I had been having problems running Mach3Turn on a 3GHz HP P4 machine. Under Art's guidance, I finally switched the kernal speed down from 45000 to 25000, and that solved the remaining problems, though had to lower Z acceleration to do reliable threading. At 25000, the tool changer is too sluggish, even at maximum speed, so it seems I really need different hardware.
Unfortunately, that machine somehow fried when I inserted some USB memory (USB power surge, hub power limit exceeded), and it then refused to boot. (Currently in for repair.) I switched over to the kids' machine, and even at 25000, had to really cut Z acceleration to the point I can clearly hear it speeding up and down, or risk losing Z motion.
The previous machine should have been enough, but apparently wasn't. The current machine isn't enough, but there are no doubt background processes that I should kill, but I don't want to completely disable the kids' software.
The question is: what is a PC configuration (by brand, model number, etc.) that can run Mach3 at 45000 with utter reliability? I would buy a new machine if I knew it would work. I would prefer something small on a MicroATX motherboard if possible, but the main thing is reliability. I'd prefer staying away from HP, Compaq, and Dell and all of the desktop junk and unnecessary processes that come with their machines.