More computer bits

[lnr]

OK, I changed my mind a bit, and it seems there are now three main options:

a) Get bits from Aria. This lot is just under 200 quid inc vat and delivery:

• Abit UL8 939 5.1 Sound/LAN onboard
• AMD Athlon64 3000 Venice Retail Socket 939
• 2 x Kingston 256MB PC3200 400Mhz CL3
• 160GB Maxtor D/Max+10 133/7200 8M
• (plus a compatible AGP card from Mobbsy for 15 quid, and help from rjk in assemble and install :-)

b) A Dell Optiplex GX250, with Celeron D 330 via the university's 2005 agreement is just over 300 quid.

c) If I hang on a month HP will be getting the next tender and I'll be able to get a complete Athlon64 3500 system with 1GB of RAM for somewhere halfway inbetween.

The last option is very close to winning, even if it does mean no computer at home for a month.

Comments

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

My vote's on HP. I'm increasingly tired of anything that involves disassembling computers.

[littlemissgoth.livejournal.com]

The only possible issue I'd maybe have with the HP option is the Linux compatibility.... but assuming you've already thought of that and know it'll be ok, I'd say that's the best option.... afterall, do you really want Celery in your computer? ;-)

Can't you borrow a laptop from work or something to fill the gap?

[lnr]

I'm assured they wouldn't get the tender if they weren't linux compatible.

I really don't need a computer at home that much!

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

As a rule of thumb: brandname desktops are generally Not That Bad with Linux these days, laptops are still a bit vague (so check before you buy).

The HP one looks like a nice option, if only for the RAM. If you end up running Windows XP and have a few memory hungry apps open, 512 megs of RAM seems to disappear like anything.

[imc.livejournal.com]

The last lot of HPs we had in (dx5150 or similar) had an ATI chipset which seems to play less well with Linux than nVidia or Intel. We got Linux running on them, but I had to disable the local APIC in order to get it to boot at all.

[lnr]

I've been assured that they won't have accepted the tender unless they work with linux, as they'll be wanted for SuSE and dual-boot machines, not just Windows.

[imc.livejournal.com]

As I say, we did get it to work eventually. I have to wonder though when I hear statements such as the above whether it's actually been tested or whether they are just taking a salesman's word for it.

[razornet.livejournal.com]

I have the bits for a very slow, but prerfectly useable PC should you need it. You can pickj it up assembled as long as I can find a case. The last option seems the best, I'd advice getting a replacement from me or someone else in the meantime.

[gailsedotes.livejournal.com]

i am very happy with my aria slapped together computer - but I don't like athalon chips - celeron are much more stable and mucho cheaper than pentium.

[imc.livejournal.com]

Aren't they also mucho slower? I mean, there must be a reason why they are cheaper.

Given that, I'm not sure why one would pay more for a Dell with a Celeron inside it than for an HP or self-build with an Athlon 64. I don't seem to be able to find the specs of the Dell machine, but it's unlikely to be significantly better than the HP.

[caramel-betty.livejournal.com]

Much of the time these days (this isn't true historically), Celerons are essentially old Pentiums that weren't up to spec. They disable some cache if necessary, and lock down the speed. Done.

One of the more bizarre fights is between the Pentium 4s and the Pentium Ms (intended for laptops) - a slower Pentium M can outperform a faster Pentium 4 because of the joys of the pipeline optimization. Some of the gamer mags were quite into Pentium M on the desktop a while back, for cheap performance.

[deadpidge.livejournal.com]

Ring Dell and ask for Terence.

Tell him what you want and what you want to pay.

(Cheers, Tel!)

[dunkdunkdunk.livejournal.com]

Hum, good prices. to be honest any modernish pc is enough to do the tasks that most of us need day-to-day so I'd not worry too much about it. RAM is always the limiting factor.