RE: Build or Buy Built

Thanks for the reply, Mark.

Good point about vendors and custom parts, I'm sufficiently unwilling to
pay for such parts that it wasn't on my radar.

I can't really agree with you about cases being cheap, the singe core
version of the chip I got was ~$60, the duel core version was ~$160.
The case, IIRC, was ~$80.  With fans and power supply, they easily run
$200.

I want four way quad core machines with fiber channel connected storage
- these are conservative parts.  =20
;->

~David


-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Hahn [mailto:[email protected]]=20
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 9:13 PM
To: Messer, David
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Build or Buy Built

> How do you buy your machines?

I usually build my home machines, but that's mainly for fun.
buying from a known vendor is mainly useful when you don't=20
want to spend your own time on the build or fixing problems,
either because the number of machines is too large=20
or just to improve your quality-of-life.)

> Select components and put them together
> or buy an off the shelf machine such as a Dell?

there is not that much, technically, to gain from DIY -=20
vendors are not stupid.  sometimes, if you've chosen a particular
vendor, they may not offer a config you really want.  and vendors=20
like Dell or HP almost always are pushing custom parts - not=20
boxes that you can upgrade with generic parts 3 years from now.
but then again, it's not all that common to actually replace=20
motherboards anymore, and the window on upgrading a processor is=20
sometimes only a year or two.

> I've put together components - motherboard I think I like from ASUS,
an
> AMD 64 X2, DDR2 ram that the ram manufacturer said would work with the
> motherboard, and a case that proved to have too little air flow.
Still

fortunately, cases are cheap.  to me, a lot of airflow usually means
that too-hot parts were chosen.  if your goal is everything high-end
(esp video cards, but also top-clocked cpus, etc), they you have to=20
expect to need a case that mounts an obscene racket of fans.  the good
thing is that an integrated MB, low-volt midrange CPU can live happily
in a case with very modest airflow...

> Its purpose is to give me a place to learn Linux - it's a home
machine.

sounds like more conservative/low-end parts might have served you
better...

regards, mark hahn.


--=20
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