Hardware compatibility Dell

JosephS · 07-26-2008, 05:52 PM

I don't have a lot of experience looking for compatibility for Linux.
I've looked at:
http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO/
and
http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/

Are there any other places to look?
I'm looking for computer systems and there doesn't seem to be any listed;
maybe I missed it.

I'm looking at a few at the moment:
Dell Optiplex GX260 P4 2 Ghz
Dell Optiplex GX260 P4 2.4 Ghz

There will probably be others I need to check out as I'm looking for a used
computer.

Thanks

J.W. · 07-26-2008, 08:53 PM

The HCL does not include reviews for pre-built systems, mainly because manufacturers often switch the individual components without notice. In other words, a Dell 'model X' manufactured in April may contain one mobo/chipset, while one made in October may contain a different one.

Generally speaking though, Linux compatibility is seldom an issue these days, with the main caveat being that if you plan to use bleeding-edge components whose manufacturers use proprietary drivers, if may take Linux a while to support them.

I've had a number of Dells that have run Linux, and I haven't encountered any particular compatibility issues. If you have a chance to play with either one of these machines prior to buying one, as you know you could try booting up a Linux Live CD, as see how well it performs.

Overall though, for any reasonably modern PC, Linux compatibility probably won't be a major issue

knudfl · 07-27-2008, 04:11 AM

Optiplex GX260, nice little thing,
35 x 32 x 9 cm, 6 kg, have one here, 2.4 GB
** lspci ...

Quote:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 82845G/GL
[Brookdale-G]/GE/PE DRAM Controller/Host-Hub Interface (rev 01)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82845G/GL
[Brookdale-G]/GE Chipset Integrated Graphics Device (rev 01)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM
(ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #1 (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM
(ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #2 (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM
(ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) USB UHCI Controller #3 (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBM
(ICH4/ICH4-M) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge
(rev 81)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL
(ICH4/ICH4-L) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 01)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801DB
(ICH4) IDE Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM
(ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) SMBus Controller (rev 01)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corporation 82801DB/DBL/DBM
(ICH4/ICH4-L/ICH4-M) AC'97 Audio Controller (rev 01)
01:0c.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 82540EM
Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 02)

Should work with any Linux, all genuine Intel.
I installed PCLinuxOS2007 on it, no problems.

Regards

P.S.: Optiplex's being Dell's business line, are
supposed to use the same components, even if
produced for a couple of years.