Seeking reccomendations for Linux PC
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| NoDough Feb 26, 2014 10:58 AM EDT |
All, My parents Windows XP machine finally bit the dust. I'm replacing it with a Linux system, but having trouble selecting hardware I am comfortable with. Can you help? Here are the parameters. - Must run Linux Mint. (Preload not req'd.) - Interface existing monitor via VGA cable. - Utilize existing wireless USB keybd/mouse. - Network with WIFI (802.11 g/n.) - DVD writer okay, but not req'd. - Small form factor or mini/NUC preferred. - 100+GB SSD preferred, HDD acceptable. - 4+GB memory preferred, 2GB acceptable. - 2.5+Ghz processor. - 4+ core processor preferred, 2 core acceptable. - Budget is $400. If you point me to the winning system, I'll award you 2000 points*. Thanks, NoDough * Points are imaginary and have no value. |
| jdixon Feb 26, 2014 12:35 PM EDT |
Take a look at https://store.piapc.com/default.aspx They have quite a few small form factor Dell units available at reasonable prices. These are mostly dual core with Windows 7 and come with hard drives rather than SSD's. You'll also need to add a USB network dongle, but you should save enough to make that worthwhile. The other refurbished dealer I've dealt with (http://www.cedarpc.com) seems to have very sparse pickings at the moment. For a new machine, the only real option I know of would be to build it yourself with a DIY kit from someone like NewEgg. Something like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemLi... |
| TxtEdMacs Feb 26, 2014 2:29 PM EDT |
If a Micro Center is within range, check out their packages. If it were I, I would watch the specials for SSDs, but DO NOT buy OCZ and the recent Kingston deals* are not winners. The former due to poor life expectancy the latter in comparison to the competition performance, though the pricing is fine. Probably out of your price range, but fourth generation INTEL i5s are speedy and energy efficient. AMD seems to come with cheaper mother boards, but I believe I saw one deal at the top named store for an Intel compatible board that was free with the chip. However, we are talking near $200 for the CPU alone. * Higher capacity drives in the 240G range. |
| NoDough Feb 26, 2014 7:06 PM EDT |
Thanks, guys. Didn't see anything that caught my eye at piapc or cedarpc. Had already been eying NewEgg bundles. That's a possibility. Although there's no microcenter nearby, this unit on their web store is a possibility, but I'd like to avoid refurbs if possible. Will let you know what wins out when I pull the trigger. NoDough |
| notbob Feb 26, 2014 9:25 PM EDT |
The LXer page to LinGiz? http://linuxgizmos.com/rugged-mini-pc-runs-linux-on-quad-cor... I got lost in the specs. You do the math. ;) |
| NoDough Feb 27, 2014 10:40 AM EDT |
notbob, That mini would be a great solution, but by the time you add a decent processor, RAM, and HDD or SSD, the cost blows the budget. |
| NoDough Feb 27, 2014 4:17 PM EDT |
Just purchased this unit on the microcenter web store (same unit linked above.) The 2000 points* have been awarded to TxtEdMacs. (Use them well, Txt.) I really didn't want to go with a refurb, but ultimately I was unable to match the specs for the price ($378US after shipping.) Thanks to all for your help. NoDough * Still imaginary and valueless. |
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