Want to build a basic computer

Okay I’m very new to all this and I’m more mechanical than tech brained

Basically I have a ton of newer and old computer stuff including lap tops laying around (a lot of out dated stuff, I may even have a floppy drive in the mess level old)

What I want to do is basically build a storage and retrieval computer, it needs to have a ton of reliable storage, a fair bit of ram, and a basic interface

I’m so new I’m not entirely sure where to start, I don’t care how Frankensteined and ugly it looks in the end as long as it works

My current questions are,
What things can are cross compatible?
Are there work arounds to force cross compatiblity?
How many old hard drives can I fashion into one housing (I have a whole pile I’ve been using like external hard drives)
How many tiny sticks of ram can I put into one machine to increase it’s speed?
Where can I avoid spending money, and where is it absolutely unavoidable?

I have a ton of tools to work with for the physical building part including a 3d printer

Thanks in advance for any help

  1. What things can are cross compatible?
  • Not able to really answer that without knowing what parts you have on hand.
  1. Are there work arounds to force cross compatiblity?
  • Not able to really answer that without knowing what parts you have on hand.
  1. How many old hard drives can I fashion into one housing (I have a whole pile I’ve been using like external hard drives)
  • The only real limiting factors would be the space inside the case, the amount of PCI-E slots on your motherboard, and the amount of sata connections you have on this motherboard. If they are old IDE hard-drives, id skip all of those outright.
  1. How many tiny sticks of ram can I put into one machine to increase it’s speed?
  • That depends all on compatibility with your motherboard.
  1. Where can I avoid spending money, and where is it absolutely unavoidable?
  • That depends on what parts you have on hand already.
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Welcome to the forum!

What spare hardware you have laying around? With a complete list it will be easier to help you figure out what you can and can’t do with it.