Need a good computer for Lunix
I have use windows for a long time and making the switch but need new computer , the one I have is old very old .I know acer ,gateway ,compaq are cheap low quality parts like cheap low quality power supplies , cheap fans , lack of ventilation ,low quality hard-drive.
Are computer brands okay or should one build there own computer? may be HP and Dell is little better but not much? Plese see my other thread on what is good GUI for a newbie for Linux that is easy to use for a newbie. Note 700 is max I will pay for computer .I will like some thing 400 to 600 rage. I will be doing video editing ,Multimedia my main thing Multimedia . oh and do not say get Mac with the cool programs like iMovies , iDVD ,iPhoto and final cut .I do not have that kind of money to get a 1,400+ computer. |
Frostbite Systems manufactures Linux PCs to order.
So does Zareason. I have heard good things about both vendors. Both are very small outfits run by Linux enthusiasts. I've had nothing but good luck with Dells; I'm aware that they had a rough patch with a defective component about a decade ago, but I think they're well past that now. I've had six over the years, wore out one (it was a laptop over six years old and the display went--at that age, it wasn't worth repairing), and the others are still in use. Dell architecture tends to be predominately Intel, so the drivers are well-supported, except that they do favor Broadcom wireless. I got my laptop and netbook when Dell was offering factory-installed Ubuntu, so the wireless worked flawlessly. |
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Some say computer brands are junk and build your own. |
Let me see, I've had good luck running Linux on computers made by (in no particular order) Dell, Compaq, HP, Shuttle, Acer, Averatec, NEC, and one I pieced together from various components discarded by a friend's place of business. In other words, I don't think the brand matters very much. YMMV. You will want to ensure that your new system's video card and wireless card are supported under Linux before making your purchase.
Good luck!. |
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jk /me runs and hides :p |
You may find some relevant info there:
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Anyway, before/besides buying a new computer, why not try some lightweight linux distribution on the old one? I haven't played a lot with it, but slitaz seems quite good. I've been able to run it "live" via usb stick on a somewhat old laptop that was running windows XP, and I barely could believe it was the same hardware I was using. I've tried to take a peek also at AntiX, but it didn't have comparable performance on that particular laptop. If you have only windows, you can download a windows version of unetbootin and create bootable usb sticks for a variety of linux distributions. If you have linux already, you can try also the multiCD script so that you burn several small or not-so-small-but-not-a-full-DVD-yet linuxes on a single CD or DVD. http://multicd.tuxfamily.org/ http://www.pendrivelinux.com/multibo...sb-from-linux/ http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ |
@ nec207 - you've given a budget, but how about location?
Are you happy building your own, or do you want a prebuilt "white box", or do you want a corporate machine? AMD or Intel, or dont really care? Quote:
I wouldnt call hiding the linu systems, then when you do find them having (possibly) a different setup and parts, for the same cost as a windows system "supporting linux". I'm in the build your own, or get a custom built setup camp. Some corporate machines are nice, but you pay just as much if not more than you would from a similar system you built yourself. The cheaper systems tend to be pretty nasty (undersized power supplies, chepa parts in general) and they again can normally be beaten on price. Quote:
Dell desktop/laptops systems are more than 'predominately Intel', I'm yet to see any AMD based computers out of dell. Years after intel stopped paying them to make only intel systems as well (and for that alone, I will never forgive intel, or dell). If I was sure that dell never made a cyrix system, I would go so far as to say that dell has always been 100% intel,but I cant be sure they never used cyrix. Quote:
Not worth having for the OPs uses anyway, unless they have got quad core i5 mac minis out when I havent been watching, all the mac minis are Core2Duos. For any video editing, a quad core would be a much better way to go, and even from a 'linux marketer' you can get more CPU power for less money than with apple. |
It is for home use and video editing and multimedia.The GUI I will like is windows 98 .I hate the windows 7 and windows vista GUI.
I'm scared of getting brand computer of it knowing for putting in some good parts and other cheap parts that stop working after 2 years. That why some people debate if HP or Dell is close you going to get to build your self computer with having good parts. The CPU may be i5 or AMD Athlon Triple core . And for RAM 4 GB. I think any quad core CPU and more the 4 GB of RAM is over kill and may bring the price up alot with by budget now. Just make sure a good video card I can get later and put it in.I think with this set up most home use video editing and multimedia will be good. |
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The dells and HPs I've seen in your price range are pretty nasty. Very cheap and nasty power supplies and motherboards. Quote:
So you could get a AMD Athlon II X4 for less than dual core i3, and for the cost of a i5 (dual or quad) you can get an AMD X6. 4GB IMO is the best deal right now. I wouldnt go over 4GB with that budget. Quote:
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What I do now is keep an eye out at Newegg.com for recertified HP machines For example http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...0Home%20Office shows a Quote:
I have purchased 2 similar machines for this similar price and love them , especially for the price! Yes, this machine comes with Windows installed. Regarding your gui - if you are new to Linux, and want to get to work right away, you may want to take a look at Ubuntu 10.10 which still uses the Gnome desktop which provides a nice windows feel. Install Ubuntu dual boot and you are up and running in 1 hour, and have a Windows as a fail safe for applications that you have not found linux alternatives for yet. Or just wipe the windows off and get the entire 1TB for your Linux work. Just some ideas that I hope are helpful. ( I am newb to posting to LinuxQuestions.org, so hope I have not transgressed by posting url's or violated other netiquette, please let me know and will edit this post. ) |
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But that is just 'can' outlast, not 'will'. Its more than posible to get or build a custom system that will have worse parts than a corporate system...I've got a corporate machine thats well over 8 years old (its probably more like 10 years old) that still runs just fine. Quote:
Having a video card is IMO better than using onboard video, but you wont see any real difference between a decent video card and the expensive 'gaming' cards for video editing. You can also get motherboards with video RAM built in (normally called 'sideport RAM') so you wont share the video RAM. I wouldnt get one of those, you can get a motherboard + video card for about the same cost as a motherboard with sideport RAM. |
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@ TobiSGD- true, the corporate systems are designed by engineers, but that doesnt make them anything special (pretty much everything in a modern computer is 'designed by engineers').
I would call the problems you have mentioned user error myself. Seen it happen, which is why if you dont know what you are doing as far as specing a system goes you should always ask in a forum or 3. BTW, I ahve to mention that the 2nd last board I bought (MSI K9A2 CF) had a 125watt TDP max when it was released, later MSI decided that it was actually a 95watt TDP maximum. So there are times when you can think you are doing the right thing, but you arent. Quote:
I think that there is always an element of luck in how long your system lasts. Even with good maintenance, proper power protection, etc.. Quote:
100 or 150 in which currency? I wouldnt even go to $100 US for a desktop card unless you've got a lot of money to play with. Am nVidia GT220/240, GT430 or ATI/AMD 5450, 6450, 6570 or 6670 cards are cheap, fast, run cool and dont use much power. The faster 'gaming' cards will just eat more power and create more heat. |
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There might be some video editing programs that use CUDA or the ATI/AMD version of CUDA, but I dont know of any offhand. If the program doesnt use the GPU, then it wont matter what video card you are using. Quote:
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Though I'm likely to drop price/performance by getting a nicer motherboard and power supply. Better to spend a bit more, or to get a bit less for your money than to have problems later. In my expereince, cheap motherboards and power supplies are the thing most likely to give you hardware issues. |
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More likely its just one of the many baords out there that got caught with dodgy caps. Less likely, but still possible is the PSU has blown and taken the caps with it, or it was a dodgy PSU with wandering voltages. |
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Its not brand name that matters. Its build quality, weak spots specific to the type, ambient temperature / humidity etc that matter |
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But is it known than that brand name do not use good build quality? Cheap power supply,fans and some times cheap system boards and hard-drives. If one has to get brand is DELL and HP better than the other brands. |
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I don't know about Dell, but I have no problems with my HP laptop. It is even a HP Compaq, that is somewhat like the cheap brand of HP. |
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Dell used to be real bastards, with proprietary/non standard ATX connectors, motherboard pinouts/trays, etc.. They arent doing that anymore as far as I know, but its a sign of the way that dell works. If it was just a random choice, I'd take a HP over a dell. Quote:
But its worth remembering that Dell, HP etc. all tend to have 'series' of products. Buying a more expensive product from the same series you will just be getting a faster CPU, and/or more RAM, and/or faster video card, and/or bigger HDDs. All the main parts (case, PSU and motherboard) will be the same between computers in the same series. |
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The ATX connector is standard. I allready upgraded the power supply with a standard one, no problem The mainboard mounting tray is proprietary. Cannot fit another board, with or without the tray (without going modding) The CPU cooling is proprietary but the fan in it is standard (took me some playing around to get the RPM signal working with the replacement fan, but it is working now with a standard fan) The panel connector cables are proprietary but it'll take few minutes to replace a front USB port etc with standard one so no big issue In my Inspiron notebook : Upgraded memory without issue (standard SODIMM DDR2 slots) The empty slot for WIFI upgrade looks standard too (allthough i didnt try to install a card in it) Quote:
AND you get to keep the parts you swapped out (or sell them) |
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none of this tell me of quality of the 2 HP computers at Bet Buy.Other than the other one has more power. |
It would be better, if you would not care about brand and price, but about what you want to do with the system. That should be the first thing to think about. Nothing against six-core and 8GB RAM (my workstation has these specs), but it would simply be total overkill for just surfing the net or watching a video. For programming (if you are not one of the people from projects with long compile time, like a kernel developer) with an AMD triple core or an i5 and 4GB of RAM you should be fine. I bought my machine for testing virtual networks, and it works fine for this purpose, but it makes no sense to spend $900 for a machine that will idle the most of the time. Buy your machine according to your needs.
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@ TobiSGD- the OP put what uses the computer will be put to in post #1
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If you live in the US, I'd seriously consider getting a custom built system. Even if you arent happy building it yourself, there are places that will build for you. |
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Note 700 is max I will pay for computer .I will like some thing 400 to 600 rage. So even $700 computer is killing me with money. |
For $600 you should get a decent machine for what you want to achieve. I would go for:
- AMD six-core CPU, for example Phenom II X6 1075T = $150 - mid-range mainboard, for example GIGABYTE GA-870A-USB3 = $85 - RAM 8GB, for Example 2x Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB = $100 - Low cost video card, for example GIGABYTE GV-N430OC-1GL GeForce GT 430 = $70 - a good case, for example Antec Three Hundred Black Steel = $60 - a good PSU, for example Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W = $70 (more power than needed, so that you can add components without buying a new PSU) - a harddisk, for example Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB = $45 - a DVD-burner, for example SAMSUNG SH-222AB for $21 Sums up to $601, and you will have a system that is perfect for your needs. Of course you have to assemble the parts yourself, but that isn't that hard. |
Thats the sort of system you should be looking at IMO. I'd get a few different parts to TobiSGD, but they would only be minor changes.
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I think a multiple card reader-writer may be very useful.
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