Build or Buy Built

[Messer, David]

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.   
;->

~David


-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Hahn [mailto:hahn at mcmaster.ca] 
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 9:13 PM
To: Messer, David
Cc: amd64-list at redhat.com
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 
want to spend your own time on the build or fixing problems,
either because the number of machines is too large 
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 - 
vendors are not stupid.  sometimes, if you've chosen a particular
vendor, they may not offer a config you really want.  and vendors 
like Dell or HP almost always are pushing custom parts - not 
boxes that you can upgrade with generic parts 3 years from now.
but then again, it's not all that common to actually replace 
motherboards anymore, and the window on upgrading a processor is 
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 
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.