Can linux get you a computer cheaper?
 

I've been using linux since the summer when my microsoft os crashed and have grown to like it a lot more. Im curious to know if anyone was able to buy a computer without a MS os already on it cheaper and then put linux on it? I don't know how much they factor into the price for the OS but i wouldn't want to pay more for a computer with a shoddy mircosoft os.

Go to pricewatch, look into pcs - no os

Check this out from Wal-Mart. You can get a PC with Xandros installed for as little as $200. Also looking at the specs of the $318, if you add some more ram and a cheap graphics card (geforce FX 5200 for $80 it has Apg) you could install Unreal Tournament 2004. The $318 and up models come with Xandros 2.5 Deluxe which has Crossover Office, which is a cleaner version of WINE so if you needed to install a Windows program you could.

PS Unreal Tournament will run natively on Linux.

Well, the simple answer is yes: The hardware will be cheaper than the same hardware + OS costs.

But it's never that easy, as it's perfectly possible to pay for Linux - look at Red Hat. Okay, you're paying for support rather than software, but it's still a cost.

Myself, I just ordered components and built it myself. In theory, that should be the cheapest option. But the temptation to get higher-quality components with more features is so hard to resist :)

Here in Thailand many comps are available at different prices depending on whether you want an OS pre-installed or not.

The choices are usually no OS, DOS, or Win XP home or pro

IIRC XP home adds circa 200 US$ to the price.

Sadly most people who buy a machine with no OS seem to just install a pirated copy of Win but now machines with localised versions of linux are on the market for the same price as the no OS machines which hopefully will cause a rise in linux boxen here.

I saved money by buying an IBM laptop with no OS:cool:

mark

sadly most major manufactures will not sell (in the US) a system without an OS and all the fees that go along with it.

Dell, HP/Compq, Toshiba, Pansonic none of them sell OS free systems, at least last time i called each of them (last year durring the summer) they would not.

i do not know if this is still true, but it used to be that if you got a mass built system like the above mentioned and did not want windows on the system you could ship the unopened windows CD back to M$ and get a full OEM refund for the OS.

so you could get roughly $105-155 back depending on the OS the system came with and how much M$ was/is willing to pay for it.

like several others i just build my own systems now and put what ever OS i need/want on them. only time i buy M$ is when a customer requests it and is willing to pay for it.

well that is decent enough cuz with that 100-150 i could get another harddrive or more ram

why not build your own system?
Also try asking around at local shops that build them for you. A shop around here will subyract $100 from the sale if you state you do not want windows. most systems start out around $399 (without OS) and up.

I found a company called Sub300.com. They sell computers running Linux starting at $222. I'm thinking about (when I get the money) on buying their $999 laptop. It's an Asus A2, but has Linux instead of Windows. The default Linux is Linspire but if you feel like something else you can have them put on: Mankdrake, Fedora, Knoppix (might just be the live CD), Debian, Gentoo, Slackware, Xandros, FreeBSD or SuSE.

I found out about them from this article I found on Linux.org. I haven't read the article yet so if there's any bad stuff about the company in it don't blame me.

Roll your own from components you purchase from your favorite vendor. Try this experiment: Choose a system from Dell, and make of note of the computer's technical specs. Then do a price check on the individual components from a reputable dealer, such as NewEgg Pretty much for any given set of technical specs, the pre-built system will be 50%-100% higher than the home-grown one, plus the prebuilt will include the so-called Microsoft tax as well.

Honestly I would encourage you to look into putting your own system together. Not only will it save you money (alternatively for the same money you get get a better system) plus if you've never done it before, you'll learn something. Up until I actually decided to build my own system, I was always vaguely nervous anytime I opened up the PC case, because I was worried I might break something. After building my own, you realize that there are only about 8 or 9 actual "parts" to putting a system together, and that it actually isn't all that big a deal. Good luck with it either way -- J.W.

well...i build my own pc. and put Slackware on it ......saved me about 500$ .
but all things i learned are worth much more....

windows puts up a wall between you and the hw. ; with a self-made linux-box you're the "boss" of the pc.

egag

Only
 

problem I can see is that if you're a gamer you're quite limited in your choices - Doom3 emulated in Wine? Probably, but at about 2fps I imagine :eek:

Ever heard of WineX/Cedega???

Re: Only
 

ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/doom3/linux