Minimum computer specs to reliably run multiple printers?

So my old laptop that's running my printer has been crapping out on me. Even when it does work it's pretty slow so I want to upgrade to something more reliable but not sure what exactly I should be looking for. My current setup is my old ass dell running repetier server along with Webcam xp feeding my mendal running repetier as well. Soon I will be adding one to two more printers to the mix to speed up my Bubbles2legs cart production and would like to run them all off the same machine.

So what should I be looking for? It's only job will be to run the printers. Thank you in advance for any advice.

For maximum speed and reliability, don't print from a host program at all. Instead, upload the gcode file to an SD card on the printer by whatever mechanism your electronics supports, and print from the SD card. Use a PC, tablet, smartphone or LCD display to keep track of the print progress, again depending on what your electronics supports.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2015 12:41PM by dc42.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

If you do want to use an old computer to run a printer (or several), try Linux. If you don't want to install it, you can make a bootable flash drive. I'd try Ubuntu for ease of use, if you want that, or ArchBang for light weight.

+1 for the option of printing from SD Card.

You can buy LCD controllers with an SD slot to suit RAMPS 1.4 for $20 or less, and this will let each printer run independently.

One PC can do all of your slicing and firmware updates etc. If you have multiple printers with different configurations, you may need to re-slice your models for each set-up and copy the g-code files onto the appropriate SD card.

I find it easier to do my tweaking and test / calibration prints from Pronterface on the PC, because it is easier and quicker to modify settings, re-flash the firmware, restart print jobs, and so on, but once you have the printer set up well, there should be no need to connect the PC any more - and that means no chance of accidentally killing the wrong machine mid-job when you want to change something. Apart from a total power outage, any problems will only affect a single print job on a single machine.

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Follow my Mendel Prusa build here: [julianh72.blogspot.com]

I run an i3 and a kossel-mini simultaneously from a 10 year old acer 8204 laptop 3gb ram, t2500 processor, windows 8.1. very occasionally get a pause on the kossel if I start a slicing job or something else processor intensive on the PC.