal amount of RAM (2GB), slow drive, and failing GPU, I still used it. It was for the longest time my most powerful machine. I used it as a server, a streaming machine, a gaming machine, and just about anything else. And despite its shortcomings I wanted to fix it up and make it the machine it deserved to be.
The first upgrade I gave it was the GPU. It was upgraded to an MSI GeForce GT 610, and while that kind of card is abysmal, it was better than nothing, since the i5-950 CPU it has did not come with any integrated graphics at all.
The next upgrade was the PSU. The one before it failed; which might have been the catalyst for its eventual death, but I didn't mind.
The final upgrade was the RAM. I upgraded it from 2GB to 10GB with an 8GB kit I bought off of Amazon.
Nevertheless, it was too late. The system continually restarted within minutes from boot. It was dead. It was dead with Windows, and it was dead with Linux. I finally put it to rest.
Sometime later, I received two machines, which are affectionately called Big Box 1.3 and 1.5. The server I featured in the PowerEdge Crusade is called Big Box 1.8. I'm still waiting for a Big Box 2.0.