Hi,
I am shopping for a new computer. Needless to say, it will run Linux.
Purposes: mostly development + tinkering + personal communications,
some (at times relatively heavy) computational load. No games.
I am getting offers on hardware, and since I am not a hardware guru I
am looking for a consumer report from you guys. I did my research on
the web, but I still would like to resolve some questions, and the web
(at least the obvious parts of it) is not necessarily 100% up-to-date,
given the rate at which new products appear. The main requirements is
that the stuff should work - and work well - with Linux.
Here are the parts of the hardware configurations on the table that I
have questions about (and the questions). FWIW, I am going for Pentium
III, probably with 256 MB of RAM, IBM 7200 rpm 30GB HD, but that is
hardly relevant.
Motherboard: ASUS CUV4x VIA 694X is offered.
The question I have (besides "It's great" / "Run away from it"
spectrum of reactions) is: How do motherboards work with high-speed
CPUs? Will it support Pentium III above 866MHz?
http://www.asus.com/products/Motherboard/Pentiumpro/Cuv4x/index.html
says it supports Intel CPUs of 300~800+ MHz, but maybe it has not
been updated. Should I even consider 933MHz or 1GHz? Whatever
difference in performance there is is not likely to be crucial, but
the price difference is rather small as well.
Video card: choice of
ATI Rage 128 - 32MB
http://www.xfree86.org/4.0.2/Status6.html#6 says it works just
fine. Actually, I know it does - I have it in my office computer.
Matrox G450 - 32MB:
Does it work? http://www.xfree86.org/4.0.2/Status18.html#18 only
mentions G400... If it works, is it better than ATI rage 128 in
any respect?
Voodoo 5 - 64MB
http://www.xfree86.org/4.0.2/Status2.html#2 says it's supported,
the price is the same as for Matrox G450, not much higher than
ATI Rage 128. Shall I go for it? Or is it a toy for 3D-gamers
mostly?
Monitor: I am looking for at least 19".
I was offered some junk or Hitachi CM772
(http://www.hitachidisplays.com/products/19_772.htm), which looks
rather nice on paper. I have not seen it IRL though, and I am a bit
concerned about the ErgoFlat technology used. Can anyone comment on
it specifically, or on flat-faced (as opposed to flat, square)
monitors in general, with regards brightness and edge quality? Any
other suggestions for good, not too expensive (up to $600-650 is
OK) 19"/21" monitors available in Israel?
U.S.Robotics 56K* Performance Pro Modem (Model 3CP5610A)
USR say it works with Linux (confirmed independently, or so it
seems). Any common alternatives?
CD-writer: Ricoh 7120A-SK
It is not in http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/CD-Writing-HOWTO-1.html#ss1.5,
but that list might be slightly out-of-date. Can anyone say
anything good or bad about it? Another option is a Yamaha, but it's
more expensive. I am going to use it for backups mostly.
Sound Card: Creative ViBRA 128
I saw somewhere (lost the links) that it has some conflicts with
3Com network cards (I have one of those), and in general does not
have a good 'net press. Suggestions for alternatives? I asked about
Turtle Beach cards (heard they were good), but the vendors I
contacted don't carry them.
Please feel free to reply to me or to the list. FWIW, I'll make a
summary if it is considered interesting. Thanks in advance,
--
Oleg Goldshmidt | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"... We work by wit, and not by witchcraft;
And wit depends on dilatory time." [Shakespeare]
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