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From: John Martin on 8 Dec 2009 07:38
My current machine is getting a bit long in the tooth ( like me ).
MB is a gigabyte GA-7DXR and the CPU is AMD K6 1800.
My question is, is it still cheaper to gather the bits and self-assemble?
There do seem to be some very good value PC's online e.g these two :-

http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=spec&&spec=home300

http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/20-303-AMD-Phenom-X4-Quad-Core-PC-95p550.htm

I have little knowledge of hardware so any advice is welcome, I'm not a
gamer, my main uses are for photographs, video and astronomy programs.

--
John

From: Hactar on 8 Dec 2009 13:00
In article <slrnhhsi6a.75f.johnmartin99(a)dogstar.talktalk.net>,
John Martin <johnmart99(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> My current machine is getting a bit long in the tooth ( like me ).
> MB is a gigabyte GA-7DXR and the CPU is AMD K6 1800.
> My question is, is it still cheaper to gather the bits and self-assemble?

I recommend it if you enjoy fiddling with hardware and choosing
components with the most bang for your buck, for your use patterns. If
you just enjoy _using_ the machine and treat it to some extent as a
black box, then go for a preassembled one.

> There do seem to be some very good value PC's online e.g these two :-
>
> http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=spec&&spec=home300

Yeah, all those onboard things bug me -- video, sound, NIC, etc. NIC
you can't really get around these days.

> http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/20-303-AMD-Phenom-X4-Quad-Core-PC-95p550.htm
>
> I have little knowledge of hardware so any advice is welcome,

If you're willing to learn and don't mind spending some money, time, and
effort trying things, then go for a hand-assembled one. But I wouldn't
recommend one for my grandmother.

> I'm not a
> gamer, my main uses are for photographs, video and astronomy programs.

It may be tougher to get Linux up on a preassembled computer, since VARs
tend to swap out components unbeknownst to you, depending on price and
availability. And you generally pay the MS Tax.

--
-eben QebWenE01R(a)vTerYizUonI.nOetP royalty.mine.nu:81
Two atoms are walking along. Suddenly, one
stops. The other says, "What's wrong?" "I've lost
an electron." "Are you sure?" "I'm positive!"
From: Stefan Patric on 8 Dec 2009 14:58
On Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:38:34 +0000, John Martin wrote:

> My current machine is getting a bit long in the tooth ( like me ). MB is
> a gigabyte GA-7DXR and the CPU is AMD K6 1800. My question is, is it
> still cheaper to gather the bits and self-assemble? There do seem to be
> some very good value PC's online e.g these two :-
>
> http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=spec&&spec=home300
>
> http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/20-303-AMD-Phenom-X4-Quad-Core-
PC-95p550.htm
>
> I have little knowledge of hardware so any advice is welcome, I'm not a
> gamer, my main uses are for photographs, video and astronomy programs.

The primary problem with buying a pre-built system with other than Linux
installed on it is hardware compatibility. Although, this is less a
problem these days than several years ago. There are Linux hardware
compatibility web sites out there, so you can check. However, I still
prefer to custom build my own systems to be assured there will be no
niggles of any kind, and I get a machine that meets all (or most) of my
requirements with no or few compromises.

If you don't want to build, some Linux developers sell pre-built machines
with their distro on it for very reasonable prices. In fact, this is
becoming more and more common. There are even some major computer
manufacturers, for example, Dell and HP, that sell their systems with the
option of having Linux on it instead of Windows.

And really, building a system isn't all that hard. If you've ever
assembled a do-it-yourself, kit project of any kind be it electronics or
a child's swing set, you're qualified to build a computer. Just read and
follow the instructions. Take it slowly, one step at a time. Make no
mistakes. And you're done.


Stef
From: thunder on 8 Dec 2009 15:39
On Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:58:31 +0000, Stefan Patric wrote:


> And really, building a system isn't all that hard.

For me, the most difficult part is matching the components. I don't
build a system all that often, and perhaps, I don't pay enough attention
to hardware innovations between builds, but the days of buying a
motherboard and a couple of sticks of memory are long since past.
Fortunately, I enjoy researching the components, but it can be a bit
dizzying if you don't stay current.

From: Hactar on 8 Dec 2009 16:24
In article <l7ydnYBvvOTwJIPWnZ2dnUVZ_qti4p2d(a)posted.gtinet>,
thunder <thunderTAKEOUT(a)gti.net> wrote:
> On Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:58:31 +0000, Stefan Patric wrote:
>
> > And really, building a system isn't all that hard.
>
> For me, the most difficult part is matching the components. I don't
> build a system all that often, and perhaps, I don't pay enough attention
> to hardware innovations between builds, but the days of buying a
> motherboard and a couple of sticks of memory are long since past.
> Fortunately, I enjoy researching the components, but it can be a bit
> dizzying if you don't stay current.

I choose capabilities first (SATA vs PATA vs SCSI, HW raid vs SW RAID vs
no RAID, 1000BT vs 100BT, etc.), then look for components satisfying
those capabilities. I also set price limits, so I can disregard
too-expensive components. And have a friend or group who has/have done it
before and whose brain you can pick. For me the biggest disappointment
is capabilities you forgot to include in step 1, that later turn out to
be useful. You can't think of everything, but usually you can make a
reasonable guess as to what you might need in the future.

--
-eben QebWenE01R(a)vTerYizUonI.nOetP royalty.mine.nu:81

Unix is user-friendly; it's just picky
about who it makes friends with.
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