[Novalug] Advice needed: Linux-oriented hardware vendors

John Franklin franklin@elfie.org
Tue Apr 8 01:35:47 EDT 2014


Lucky you, six days ago Ars put out their latest system guide.   This is one of the first things I read when I start thinking about a new build. 

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/04/ars-technica-system-guide-bargain-box-april-2014/

We used to do installments, but the Internet and Linux installers in general Have made that a low priority. Could we do a buildfest at one meeting?  

jf

On Apr 8, 2014, at 1:14, Chris Metzler <cmetzler@speakeasy.net> wrote:

> 
> In the past, I've sorta DIY'd my home machines -- sorta because it's
> been more integration than building. Most of the parts would come from
> some vendor like Newegg; but the processor+cooling/motherboard/memory
> would come from the now long-departed Monarch Computer.  The part of
> building that scared me was doing a good job coupling the heatsink to
> the processor; Monarch sold processor/motherboard combos where they'd
> taken care of that, and tested the combo to make sure it was happy
> before sending it to you.  And their prices were good and they were
> reliable. So, I'd do a little research on motherboards, pick a couple
> of candidates, then google to see whether other folks were using those
> motherboards with Linux and what experiences they were having.  And if
> it all looked good, I'd order it all and do the final integration, and
> I've never had any problems, including with Linux/hardware
> compatibility.
> 
> However, it's been quite a while since I did this the last time, mainly
> because the machine I have now has done me pretty good.  But I'm ready
> to replace my machine, and apparently two things have happened since
> the last time:
> 
> - Monarch became an unreliable company, then went bust;
> 
> - I became insanely busy all the time, and less motivated (but not
>  completely unmotivated) to build.
> 
> So, I'm looking to find out about hardware vendors.  Specifically, I
> want to know about:
> 
> 1.  folks selling fully-built machines with Linux in mind, so that
> there'll be no real worries about any hardware compatibility issues;
> 
> 2.  folks selling motherboard/processor combos that they test before
> shipping to the customer, like Monarch did back when they were still
> around and reliable.
> 
> In case it matters, I tend to go for as souped-up a home machine as I
> can, and then ride it for a long time.  The machine I end up with will
> be used for Linux pro audio work, with an external 8-input audio
> interface that'll connect to the machine by Firewire.  So it's going to
> need to have low latencies in mind.  It'll also get used for gaming,
> and for code development for scientific computing.  I dunno whether
> it's even an option anymore, but having one legacy PCI slot around
> would be nice, but isn't a dealbreaker if that's just too obsolete.
> 
> Any suggestions on vendors to look at, or sources of information on
> build options (I used to start at Tom's Hardware and Anandtech years
> ago; dunno if they're still the best choices), would all be greatly
> appreciated.
> 
> Thanks much!
> 
> -c
> 
> -- 
> Chris Metzler            cmetzler@speakeasy.snip-me.net
>        (remove "snip-me." to email)
> 
> "As a child I understood how to give; I have forgotten this grace since
> I have become civilized." - Chief Luther Standing Bear
> _______________________________________________
> Novalug mailing list
> Novalug@calypso.tux.org
> http://calypso.tux.org/mailman/listinfo/novalug
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: smime.p7s
Type: application/pkcs7-signature
Size: 4822 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://lists.firemountain.net/pipermail/novalug/attachments/20140408/50c64df7/attachment.p7s>


More information about the Novalug mailing list