[GRLUG] Speccing a Linux system

[Erik Southworth]

On Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 11:37 AM, Michael Mol <mikemol at gmail.com> wrote:

> So I'm speccing out a Linux system, and I thought I'd share the
> components I'm looking at right now, and see what the rest of you
> folks may have been looking at lately.  My focus for this box is to
> have an AFFORDABLE machine that performs better than my current
> Pentium 4 desktop with 1GB of RAM, yet has room to cheaply upgrade in
> the future.  As such, I looked at Newegg components that were
> highly-rated, but were also fairly cheap.  I also stuck with an AMD
> platform because AMD platforms tend to be cheaper right now. (And I
> like AMD.)  I'm not going for the fastest computer, just something I
> can buy on a budget.
>
> OCZ Platinum 4GB DDR2 1066 RAM kit - I wanted 4GB of RAM.  I'll be
> running 64-bit Linux, and I wanted as much RAM as I could afford to
> drop in. I wanted DDR2 1066 because it'll be easier to get my hands on
> in the future than, say, DDR2 800. (I've already run into this problem
> before when seeking to upgrade the RAM on older systems...)
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227298


2 gig is plenty I think. I'm running 1066 as well but the mobo I got has an
North Bridge AMD 770 chipset (1st 1066 support) and it only supports 1066
in one channel set. I don't believe the the AMD 780G has this problem but...

The other thing is, depending on the bios, you might have to manually
configure
the dual channel feature & the memory timings. The chips report themselves
as
the JEDEC standard which tops at 533 or 800mhz. Some new bios's have
programs
that will test the memory performance for users who don't know how to set
the timings.

>
>
> AMD Phenom 8450 - I would have gone with a dual-core processor, but I
> wanted DDR2 1066, DDR2 1066 requires socket AM2+, and there weren't
> any dual-core socket AM2+ CPUs listed.
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103254


I have this proc running a server in an ASUS M3A board w 2gig mem.
You will have to go out of your way to overload the CPU.

>
>
> Western Digital Caviar Blue 80GB - I'm only going with one of these
> until someone comes out with an 8GB SLC solid-state disk.  I don't
> want or need a large drive for my / mount point; Ubuntu takes less
> than 5GB on my desktop machine.  In the mean time, this drive is cheap
> and highly-rated.
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106


I preference Seagate products.

>
>
> Rosewill 500W PSU - I have no intention of using fancy video cards, so
> even 500W is overkill for this computer; They recommend 550W if you're
> running an SLI configuration, which means I could probably throw in a
> single high-end video card if I ever got tired of the onboard video.
> (Such as if I want to go dual-screen.)
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182009


Look for Power Factor Correction (PFC) to save energy as well.

>
>
> BIOSTAR TFORCE TA780G motherboard - Similarly-specced boards cost
> twice as much, and the onboard video is more than powerful enough for
> my needs.
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138105


Alot of the AMD780 mobos designs can't handle anything over the 90W Phenoms.
If U plan a proc upgrade you need to look for one that specs it can handle
the 125W
or 140W phemons. ASUS has upgraded some M3A designs for this. To bad I have
the old design.

>
>
> There are a few components you'll notice are missing, like case,
> monitor, etc.  I'm reusing components I already have around the house
> for these roles, so I don't have to buy new ones.
>
> The final price for the listed components? $375.96
>
>
> --
> :wq
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