Hi everybody,

My question is not very much about Linux specifically but more about hardware,
Although I do want to use this hardware to run Linux only,
The thing is, I want to buy a new good quality computer,
And I realized that if I didn't buy a built computer but choose and buy the different parts myself, I could get a lot better value for my money,
The problem is, I've never built a computerand I have no idea how and what should I do,

So I would love to have you put here links to everything I need to know before I buy the different parts, what parts I need, where to find everything in a relatively convenient way,
And anything you think I should know,
(i also need to know in what to invest what persenteg of my money,
like more RAM or a better procesor or the amount of cores the procesor hase etc etc)

I have a budget of about $ 1000,

I need to be able to send everything to Israel,

I'm designing this computer to be used for my job as a programmer
(i program and i move a lot),

I'm not looking for a particularly good graphics processor,
Just to support reasonable level graphics (I'm not a gamer),

I want the computer I build to be very porteble and i want to connect it to different screens using an HDMI cable,
It is important to me that it'll be compact and light,
Not a big, bulky, heavy desktop computer,

For me a good computer is a computer that has at least:
16GB of RAM with opshions for expanding in the future,
512GB SSD,
intel i7 gen 8 procesor,
a few USB ports (both type C and "normal" to connect mouse usb sticks keyboard etc),
preferably 2 HDMI ports,
everything a normal laptop hase like a way to connect to the internet etc etc.


BTW if you have an idea you think i should know about before doing this then let me know (for example a friend told me i should get a good desktop pc and a cheap laptop and connect from the laptop to the desktop pc to run havy culculations, this way i have a machine which is strong to do the hard work, and i only need to cary around the laptop (because basicly what i need is agood machine which is also porteble)).

nowadays you can connect the monitor using usb-c, there is no need for hdmi. But obviously it may depend on the monitor too.
In general I would suggest you to buy a laptop instead of a desktop pc.

1 members found this post helpful.

It is going to be hard for someone else to really give you solid advice. It depends as much on your feelings as the actual specifications. Your best sources of information would be places like Amazon, NewEgg, and the like. Much of what you need to decide you can get from what is advertised about existing computers on the market that you think would be satisfactory. The last computer I built I started with the cpu. Once I had settled on that I started comparing motherboards. I made sure the motherboard would handle the amount, type and speed of memory and had the quality peripherals built in I needed. What it didn't have I then shopped for. Finally, after you have all components identified, select the case and power supply. You cannot have too much cooling, although for your purposes I don't think you would need anything more a couple of good fans - no radiators, nitrogen coolers or anything special. I suspect you are going to be dealing with a desktop if you are building it. Laptops are pretty much set as they are except for memory and wifi and, perhaps, hard drives. However you can often find reasonably priced used laptops if you look.

When you get ready to assemble, proceed carefully especially for the first time. Computers and components are not as sensitive as they are made to sound, but the are sensitive and can be damaged. Common sense and being careful of static electricity will take care of that. Go over ALL instructions multiple times to be sure you know what you are connecting where and why. There are going to be a lot of connections you don't use and wonder why. Don't let that scare you. If unsure, ask questions.

When everything is set, a prayer might be in order just in case, and then turn it on and hope you don't get a big black cloud. It really isn't as daunting a task as it can seem. So much is on the motherboard these days that you can almost just go with what is already there and then upgrade what experience shows you need.

Good luck and have fun. And, once you have built your first one and have convinced yourself it is not so frightening, don't expect it to be your last.

1 members found this post helpful.

Let me add, if it needs to be portable you are talking laptop, period. There are a few things you can do to a laptop once you figure out how to get the case open and that removing the first screw will void any warranty. But beyond upgrading the memory, the wifi, and maybe the drive, there isn't much you can do to upgrade. To repair - yes, you can do things like replace the thermal grease to stop overheating problems, replacing cooling fans that have failed, replacing power jacks, audio jacks and the like, but that is about it. And doing those things is no piece of cake.

A Raspberry Pi4B with 4GB ram, no honestly, I kid you not, for portability, & connecting to almost any computer monitor or TV, this little pocket marvel may well be all you need to travel with.

Team it up with a wifi/bluetooth micro keyboard/touchpad unit, & just carry the small PSU & an HDMI cable - spend the rest on a decent SBC desktop & monitor/TV.

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My question for you is do you spend a lot of time compiling and testing software?

If not, a laptop will do.

If so, then you need a high-end desktop computer with as many cores as you can afford. Today, that means 16 or more. This kind of machine is neither portable nor $1000, but you can build-it-yourself.
Ed

1 members found this post helpful.

Maybe a small form factor PC? There are a bunch of these out there and you can build your own. Laptops are fine if you need to be portable but otherwise, I personally can't stand them for a main machine but that is my opinion. I also have a ton of space and electricity usage is not an issue.

Shuttle makes small PC cases as do a bunch of other manufacturers.

Here is one but no clue if it supports Linux: https://www.newegg.com/intel-blknuc7...82E16856102206

That is obviously also a factor

1 members found this post helpful.

I do spend time compiling and testing software,
Not a lot though.

You want to err on the side of having more CPU cores. Keep in mind that software can double in size over the service life of the computer.

I find it is important to keep the compile and run times short enough not to disrupt my train of thought. This is highly dependent on the software one is working on.
Ed

Double the ram to 32GB, if you're doing a lot of compiling, it'll help.

Make sure the FIRST SSD is NVMe, if you need more space, you can add later SSD's with SATA if you need, but the boot & / drive should be NVMe for best performance.

I'd recommend Ryzen 3000 series over i7 8th gen. If you're absolutely an Intel fanboy, then go for the Intel, but a 3700x vs. i7-8700 is a bloodbath. The 3700x has better IPC, 2 more cores, 4 more threads and costs almost the same. Given compiling if done correctly will use all available threads, the real world performance of the 3700x will absolutely demolish the 8700. Given you said you don't game, there is absolutely no reason to go Intel, as the ONLY advantage for Intel anymore is in purely single threaded tasks due to the sheer frequency that Intel chips can achieve.

While a 3700x wouldn't have an IGP, you could get an inexpensive RX 550 add-in card for <$100 that would be low power, quiet, but deliver very good (and very linux-friendly) performance in non-gaming situations (and could do low-end games if you decided to play a few).

If you're not building right away, the coming B550 chipset should have (with most boards) a USB-C port. EXTREMELY rare to see boards that offer more than 1 USB-C port at this point in time regardless if Intel or AMD (not unheard of, but rare).

My $.02, take it as you wish or ignore it...

1 members found this post helpful.

Links everybody,
I need to be able to understand what you're talking about,
And you're telling me very specific stuff when I'm still not sure if I even need to get a gpu, if the normal CPU supports basic graphics stuff and the GPU is for gamers or if I want to have a GUI I need to have a GPU,
I know nothing about it,
please give me directions to where I can find information about the general process building a PC.

Thank you for helping anyway

Here is one HowTo that seems worth looking at. I think you are right to question your need of a GPU, and you are the only one who can decide that. I will again point out that modern motherboards have most components built in. You don't have to get everything at once. Start with the basics, what is on the MB that sounds like it might do the trick. Then, when it is working and you begin to feel the need or wish you had something else you can afford to buy the upgraded, fancier item. You wouldn't have already busted your budget. Look at it as an ongoing project not something that is set in concrete when you are done. Speed, size and cost of storage will be important. Do you really need the speed and cost of an SSD? I, for one, question their cost per gig. Memory - again that can be upgraded at any time although I would suggest money put into memory is rarely if ever wasted. CPU? There is a place to put your money. More cores and more speed are often worthwhile but don't go overboard. That limit you have to feel for yourself. See what you think of various computers on the market now and use that for a guide.

If you choose the basics carefully and don't fall prey to over-building you can get a decent machine for a decent price and have money left over when you find there is something you want to upgrade to. The motherboard and CPU you probably will not want to upgrade. Upgrading them is basically getting a new computer. Everything else is upgradeable. You are not going to get your dream machine the first time out of the box. Plan to grow into it so you don't prevent getting it by over-buying other stuff you don't really need or find you didn't really want.

P.S. Many desktops on the market today do not have CD/DVDs. I may be an old fuddy-duddy but I think that is a mistake for a number of reasons. We mostly use USB these days, but we still have a need for the disks, and will for the foreseeable future I believe. For one thing I have not found a USB that can be reliably locked so it can't be changed and I have looked. If I have overlooked something I wish someone would point it out.

1 members found this post helpful.

Onboard graphics used to be crap but have improved immensely. I don't use them as I am a gamer and use my PC as a DAW so I prefer discrete components and I have never bought an off-the-shelf PC in my life. Starting around 1992 I began building my own and never stopped. Your only concern for onboard graphics as in on-chip (CPU + GPU = chip) is I see a lot of posts regarding regression problems for i915. I'd say it's likely smart to either research or ignore that sort for Linux capable machines.

I don't like laptops because they tend to run hot and are not easily upgraded or altered, even just to improve cooling more than a few degrees C. Building PCs from scratch is easy since very few components with matching interfaces are incompatible and it is essentially impossible to plug them in wrong as all are "keyed" in some way. You are not likely to build a serious gaming PC with a $1000 budget but there are websites with step by step budget builds in text, photos and videos, including passable gaming varieties for all but the latest AAA titles.

Beyond those many build demo websites all I can recommend is don't skimp on basics like case and especially Power Supply. One of the huge advantages of full PCs are adaptability and the ability to upgrade almost everything. If you get a CPU+GPU chip for starters that will save you money, work decently, AND not block you from adding a PCIe discrete card later. Same for sound. Onboard sound is pretty crappy to me (I'm a recording, editing, audiophile, retired pro musician) but for casual audio they are adequate and you can always upgrade later.

The only downside to building custom PCs is it's fun and can get addictive. Man the first time you hit that power button and see it POST is like freakin' Christmas morning and that feeling lasts past New Years. Unfortunately by "Summer" you'll probably want to do it again.

Almost forgot... here's just one OK example of budget build websites (there are hundreds) https://techguided.com/budget-gaming-pcs/

1 members found this post helpful.

I used to think like you. So I would google search

I see this is solved. But since I am here any ways.

https://averagelinuxuser.com/linux_pc_assembly/

https://techbuyersguru.com/500-home-office-pc-build

https://techguided.com/budget-gaming-pcs/

https://www.wepc.com/builds/best-gaming-pc-under-300/

Now? I just dumpster dive for gear.

https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...mpster-divers/

Edit; Just noticed I double posted enorbets link. My bad.

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I couldn't help but picture the scene from the original Frankenstein where Dr. Frankenstein screams "It's alive!".

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