Slackmaster2K
Gone
If it's a name-brand PC then chances are you're outta luck because the case design will be proprietary...even if you get a new case you might not be able to salvage everything making it more hassle than it's worth. (an upgrade is necessary BTW)
The CPU/bus/storage/memory requirements for recording 16bit audio at 44.1khz hasn't changed. You seem to have the impression that the software has just become more advanced, and therefore a faster computer is needed to run it. While software has become more advanced, the real power drain is the actual recording/playback/effect process itself, which has become MORE efficient in software.
PC recording is a relatively new thing. Computers just recently become powerfull enough for the average home consumer to build a nice flexible DAW without selling any limbs.
If you were to ask this question about a PII machine 5 years from now...I would say "go get an old version of n-Track" or something, since a PII based machine is adequate for flexible recording purposes. But a 486 is over the line....certainly you can understand that at some point computers had to become powerfull enough to perform a certain task. You wouldn't look for a recording program for a 286!
I would just part the sucker out. Save the hard drive if it's really a 4GB and not a 400MB. The drive will be slow by today's standards but can be used as a boot drive regardless. Sell the memory to some poor sap at outrageous prices (SIMMs are hard to come by today). If it has a VESA bus then throw everything plugged into it away because it's useless. And all the ISA card should be replaced as well. If you're lucky and it has PCI slots then you might be able to salvage the video card. If the case is standard AT then you can also use it to build a new system.
Slackmaster 2000
The CPU/bus/storage/memory requirements for recording 16bit audio at 44.1khz hasn't changed. You seem to have the impression that the software has just become more advanced, and therefore a faster computer is needed to run it. While software has become more advanced, the real power drain is the actual recording/playback/effect process itself, which has become MORE efficient in software.
PC recording is a relatively new thing. Computers just recently become powerfull enough for the average home consumer to build a nice flexible DAW without selling any limbs.
If you were to ask this question about a PII machine 5 years from now...I would say "go get an old version of n-Track" or something, since a PII based machine is adequate for flexible recording purposes. But a 486 is over the line....certainly you can understand that at some point computers had to become powerfull enough to perform a certain task. You wouldn't look for a recording program for a 286!
I would just part the sucker out. Save the hard drive if it's really a 4GB and not a 400MB. The drive will be slow by today's standards but can be used as a boot drive regardless. Sell the memory to some poor sap at outrageous prices (SIMMs are hard to come by today). If it has a VESA bus then throw everything plugged into it away because it's useless. And all the ISA card should be replaced as well. If you're lucky and it has PCI slots then you might be able to salvage the video card. If the case is standard AT then you can also use it to build a new system.
Slackmaster 2000