Hello Linux friends.


I will need to upgrade my PC Box, it is slow and slowing.
Was old win 7 box, and done the usual wipe, fresh instal on a linux distro and back in.

Time has come to upgrade and I don't mind this time to spend a bit extra for a good fast CPU and the right amount of memory.
My thread title does say "minimum requirements", but I want to add 50% to 75 % more than the minimum.
In other words, I want it faster without too much lag and waiting for processes to catch up.

I need details so I can pass on to a puter recycler and he will build me the pc, as long as he knows what CPU RAM and HD space.

HD will this time be SSHD. I have never used a PC with SSHD yet, so it will be a new experience.

The puter recycler specilizes in games puters, but I don't need for games, I need to do my work browsing and multitasking Ebay etc tyype stuff. Uploading stuff etc etc.
Current the pc I have is just waisting my time, gets the job done, but too many coffees waiting for stuff to happen.

SO I need a list of prefered hardware for my new-recycled pc and ofcourse a linux OS

Thank you so much, always been great help.

Thanks

One more thing, I prefer to use the latest MINT OS.
I have read the minimum requirements on MINT web page.

Are those minimums just for the OS only ?

I need this PC on "mild to medium fast steroids", so to speak.

The speed difference will blow you away. Good choice.
Any core i[357] CPU or equivalent AMD will be fine. 4GB might be sufficient, but memory being that cheap, go for 8 or more.
Your PC has very little impact on this. What counts is your internet connection, in particular the upload capacity of course.

Seeing your requirements, I would not try to optimize performance but other factors like portability, energy efficiency, noise, temperature etc.

Thanks for the reply berndbausch, I now have some basics to print and let the recycler look through his stock.

It is not Internet speed I'm worried about, it's processing everything within the box. There is more I do, but not that important to post..I just need the pc the have power and speed beyond the minimal, and HD space to may I add.

I have also had issues with updates in security matters where web sites are more secure to log in certain accounts, even sporting accounts, it may be able to view a sports page for example, but to do actual transactions, it requires a later updated browser. TLS I think it's termed as.
And some later version browsers seem to require a bit more grunt.

That is why I don't mind going over the top a bit even if I don't use the full potential of the added ram and cpu, at least it's there.

4GB RAM should be adequate for any contemporary Linux distro, even those with the heaviest desktop environments. If it were me, I'd probably go for six to allow for weight gain.

However, if you plan to use a virtualizer such as VirtualBox, make allowances for the amount of RAM you would want to devote to the VM(VMs if you expect to run two or more simultaneously).

Which version of Mint? Cinnamon is a bit more demanding.

Like berndbausch says... the SSD will "blow you away".

I used Mint Cinnamon with an i3-6100, 8gb DDR and an SSD and it ran like a dream. I now use Ubuntu and it is also silky smooth, even for gaming, Blender etc.

The single core performance of the i3-6100 punches well above it's weight so if you don't need 4 cores (or more) then surely it's still a credible option, despite getting on a bit. I've read benchmarks that say single core performance is less than 10% slower than even the i7-6700.

For the use you describe 4gb of RAM will be fine. The only time i've benefited from 8gb is when I'm playing GTA V or something. In Ubuntu (with Gnome 3) for normal browsing, word processing etc I rarely use 2gb of RAM.

Thanks LQ496873, that was helpfull.


I use Mint Cinnamon, but have not updated the kernal yet.
At the moment till I get the "new" pc built, I'm on win 7 and it's as far as I will go, it's days are numbered.

The other 3 linux OS pc, just mothballed for now, they are slooooow and old.
have files in there I need, then reduce the clutter, recycler may do a deal, all my old pc's ( minus the HDS ) for a "new" pc, and possibly a bit of cash to sweeten the deal.
It's no big deal, just want to get the "engine room" right.

Thanks

1 question for clarification. Are you using a SSHD, or SSD? Hybrid drives (SSHD) are still a traditional hard drive just with a huge cache of nand. In the right usage, they are nearly as fast as a true SSD, but only in the right usage.

Make sure that recycler knows that most boards of the caliber you desire use dual channel memory architecture, and what it means. RAM sticks need to be installed as matched pairs in dual channel mainboards. Speed can suffer up to nearly 50% if a single stick is installed, or if two matched sticks are installed in unpaired slots. Some of the newest boards use more than two channels.

Thanks, I'll take of this , and he will explain. Before the build, I'll try and get what he proposes to make, post it here and see what goes.
Won't be soon though, but it will happen.

I thought SSHD means, Solid-Sate-Hard-Drive

and SSD Solid-State-Drive

He knows what I do, or used to do, that is another story.
The PC might eventually run a now stalled project. To do this I have to get some Python programming done to do some JSON stuff, because JSON has put a spanner in the works of what used to be the HTML web query. So yea, if this projects gets back up off the ground, it WAS real time web query, perpetually speaking, number cruncher, certain market movements..etc etc.... This is where I need it prove it's worth in salt, so to speak. ( in the past, many conventional HD spun a bearing, cos the pc goes non stop back in the day.

It's sane to do this the other way around. How much can you budget for a new PC? How much pc can you get for that? You dpon't tell us what you're running that is too slow.
I have an i3 twin core 2.4 Ghz, 6G ram and an ssd; I find the cpu challenged, and will get faster/more cores next time. Compiles are slow and I haven't enough resources to run a vm efficiently.

The graphics suck (Intel HD4000) but I have maximised what it does, and graphics are not too much 'in my face' with my usage. Radeom/Nvidia next time.

SSD will make a difference. I also found that recently upgrading the CPU but keeping my old SSDs - the SSDs run faster - Linux boots up much quicker. This is probably partly down to a much newer motherboard, faster RAM etc.

Do you have a budget in mind and are you going for a modern CPUs? I only ask as I did quite a lot of research into the CPUs from that past couple of years to see what the best bang for buck was.

SSD does mean that. SSHD means Solid State Hybrid Drive (ie - tiny ssd attached to a spinning platter hard drive and used as a high speed cache.

Ya know, those pimple faced fresh outta skool lads n lasses at the major retails stores trying to do a sale, told me otherwise, or they did not know, or I misunderstood.

It was explained to me, or I thought it was explained SSHD is a hard piece of oversize memory chip, in principle...and it is THE "hard drive", no moving parts.

Now I "get it"
I can understand the cache part, just ad that as an extension to the conventional HD.

Thank you.