[AuckLUG] questions - best PC setup

[Chris Marshall]

I have a Pentium II, 350Mhz, 128M RAM with Windows 98.
I am about to buy a dual core Athlon or Pentium Dell PC, 1G RAM, 160G hdd, Windows XP.
I have the Red Hat Linux 7.3 CDs and the accompanying 110 page "Operating in Linux" handbook.

Is my best bet to:
- use the Pentium II as a dedicated Linux PC, after I've transferred all my applications & data to the new PC? or
- install Linux on a 2nd hdd on the Dell? or
- install Linux in it's own partition on the Dell's primary hdd? or
- go for a partitionless install on the Dell?

And is Red Hat 7.3 (bought in 2003) good, or am I better off installing a later / other version?

I'm a computer programmer but have no special skills in operating systems.

Cheers,  Chris