Users who Dugg This
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yogeshmanJul 23, 2010
That's a hell lot of information. I really need to built a new PC as my laptop sucks now..I think after a year , most of the laptop sucks :(
firesightsJul 23, 2010
My Dell 9400 is almost 4 years old now and still flies for everything except gaming. 1.83 Ghz Core Duo processor... still overkill for playing around in Firefox/Word.
Take care of your computer and it will last a while.
rudegarJul 23, 2010
reinstall is nice once in awhile
boigboigJul 23, 2010
Reinstall is a complete waste of time. The fact that is is necessary on Windows tells you how crappy their software is.
When I was faced with that, I decided enough was enough and loaded Debian Linux on my Dell Inspiron 9400. Works like a charm. Zero Micro$oft products on it for 3 years now. That was the last reinstall I will ever need to do. All my weekends are mine now - no need to dedicate any of them to 're-installs'.
mokacoffayJul 24, 2010
Reinstalls definitely don't take an entire weekend.
scuba7183Aug 11, 2010
I can't take anyone that uses "Micro$oft" seriously
westernactorJul 23, 2010
Most of the computers I've built have been somewhere around $1,000 (give or take). But $200 is a new low (in a good way).
picaloJul 23, 2010
yeah you have been ripped off :/
tgc1Jul 23, 2010
No he hasn't. It depends on what he built. You can build anything these days with wildly different final prices. Ie. You build a hard core gaming rig with quad SLI, maxed out ram (48GB) and the like, you are going to be looking at somewhere around five grand. The last computer I built was my (budget) server for 400 bucks.
loveisaltruismJul 23, 2010
48GB of RAM? I just threw up in my mouth.
Yes, 48GB. For when you need to play Crysis 2 and have universe expansion simulations running in the background.
jjuanml22Jul 23, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
acid_jazzJul 23, 2010
Sharepoint 2010 has a minimum requirement of 8 GB. It's the Crysis of the server world.
tgc1Jul 24, 2010
When you're doing 3D rendering or set up a Server to handle insane amounts of traffic, you need all the memory you can get.
typeeeJul 24, 2010
Why build one, just get a Atom machine for $200 at newegg. Problem solved.
hmorris94Jul 23, 2010
Thanks to piracy, Build a $200 Windows 7 PC!
thegreatsamJul 23, 2010
Why not just steal the hardware while you're at it! A free PC!
travelsonicJul 23, 2010
Piracy != theft
And wanting to pirate != wanting to shoplift or rob, as in you can want to do one without the other.
Closed AccountJul 23, 2010
HACK THE PLANET!
satirenineJul 23, 2010
How could you advocate such a thing?
Closed AccountJul 24, 2010
Because then the original owner of that hardware would have to replace it and completely lose what they originally paid for it (wholesale or not).
timthetaxmanJul 23, 2010
You’re not going to be playing any games other than minesweeper on a $200 rig anyway. Ubuntu can do virtually everything Windows can do except for gaming.
I don't want to hear about WINE, its not ready for the general public.
confoundedjoeJul 23, 2010
actually that MB has a OK IGP in the x1250. It could run most games from the first half of the last decade which is a large selection of great games.
stormdancerJul 23, 2010
Refer to http://www.wolfire.com/humble
The bundle deal is long over, but every one of those games runs cross-platform.
misterymeatJul 23, 2010
It *can* run games, there just isn't any interest in it.
zb757Jul 23, 2010
I don't care about the general public, so I will mention WINE
angelbunnyJul 23, 2010
nah, $250 ... needs min 2gigs ram imho.
outpastplutoJul 23, 2010
You can go into Best Buy and buy yourself a $200 nettop with Windows on it.
So no piracy is required if you want to spend $200 on a machine and just can't part with Windows.
.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
hmorris94Jul 23, 2010
Technically yes.... if you're willing to overlook the fact that netbooks suck ass.
scuba7183Aug 11, 2010
Nettop != Netbook
But I agree
caseycooldJul 23, 2010
Better idea. Find your local geek/family geek. hand over $200, a case of their favorite drink, and give exact min specs. Chances are they have a lot of computer hardware around and can build it better for less.
Just make sure to also give a due date, or you take the money back or you'll never see it.
havocjawJul 23, 2010
A geek is not a creator but a consumer. A nerd is what you are looking for...
caseycooldJul 23, 2010
Um, no.
I'm tempted to go into this debate about the differences, but I feel that game is played out.
spire3660Jul 23, 2010
Whats a techie then?
havocjawJul 25, 2010
Uhm check the definition of what a geek is.
havocjawJul 25, 2010
A techie is a geek who enjoys technology? Doesn't mean he/she can build anything though.
picaloJul 23, 2010
hes talking about me :)....ive built new systems for less....
hokie47Jul 23, 2010
I have a policy of never charging for a computer build, but I only will build computers for my friends or family. It is fun for me to put together a computer and look at their amazement of how much faster and better a $500/$800 computer is than some $1500 junk from dell. But I do like a bottle of chimay grand reserve
spire3660Jul 23, 2010
I buy my family pre-built Vostros from Dell. These are the business class machines. They are cheap, powerful, almost completely free of bloatware and function well for their needs. They also come with a decent support plan including on-site repair. A custom job has too many little possible issues to work out anymore. I concern myself more with securing the machine, setting up data redundancy. (RAID 1 + weekly backup to NAS + quarterly backup to offsite + yearly versioning and archive.)
Hardware is trivial, software/time is worth a whole hell of a lot more.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
omgwtflawlJul 23, 2010
$200? Psssh.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813153123
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170014
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211453
$73.
sarcasteakJul 23, 2010
I give that psu a month before it goes. I've bought several cheap psu's... totally not worth it..
omgwtflawlJul 23, 2010
Normally I'd say the same, but as the build itself probably isn't pulling 50 watts, I bet the PSU can handle it.
ray023Jul 23, 2010
What if he peed on it?
zaeboesJul 23, 2010
Motherboards have built in USB ports.
sirdashadowfbJul 23, 2010
$88? Psssh.
http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/india-create-a-30-tablet-pc-for-students-20100723/
$30.
omgwtflawlJul 23, 2010
Yeah, $30 with wholesale prices. That be cheatin'.
s4g4nJul 23, 2010
$30?Psssssssssssssh
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dell-GX150-Desktop-Computer-40GB-512MB-1-2GHz-P3-CD-ROM-/200499940090?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item2eaeba4afa
$24.99
adeelarshad82Jul 23, 2010Submitter
@s4g4n has $41 shipping, so that doesn't count.
angelbunnyJul 23, 2010
That is it, India wins. Our future generations are screwed. Without a proper education for the masses that is better than the rest our country will slip into being a 3rd world again.
fwaokdaJul 24, 2010
1000 Rupee tablet PC? I'm heading to Hyrule to start chopping up bushes to get me one!
needcoffeeJul 23, 2010
Eh still need a case, and memory so that doubles it and most people will want at least a 80gig hard drive, but see where you're going it is possible to install and run off a flash drive (ubuntu is easy for this, or even knoppix).
Closed AccountJul 23, 2010
Yeah, who needs a hard disk, or a dvd drive, or a keyboard, or a mouse, or a monitor, or a case.
marx2kJul 24, 2010
To be fair, the article also didn't include a dvd drive, or a keyboard, or a mouse, or a monitor
mxm111Jul 23, 2010
And I guess it is a caseless build...
ptearJul 23, 2010
caseless? Psssh.
http://www.spodesabode.com/articles/cardboard/pic5.jpg
$0 at your local supermarket.
zomgwafflesJul 23, 2010
http://bit.ly/bjUGM8
adeelarshad82Jul 23, 2010Submitter
@zomgwaffles damn that's hardcore
dlite922Jul 24, 2010
Pssh!
I had my PC as a "desk" "top" like this for a while:
http://a.imageshack.us/img529/2663/dscn3078mediumfs7.jpg
Ran great, it was a test PC, where I constantly switched out memory, hard drives to ghost, power supplies to test.
I could swap out anything on it in less than 10 seconds.
rolfJul 23, 2010
$15 for 256MB ram seem kinda expensive in the MB/$ department. Can't remember the last time I spent $60 per gigabyte.
omgwtflawlJul 23, 2010
Yeah, you have me there. There's probably a better deal somewhere.
omgwtflawlJul 23, 2010
"case"
Cardboard box
"dvd drive"
Their build doesn't have one either.
"or a keyboard, or a mouse, or a monitor"
Find them. Go to an electronics recycling place and pick some up for nothing. Also, their build doesn't have them either.
"hard disk"
Flash drive.
megahysterJul 23, 2010
Newegg ships products to you in a cardboard box.
Free case!
vangar01Jul 23, 2010
Exactly! Just tape it all the way you want into a cardboard box. It hasnt got enough power to get hot enough for an issue anyway. Just cut some holes in it for the PSU / Cooling holes. Hell, even pick up a scrap fan from somewhere (Garbage tip even?) and put that in there.
hellicusJul 23, 2010
Good luck installing Ubuntu in that 2GB flash drive..
aminy23Jul 24, 2010
I have an old 1GB flash drive, and I use it for running Linux Distributions. I use Unetbootin, and I can put almost any Linux Distro on it.
aminy23Jul 24, 2010
I use an old 1 gb flash drive and Unetbootin for Linux Distrobutions all the time. Linux Mint, Fedora, Ubuntu, they all run beautifully on a 1gb flash drive.
uchytilnJul 23, 2010
LOL @ 2GB Flash Drive. Well done.
uchytilnJul 23, 2010
LOL @ 2gb flash drive
omgwtflawlJul 23, 2010
Puppy Linux/Damn Small Linux people. They take like 50mb to install. Should easily fit on a 2gb flash drive, and leave you 1950 mb left for porn.
scuba7183Aug 11, 2010
Not enough space
Closed AccountJul 23, 2010
@Hellicus Ubuntu's image file is only 700mb. Putting that on a 2GB flash drive should be no problem.
badgerbusJul 24, 2010
You use the box the motherboard comes in for the case people...DUH!
It's an eco-friendly build. Captain Planet would be pleased.
Closed AccountJul 24, 2010
Smokey the Bear would be pissed.
flyingcavemanJul 24, 2010
newegg used to sell an ASUS Eee pc that came with Linux for around $200 now it only comes with Windows. It looks like its about the size of a router and you don't even have to build a cardboard case for it.
marx2kJul 24, 2010
Yeah... $88 for a much crappier system than what was in the article. What do you plan on putting the motherboard into?
sarcasteakJul 23, 2010
Does "need" and second or third pc really need to go into the same sentence together?
boneheadfarkerJul 23, 2010
Yes. I need 2 PCs...one main system for general use, and one media center. It's soon going to turn into 3 as having a separate file server becomes increasingly necessary. I could turn the media center into a file server and buy something like a WDTV instead, but I like having a full PC as a media center. It might even turn into 4 since I'm thinking of building an automated phone answering PC that will play recorded messages to telemarketers telling them to f**k off and stop calling me. But that's a future build...Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
rizzosbackJul 23, 2010
You don't "need" a Media Center you ****. If you didn't have a TV, you'd live just fine.
boneheadfarkerJul 23, 2010
In that case, you don't "need" a PC at all. If you didn't have a PC, you'd live just fine.
densetsu23Jul 23, 2010
Why can't your one PC do all these tasks?
I might see your need for a separate file server, because I have a separate PC just for backups. But it's a 8-year-old PC, running XP, with just a keyboard hooked up to it. It uses minimal power, and backs up important files from my main PC so I don't, for example, lose years of photos or months of consulting work. I RDP to it whenever I need to actually get a user interface.
And the automated answering phone machine? WTF. Are you 12?
boneheadfarkerJul 23, 2010
Well, I play 720p video, which requires some horsepower. I don't have cable or satellite, nor do I even have a DVD player. I don't need those since I have a media center and an internet connection. I use to only have one system, but eventually I wanted to separate them to make playing videos easier. My main system is built from old hardware from the media center. The file server will most likely be my main system, but that can also be built from the really old hardware I have laying around.
As for the answering PC...I get at least 20 telemarketer calls a day, and usually a couple of scams asking for credit card info. The do-not-call list does nothing to avoid these calls. I've always wanted to build a system for these assh**es. Really, I don't "need" this, but I have an old laptop laying around that I haven't used in years that would be perfect for this. So why not build a system to answer the phone? I've got the parts, I've got the need, and it would be an interesting project.
outpastplutoJul 23, 2010
> You don't "need" a Media Center you ****. If you didn't have a TV, you'd live just fine.
You also don't need electricity, automobiles or 3rd party suppliers of food.
If you are going to advocate being Amish, why don't you just go all the way.
nicko68Jul 23, 2010
I have a separate file server that streams to the media server. The file server can be big, loud, and hidden away in a different room, whereas the media PC can be small and quiet (no hard drive access, instead streaming over your network).
rizzosbackJul 23, 2010
@Bonehead, OutPast
I'm not advocating not having multiple computers. I have 5 that I use regularly. But I don't "need" any of them. I want them, and have the purchasing power to get them. But if I didn't have them nothing catastrophic would happen to me, even though they're working capital for me professionally.
You're allowed to have things you don't need, but you don't need them. My point still stands and yours are immaterial.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
boneheadfarkerJul 23, 2010
@RizzosBack
"Need" is a subjective term. Like I said before, you don't need a PC or a car or even a house. These things aren't necessary to live. Gypsies and nomads live as lightly as possible and still make it through life. Everything beyond basic food and shelter is a luxury.
But as luxuries go, I like having a big TV. In order to use that TV properly without having cable, I need a media center. Since the media center works better when you're only playing videos and not downloading while surfing the web, I need a general use PC. Since my media collection is also growing, I'll eventually have to move the RAID array out of the media center, which means I need a file server.
Do I really need the TV? No, because I could always read a book, which means I would then need a book. If I didn't want to read, I could go out for a drive, but that means I need a car. Or I could go for a walk, but that means I need shoes and pants. I don't really need to do any of these things, but if I want to then I need certain equipment that will allow me to do it.
densetsu23Jul 23, 2010
@BoneheadFarker
All I heard was an analogy to: "Yes, I need 2 vehicles... a car to drive to and from work and a car to goof around in on the weekends. I'm soon going to need a third vehicle as I saw some awesome trails just off the highway and want to 4x4 in them. I might even buy a fourth vehicle because I saw this cool rallycar show on TV and I'm thinking of buying a Subaru so I can try it out."
boneheadfarkerJul 23, 2010
Well, for someone who really like playing with cars, they may "need" a daily driver on top of "needing" a weekend toy and "needing" a mud truck. But in reality, as RizzosBack said, you don't need a second vehicle. But you also don't need that first vehicle. There's public transit...you can get by just fine with that. Hell, you could get by just fine by going into the woods and living off the land. That's not the point. If you can afford it, then "need" can be used to describe a lot of things.
outpastplutoJul 23, 2010
> All I heard was an analogy to: "Yes, I need 2 vehicles... a car to drive to and from work and a car to goof around
...except computers don't cost upwards of $60K.
I can buy my entire set of multiple low profile HTPC PCs for what I pad for my first PC and I didn't pay that much for my first PC to begin with (despite it being 15 years ago).
Having another low profile machine for a TV in another room is like having a BluRay player for it.
rizzosbackJul 23, 2010
@OutPast
It doesn't change the fact that they're not NECESSARY. We're not saying you can't have them, but you can't argue that you NEED them. You're simply confusing the issue.
inactiveuserJul 23, 2010
Synergy rules, that's all I can say...
lilrabbit129Jul 23, 2010
You can need a second computer if you have multiple kids that need it. A main computer for you and your business, and a computer that the kids can share. Or maybe you have 2-3 kids, of similar ages, they need to be able to work in parallel.
Absolute necessity for survival? Probably not, but necessary for reasonable comfort and efficiency? Probably.
tokeliJul 24, 2010
f**k, I'd love to snag five of these $200 computers and make a render farm. You can never have too many computers if you're actually doing stuff with them!
thegreatsamJul 23, 2010
Might be all fine and dandy for you to use, but after a month you'll regret giving it to your parents/family member.
rolfJul 23, 2010
Agreed. Also with the cost of electricity in my area, I'd lean towards one decent server (perhaps built with notebook components even), notebooks for individual purposes, and consoles to serve gaming purposes. A computer running all the time, even a crappy (not high powered one) can easily suck down $250 a year in electricity negating all savings. Times that by one for every family member and it gets expensive over the years. Plus people often don't set the best power settings on them (or at all) while notebooks are geared towards that.
thediggpiggJul 24, 2010
I'm considering following this build just as a test to see if I can build a computer... I do wish they went more in depth and actually held my hand through the process. I would be much more likely to try it simply to learn how to build a computer. Remember you could always upgrade it fairly easily once you build it.
iamshadowkillerJul 23, 2010
I would have spent more on the motherboard and less on the cpu. There's always time to get a better processor but a motherboard that cheap has a high chance of dying within a few weeks/months.
milsorgnJul 23, 2010
See a $200 Linux or Mac box makes sense as you don't any games to play anyways so you don't need a nice monitor or video card.
ja9anJul 23, 2010
This is awesome ---> http://www.winehq.org/
bicepJul 23, 2010
So NOT TRUE! Here's several popular games running on Linux: http://www.youtube.com/user/Jakejw93
atsymbolJul 23, 2010
Don't expect that motherboard to last...
pissshiversJul 23, 2010
That's pretty much my cheap home file storage server, except I bought a motherboard with an atom230 on it, for about ~$65, (it runs 24/7, and the atom sips energy), and I bought a $20 gigabit card, and some hard drives.
theworldisflatJul 23, 2010
If all you need to do is basic functionality, then any older hardware (Dell Optiplex series for example) can be had on ebay for waaay cheap and have more horsepower than the article. The OS in question is somewhat irrelevant (baring a V*sta discussion) - Linux or other flavors aren't magically going to turn your bargain basement hardware into a killer rig. You can establish a very small footprint w/ a linux dstro if you are savy enough, but you *will* take a tradeoff somewhere in either functions or simply time spent in tweaking.
Spin up old hardware, toss XP or Win7 on there and you're set. If you want to go the FOSS route, more power to you. Either way, scope the required role of the machine and set it up accordingly.
inorganicmatterJul 23, 2010
Something they didn't cover, and I want to know, is how much fighting they had to do with drivers, particularly the audio, video, and networking. Bottom-of-the-barrel motherboard makers like Foxconn are pretty notorious for providing outdated drivers on Windows, and most don't even supply Linux drivers, so I wonder how much they had to resort to partial/non-functional open source drivers.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
omgwtflawlJul 23, 2010
The only drivers I installed for the installation on this machine (using Linux Mint) was the graphics card driver. And I didn't really have to do that either, the free driver was automatically installed. So the drivers won't matter, they are all taken care of automatically.
aminy23Jul 24, 2010
Most motherboard parts are from bigger companies, like AMD, Nvidia, Realtek, Via, Marvell, etc. A modern Linux distro will have just about all the drivers you will need. With Ubuntu, most people choose to install a closed source graphics driver that supports 3d acceleration, but it should work beautifully without installing any drivers.
rizzosbackJul 23, 2010
I put my mom in Ubuntu with a Firefox icon on the desktop and an Open Office icon that I'd changed to a Word logo and she never knew the difference. For most casual users, Ubuntu is fantastic.
pathouston22Jul 23, 2010
I put my mom in Windows 7 64bit with an SSD, Core i7, 8GB of RAM, and an icon with Bad Company 2 on the desktop.
My mom > your mom
Closed AccountJul 23, 2010
his mom's remaining $ >> your mom's remaining $
rizzosbackJul 23, 2010
And you'd have wasted money on a system she'd never ever use?
Does your mom play BC2? If so what's her tag/rank?
sigmaman2Jul 23, 2010
Wow, I guess she must really need that horsepower on her machine to look up new ways to cook chicken on allrecipes.com.
Closed AccountJul 23, 2010
I'm banging pathouston's mom, and in my spare time swap out parts from her computer with cheap crap from my $200 linux box.
pathouston22Jul 23, 2010
@Rizzos
Actually, she's an avid gamer. And she's not on BC2 multilpayer at the moment. Right now she's doing Fallout 3 again. Just finished Metro 2033.
ptfoeJul 24, 2010
you mum has spyware, viruses, keyloggers, trojans and STDs
atlJul 23, 2010
I put both your moms heads through the wall while banging them hard from behind
jerrycanJul 23, 2010
Just get a bloody netbook...
tgc1Jul 23, 2010
Or a Netbook without the blood works too. I mean if you're not into that kinda thing.
aminy23Jul 24, 2010
This will outperform a net-book. The processor has twice as many cores, and it is twice as fast.
aforsbergJul 24, 2010
I have an old Acer Aspire One (ZG5 model) and its Intel Atom was secretly dual-core. No sticker ever told me, but the task manager and CPU-Z did.
pfknineninesJul 26, 2010
@aforsberg It was not secretly dual-core. It's a hyperthreaded CPU, which would show two threads available to the OS.
enantiodromiaJul 24, 2010
...with a s**tty keyboard and tiny screen.
Closed AccountJul 26, 2010
Nettop
halationeffectAug 16, 2010
The system in the article has one major factor that a netbook lacks: upgrade potential.
LosAlamosLabsJul 23, 2010
They go for around $250 new, but I picked up a refurbished Acer Revo nettop for $180:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883103228
Love the ultra-small size, it's energy efficient, same size hard drive as the PC in this article, running XP home which allowed me to turn it into a 24/7 magic jack phone line. Love that thing.
tommyrJul 23, 2010
I'd go with Linux Mint over Ubuntu but Ubuntu is excellent too.
Closed AccountJul 23, 2010
Why's that? Mint is based on Ubuntu, and after reading up on Mint, and see no clear advantage it has over stock Ubuntu.
aminy23Jul 24, 2010
Mint is sexier, it has a better menu system, a much better update manager, and it comes with everything you need including Flash, Java, and all the codecs. I hate the purple of Ubuntu 10.04, but the green theme of Linux Mint is nicer.
In other words, if 2 girls can both cook and clean, then I will choose the more attractive one. Linux mint can do everything Ubuntu can, and it can do many of them better, and it is sexier.
enantiodromiaJul 24, 2010
Mint is just easier if all you are dong is making a Netbook or a "kiosk" type machine.
If you want to see why, then boot into it and see for yourself.
marx2kJul 24, 2010
My only gripe with Mint over regular Ubuntu is Mint's releases are inevitably behind Ubuntu's. Especially with the 64 bit distribution. This is, of course, inevitable because Mint is based on Ubuntu so when a new version of Ubuntu comes out, the Mint community works that into the new Mint release.
picaloJul 23, 2010
cerin your right tommyr shhhhhhh
ellipsysJul 23, 2010
I'm surprised how many "Linux isn't faster" comments are being posted. Linux is almost universally able to "make do" with reasonable performance given much less powerful hardware than Windows, as benchmarked and cited in the article. Without going too deeply into the way Linux and Windows work, Linux is simply a more efficient system when it comes to resource use and it defaults to turning a lot of unneeded stuff "off". Many programs that run on Linux, such as the desktop environments and window managers (Fluxbox, LXDE, XFCE etc...) are coded exclusively to use as few resources as possible while doing their jobs. Even a heavier distro meant to be accessible and familiar to basic end users such as Ubuntu runs very well on older hardware, while allowing the users to enjoy a modern, secure, full featured OS.
outpastplutoJul 23, 2010
I wouldn't say that Linux is more efficient as much as it is Unix and therefore built with juggling a lot of competing things. A lot of "slowness" in a modern machine isn't so much inefficiency as it is a poor ability to multitask well. I can keep my desktop machine pretty much completely busy at all times and it won't impact the usability of my machine nearly as much as some trivial bit of nonsense running under Win7.
Unix is built to run all sorts of crap, a lot of it at odds with each other in terms of resources.
Microsoft ultimately has a single user mindset. No matter how far away they get from DOS technically, they will always have it's shadow hanging over them.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
zaeboesJul 23, 2010
I don't know when you last read up/used linux, but main distros like Ubuntu are highly optimized to run efficiently.
tupperbacharachJul 23, 2010
***I wouldn't say that Linux is more efficient as much as it is Unix and therefore built with juggling a lot of competing things.***
Linux can't be characterized in a single way. There are a zillion different versions of Linux optimized to do different things.
For instance, Tiny Core Linux is 10.7Mb -- that's 10.7 megabytes for the entire, windowed OS! It is very minimal and doesn't juggle "a lot of competing things."
***Microsoft ultimately has a single user mindset. No matter how far away they get from DOS technically, they will always have it's shadow hanging over them.***
So that's why Windows server sucks.
unclewormwoodJul 24, 2010
"I wouldn't say that Linux is more efficient as much as it is Unix and therefore..."
Sorry dude, Linux is not Unix (even though my FreeNas torrent box is). It is a kernel wrapped up with GNU goodies and it runs on most of the worlds supercomputers....
It also runs on my Droid as well as the custom, hand-rolled distribution I am using this second.
(the only Linux on any of them is the Kernel)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU/Linux_naming_controversy
picaloJul 23, 2010
ive run ubuntu on things even 98 wont run on...all be it slow it is faster than the "designed" for OS. soo yeah...linux is far more efficient.
Closed AccountJul 23, 2010
eh, i put ubuntu on a 233mhz pc with 128megs of ram and the default install ran far worse than a default install of xp on the same system. of course, a default install of xubuntu was the best GUI system i found that worked best out of the box. it's not really fair to compare a tweaked install, as a tweaked version of windows tends to run just fine.
themagicfetusJul 23, 2010
In case you typed that in your latest TPS report, its spelled albeit.
http://mw4.m-w.com/dictionary/albeit
bylethJul 24, 2010
I don't understand how people seem to think that Ubuntu = Linux. Ubuntu is a Linux distribution, of which there are many. I've had Linux running on a 486SX/25 with 2MB of ram before. Try that with Window XP.
zaeboesJul 24, 2010
@byleth
I agree 100% except that Ubuntu is just the new poster-boy for linux because it pulls it off with such style and a highly respected reputation. Still, it is fun to tinker with getting hand-built linux distros to run on archaic hardware :)
w3berJul 24, 2010
quake4 on ubuntu runs faster than quake4 on xp on my pc also 720p movies with vlc for example. Firefox/flash on the other hand runs faster on XP, explorer vs nautilus. I don;t know why but gnome apps are slugish on my pc. I've used windows all my life but now i'm using ubuntu but i'm not a fanboy. i have a dual boot xp/ubuntu
lotus22Jul 23, 2010
So glad to see Linux on the front page of Digg again.
inactiveuserJul 23, 2010
But Mel Gibson and .....
ptfoeJul 24, 2010
but f**k Digg
enantiodromiaJul 24, 2010
If you don't slip in the keywords "Apple" or "Android", most idiots around here don't even notice the story anymore, which is fine by me.
ctaboneJul 24, 2010
Yea, this is like 2005 all over again. :)
spinky342Jul 24, 2010
But all this linux stuff is taking up my catspace.
/s
rmxzJul 23, 2010
Why not
1. Go to ebay or craigslist or a local flee market or bankrupt .com; and buy a used $199 machine
2. Spend under $1 to burn a linux disk, and re-install.
Seems at that price range you could get more for your money used than new.
Closed AccountJul 23, 2010
what the hell is bankrupt.com?
gotarJul 23, 2010
A website.
kuronekoJul 23, 2010
I think he meant "a bankrupt .com company". Basically a company that is trying to get rid of now useless computers
Closed AccountJul 23, 2010
gotcha. thanks for informing me. I am less ignorant now.
skeloothJul 23, 2010
Uhhh, computers are so dirt cheap now, you don't have to build your own...
tgc1Jul 23, 2010
You do if you don't want to deal with mountains of bulls**t.
alexweiskerJul 23, 2010
Except that the article compared a cheap emachine and their 200$ build was better.
skeloothJul 24, 2010
Pro tip: used
piieerrrreeJul 25, 2010
It comes pre-equipped with porn!
superherofiveJul 23, 2010
I don't like these articles. It's not because I'm attracted to a certain operating system or style, it's just because they go out of their way to find the CHEAPEST components which often means cheap in the quality department too. If you only pay $200 for your cheap PC and it lasts maybe a year then you're going to have to spend more money to replace the components, and since older components tend to cost more once they've passed their prime then you wind up spending even more money.
Low cost now doesn't not equal low cost later. Future-proof your gear. Find the medium ground between quality and price.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
wussJul 23, 2010
That's the dumbest thing I ever heard concerning computer components. Let's break it down.
1. Motherboard = Foxconn. Granted, this is an entry level motherboard without all the bells and whistles of a 100 dollar motherboard with built in OC'ing, shiny aluminum heatsinks and built in MB fans, built in SLI, 16GB ram support, etc. etc., but it's still manufactured by Foxconn. As in, the same company and factories that produce boards for pretty much ALL major computer manufacturers (Apple, Dell, etc.)
2. Hard drive = Seagate. You only have your pick of really 4-5 HDD manufacturers to begin with (Western Digital, Seagate, Hitachi, Samsung, etc.) For the most part, a hard drive is a hard drive at this price point. They're not any "lower" in quality then a 100 dollar hard drive. What you're paying for is capacity, not quality.
3. CPU = AMD. IT's either AMD or Intel. Again, more money = more speed, not better quality. They all have the same manufacturing process (for the most part), and come out of the same building.
4. Memory = 1GB Crucial. Memory could be debated as far as quality differences amongst brands, but the truth of the matter is that there are A LOT more brands, then there are actual manufacturers of RAM. Meaning, you're going to end up with different brands that are basically the same chips. Regardless, Crucial is well known to be reliable and pretty high "quality".
5. Case & PSU = Rosewill. This is probably the only component that can actually be effected by the quality of the pricepoint. However, for the case, it's inconsequential because a broken case has no bearing on the reliability of the computer ( as long as you're not letting rats nest in it thereby blocking air flow). The PSU on the other hand, is the ONLY component in this entire build that might be worth upgrading. However, given the low voltage requirements of this entire build, even a crappy PSU would most likely chug this system along just fine.
jnesJul 23, 2010
Reminds me of intel fanboys who insist that AMD is "lower quality" and will "break" because they have inexpensive offerings that perform well.
And these pubescent guys spend all of their allowance on a powerful "battlestations" just to play video games. Such a compelling reason to spend loads of money.
They would have you think they were saving the world from their bedroom, or doing top secret government research, when they just want to be able to post their specs on an internet forum and feel proud, and get a higher fps than the next guy (nevermind that their eyes can't actually register the performance gains).
buzamanJul 23, 2010
1. Open Craigslist
2. Search Computers
3. Limit maximum value to 200$
4. Shop
atlJul 23, 2010
eeebox was on woot over the weekend for $195 shipped, can't beat that for a small basic machine (although it has no CD/DVD drive)
venom8599Jul 24, 2010
5. Get stabbed by some creep from Craigslist.
geekvolcanoJul 23, 2010
Read through the comments and you will see the conversation slowly move from interesting conversation about Linux to people suggesting cheap crap to use instead of other cheap crap. Eventually ending in the advertisement above this post.
cavimikeJul 23, 2010
Why?
inactiveuserJul 23, 2010
is it
hellicusJul 23, 2010
I need to make me one of this to use as a torrent box.
Just a bigger HDD and I'm ready to go.
*favorites article*
caffeinemeJul 23, 2010
I've got a low end linux server running as a torrent box too. It also serves media up to my PS3. Server + Samba + SSH + Torrentflux + mediatomb + puTTY on my laptop, and it runs and runs (headless) without ever being touched.
theabsinthehareJul 23, 2010
I have not read the article yet, but I built a system just a couple months ago for $165. Just gotta be resourceful and patient to get things on the cheap:
AMD Athlon X2 250 @ 3.0Ghz - bought in combo deal with the biostar motherboard from Fry's for 45.99
Biostar MCP6P - See above
2 GB DDR2 - $42.99 from Newegg (Free shipping)
250GB Seagate Barracuda - $43 from Newegg (Free shipping)
Cooler Master 460W PSU - $29 from Newegg (Free shipping)
Pioneer DVDRW - Scavenged from a 2003 iMac
Samsung 225BW 24" LCD - $5. These models are excellent displays, but are notorious for having their capacitors fail, which causes them to turn on, but display no video, while the power light blinks blue. Most people don't know about this, nor do they know how to fix it. I got mine free from my friend's parents because they were just going to throw it away. Replacement capacitors were 5 dollars, and it took me maybe 15 minutes to put them in, having zero soldering experience, and... amazingly... not having any solder (I used what was left over on the solder points from the old capacitors. I know this is bad. I will fix it soon)
The motherboard only has a Geforce 6150SE, which is about the worst GPU that you can get now, but it plays Portal and TF2 well enough at lowest settings. I even played the Starcraft II Beta with it, and it was tolerable enough to play online without slowing the game down for everyone else.
At this point, all I need to do is slap in a decent video card (I'm thinking a Radeon 5750, ~$115 at Fry's) and I'll be able to play any modern game just fine for a system that cost me $280 in the end.
theabsinthehareJul 23, 2010
Now that I have read the article, I'd like to point out that buying a case with an included power supply is bad enough, but when combined they cost less than 50 bucks, is just asking for a DOA power supply. I also see a lot of negative reviews for Rosewill power supplies on newegg all the time.
Second, if you have a Fry's near you, they have deals every week where they sell components for a loss to get people into the store. The most luring of these deals are the CPU/Mobo combos, where they have modern CPUs with a budget Mobo, together, sometimes for cheaper than what the CPU sells for alone. Such as this week they have the new Hexacore Phenom (1055T) with an MSI 890GXM-G65 for $249.99. This combo sells for 329.99 on Newegg.
If you don't get the Fry's ads in your paper, you can check here: http://www.frys-electronics-ads.com/
lilrabbit129Jul 23, 2010
While it was cool that you were able to get the deals you got, its not reasonable to assume that anyone that wants to build a <$200 will have access to a $5 LCD or a free dell case. That being said I think its entirely possible to create a decent, basic PC for $200 or so, using store (or online) bought items.
delvarworldJul 24, 2010
wow your piece of s**t dumpster PC sounds great for 1995
flyingcavemanJul 24, 2010
How to you deal with the proprietary front panel connectors in the brand-name computer cases?
theabsinthehareJul 25, 2010
This one actually didn't have any front panel connectors. Kind of sucks, but for free, can't complain.
orvtechJul 23, 2010
I rather pay $44 for a NSLU2 and flash it with linux like i am doing on http://linuxevolution.org/ it hosts 2 sites, is a torrent machine, web server, ftp, ssh, dns, smb server and it doesnt make a noise
drleephdJul 24, 2010
I've been meaning to tackle that project. They sound like a lot of fun.
m1n1m3Jul 26, 2010
It is not hard at all. But if you havent bought the NSLU2 try first getting a refurbished appletv, it has a 1GHz proc. 256MB of RAM and you cant connect it to your tv
inactiveuserJul 23, 2010
Now we are talking about network storage devices...
We need a forum mod or something...
m1n1m3Jul 23, 2010
negative, once you free it with linux it can do way more than just being a NAS
max1001Jul 23, 2010
Buying cheapest part of a DYI. Let see how long this one last. Linux cant save s**tty hardware.
m1n1m3Jul 23, 2010
Its been 5 years without a reboot, 2 times on digg.com. how about your windows computer?
max1001Jul 24, 2010
Its not about the damn OS. It's about buying the cheapest hardware. Your precious nix can't help you when ur PSU or motherboard die on you. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
Closed AccountJul 24, 2010
It won't work. It can't work. This computer is an example of technology that is not possible to build.
Aw, I see my tech friends need more proof. Well it's not Apple, so it can't possibly work.
Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
d3pyrogs_Jul 24, 2010
I love how computers are so customizable. You can spend $200 for a computer that just does the minimum for what you need or you can spend multiple thousands to get a top-of-the-line beast that makes grown men sweat. And of course, you can customize it to *exactly* how you want it. It makes me happy inside.
delvarworldJul 24, 2010
I like how if I used linux I could do 5% of the things I want to do on a computer
ascusJul 24, 2010
You want to do 95% games? I have pretty much abandoned Windows except for games.
delvarworldJul 25, 2010
Games, music creation with dozes of Windows (or Mac :) ) only plugins, graphic design with PhotoShop (lol notgimp), 3d modeling and animation with 3ds max, game programming with XNA, video editing with Vegas or ACID, that's about 95% of the things I want to do on a computer.
If I have to open a virtual machine to do anything other than browse porn or web development, then it's obviously not a good choice for me.
I am more creative than you, and I have more things I want and need to do on a computer than you. You can use Linux, I obviously cannot.
peschelnetJul 24, 2010
You do realize it's not 1995 right?
enantiodromiaJul 24, 2010
I like how people don't realize its their own damn fault they can't fully use Windows, OS X, and Linux at this point.
It's 2010 dude. Get with the times. I know, it's hard and scary to leave the warm cocoon you are used to, but it's good for you.
marx2kJul 24, 2010
Don't worry. You can surf for porn just like on a Windows box.
drleephdJul 24, 2010
I didn't design my hardware to run Ubuntu, but it runs it great! I Didn't even have to load drivers. My printer and wifi were detected and worked on the first boot.
I'm a PC, and Windows7 was NOT my idea.
newmanium2001Jul 24, 2010
I dunno ... an Athlon II X2 and 1 GB of RAM? This can do some basic things in Linux, but there's plenty of web apps (almost all Flash though) that could eat this thing alive. If it was me, I'd recommend the person come up with another $300 unless they want this thing to be getting slow again in 3 years as applications progress in resources. I plan on building computers future-proofed to about 5 years.
halationeffectAug 16, 2010
One of my Linux PCs is less powerful than the one in the article (same amount of RAM, but less powerful CPU and GFX), and handles most things just fine.
"I'd recommend the person come up with another $300 unless they want this thing to be getting slow again in 3 years"
Or they could spend the $300 over the course of 3 years on upgrades. Point is, they only had to stump up $200 for the base system, and at the end of 3 years with a total of $500 spent, they'd have a more powerful system than if they'd spent the $500 at the start (due to component costs falling over time).
sleeknerveJul 24, 2010
To me, if you wanted to build a budget computer that you were never going to use for game, I would think a building a small form-factor pc would be much better. This PC isnt much better than one of those $320 net-top boxes, but If size is no problem, then stick with it I guess.
halationeffectAug 16, 2010
"This PC isnt much better than one of those $320 net-top boxes"
It's $120 better for your wallet...
gypsieJul 24, 2010
Why?
kralJul 24, 2010
Why be so cheap? Get some decent hardware to run it on. Main partition on a SSD, HDs in RAID 1 for /home, 12GiB of ram, i7 920, etc.. Do some actual software development with it, it's fun!Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
halationeffectAug 16, 2010
So, in your opinion, people with tight budgets should simply not have a PC?
havocjawJul 25, 2010
Um yes, please check the definition of what a geek is...
moneygiayJul 25, 2010
uhm yes, cheap. where it buy online?
schneidz101Jul 26, 2010
i got a fedora server running on a $199 acer revo.