Getting the Most Out of Old Computers

If you're like me, you've amassed a fair collection of computer components and devices. Not because I'm an enthusiast or because I spend more on computers than the common man. Rather, because computers get old and software constantly requires more and more power to run. Frequently, we find that new technological breakthroughs make old hardware that was just fine seem quaint. Be it a race toward higher clock speeds, faster front side buses, multiple cores, etc, computers become disused and replaced. Green attitudes have dissuaded people from tossing out components that are, for all intents and purposes, quite harmful to the environment. Moreover, current operating systems are becoming more power hungry let alone the software that runs on them. It's easy for Firefox to consume 30-40 megs of memory on Google's fairly spartan home page. Though, when 2 GB of memory is standard, 40 megs is a drop in the bucket. 10 years ago, that was not that case.
So, what do you do with these computers? Many people will take them to recycling centers. Others will keep them and let them collect dust (as humans appear to be, by nature, packrats). Others covertly throw them out in dumpsters in an open show of apathy. However, few will use them again. What's interesting about these computers is that in many cases they're perfectly useable. What's even more interesting is that you can maintain a high amount of usability with completely free software. Here at Benchmark Reviews, we'll provide our list of uses for recycled computers.