OK I have been building my own computers since 2000 and I'm wondering how Linux users either build or buy off the shelf when getting new hardware.

All build by myself, much cheaper to only upgrade what you need instead of buying new systems.

A poll would have been a good idea. I build my own systems, it is cheaper in many respects.

I cannot speak authoritatively on this. Because a lot of my gear comes free. Like the 3 desktops yesterday from city hall. But when I buy new parts to refurbish/upgrade. I research the chips and hardware to make sure they are already linux kernel compatible.

A good hardware checker before you buy to save you headaches on linux compatibility later on.

http://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/
https://www.h-node.org/

I have no reason to build from scratch. I am overflowing with used free gear from perceived
govt obsolescence to spend tax money to upgrade and Windows users throwing their Vista machines in the alley. Plus, it is cheap computing for me. I don't spend a lot of money for computing so I can spend
money on things I enjoy more.

I build my own systems as well. There is a certain amount of joy and gratitude knowing I made it all on my own from scratch or even a frankenstien build like I use as my primary machine.

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3230M CPU @ 2.60GHz - from a broken Toshiba laptop
Jetway miniitx motherboard socket G2 - newegg
Bitfinix Prodigy case - newegg
Someones old 19" Acer monitor + brand new 28" Samsung SmartTv purchased from Bestbuy
RAM, HDD, and Wifi Nic all salvaged from Toshiba laptop

Looking to build a new gaming rig soon as well.

Dman58,

I build my own desktop PCs with decent quality motherboards (Gigabyte), PSUs (Seasonic or Corsair), RAM (Crucial or Corsair), CPUs (usually Intel) etc, so that I know exactly what is inside them.

I have only ever had one failure, a stick of Crucial RAM, which was replaced under the limited lifetime warranty.

There is a ton of good used stuff out there, especially laptops, which are perfect for running Linux, so there is no need to buy new.

Look out for frustrated Windows 8.1 users with nearly new machines.

They are not hard to find.

1 members found this post helpful.

Indeed. Plus when your own gaming machine there is no guessing on the quality of your PSU, So you can put in mid-range to high-end video cards with no problems.

I was thinking about buying a used laptop, but I want to buy someone's else problems.

for a long time i've been only using old laptops.
only recently started with a used minitower.
it fits right into my philosophy of not throwing away usable stuff & Being In Control.
so, building my own system - i'm getting there.
i also like how the number of usable machines is not counted in integers anymore.

I built my own desktop pc's.

I've also built a few desktop's for friends and taught them along the way how to build.
It's rewarding and keeps you busy.

I've built all the desktops I've ever had, along with my moms desktop and a few friends. I do it more or less just because of the hardware I want is often difficult to find in retail systems. Although nowadays I use more laptops.

Back when I did nothing but play games I always built my systems. Now though I have changed exclusively to a laptop, I unfortunately cannot build them

I built a computer for myself & my wife. I recently did a cleanup job & got another computer that tops both of our computers.

I have a few friends and my dad who believe I'm some sort of computer guru just because I can build a computer. And they don't believe me when I tell them how easy it is. Anyone run into this?

I have a couple of 5+ year old desktops that I upgraded and a couple laptops. I have been toying with the idea of pulling out the innards of an older laptop like a toughbook or a thinkpad and replacing it with some kind of ARM board and a stupid amount of battery.

No-one in my city buys OEM. We've had stores doing custom PC builds for as long as PCs have been available.

My last few systems I've built myself. But there's not too much difference between building your system yourself, and buying all the parts from one of those stores and letting the store assemble it for you.