Dec 11 2007
A 64 bit Linux PC for Christmas
Published by Ivan Groznii at 11:45 am under Geek Life, Hardware Help, Linux How-To |
My parents, now retired, like to keep computing simple. To their credit, when faced with a choice between a PC and a Mac, they chose the latter. However, my father tried out the Linux PC I built in 2006, and was highly impressed by its speed. So, for Christmas, I’ve offered to replace their ageing iMac with a homemade 64 bit Ubuntu Linux machine. I’ve yet to hear if they’re going to take me up on the offer.
The build is complicated somewhat by the fact that they’ve moved to America for their retirement, so the usual haunts I’d use for parts don’t apply. No matter, there is www.newegg.com to the rescue. From this, I’ve managed to put together the following list of parts:
I’m starting with a Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 processor. It’s not the fastes that Intel make, but it is 64 bit and it has a nice balance of cost for performance. It also comes with the necessary cooling equipment.
Sticking with Intel for the moment, I’ve selected their Intel BOXDP965LTCK LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Motherboard. If I need to change the processor to something with more oomph later, the board gives me some room for this.
I’ve proposed getting two sets of Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel memory. The memory comes highly rated, and again, appears to be a nice balance of price and performance.
Linux support for Nvidia is still better than ATI in my view. At the same time, my parents are not likely to be playing graphics intensive games. So for graphics I’ve selected a ASUS EN8400GS/HTP/256M GeForce 8400GS 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready card.
The sound on the motherboard doesn’t look particularly convincing. Hence, I’m proposing that I bolster that with a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE SB0570LPVP 5.1 Channels PCI Interface Low-Profile card.
SATA drives offer better performance than their IDE predecessors. I don’t want to skimp here, but at the same time, my parents aren’t going to load loads of music and photos on it. For the hard drive, I’ve picked a Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s drive. For a DVD-R drive, I’ve picked a SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B.
As for the casing and power, I’ve gone with a GIGABYTE Triton 180 Black 0.7mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower and Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU ATX 12V 2.0 500W Power Supply.
With these parts, plus a 22in Samsung monitor, a slimline Kensington USB keyboard, and a Microsoft mouse, the sum total comes to less than $1070. In contrast, to replace their iMac, the entry level model would cost $1199 - this has a smaller screen (20in), much less memory (only 1 GB), and a slower processor (2.0 Ghz). Of course, the Mac does have a lovely casing.
That said, the user experience need not be radically different; The Mac4Lin Project is an example of how the usability of a Mac can be brought to a Linux machine. Furthermore, there are benefits the Ubuntu machine will have: for example, it will be able to run Swiftweasel, and connected to an American cable modem, it should be blazingly fast.
If my parents allow me to execute on this project, I will write an update as to how the project proceeds.
Merry Christmas to all, nonetheless!
One Response to “A 64 bit Linux PC for Christmas”
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Great build but there are some incompatibilities. Mainly the motherboard. You see, you chose a 1333Mhz FSB CPU. Unfortunately, the motherboard you chose does not support CPUs that require a 1333Mhz FSB. Also, the P965 chipset of that Intel motherboard actually limits your upgrade options because the P965 chipset does not support Intel’s new Penryn 45nm CPUs due out in Q1 2008.
The Penryn CPUs are more power efficient and faster versions of Intel’s current Core 2 Duo CPUs. The best thing about the Penryn CPUs is that they will be introduced at the prices of current Core 2 Duo CPUs. So you will be getting more performance but at the same price as current C2Ds. In addition, if the rumors have a grain of truth to them, Intel will be releasing a Penryn Quad-core CPU sometime next year for $200!
So I recommend going with a motherboard based on the P35 chipset, which does support 1333Mhz FSB CPUs and Intel’s new Penryn CPUs. It doesn’t sound like you or your parents need something particularly high end so I highly recommend the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L Intel P35 Motherboard. It’s a solid well made motherboard that should be enough for your parents. It’s OOS at the moment but it should be back in stock pretty soon.
Also, that RAM is actually geared toward overclockers rather than everyday users. Truth be told, you won’t notice the lower latency of the RAM outside of synthetic, artificial or canned benchmarks. So unless you’re planning on doing some major overclocking, I recommend the G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM. G.Skill does make excellent RAM and. like most RAM manufacturers, offers lifetime warranty. I’ve used G.Skill RAM myself in many builds and they work just great. And it’s a great deal at $110 for 4GB of RAM.
In addition, I recommend trying out the onboard sound first before getting a sound card. Onboard sound has improved a lot over the past few years to the point that the average person does not need to buy a sound card to get decent sound. So try it out first and see if it’s to your liking. If not, then get the sound card.
For $5 more than that Western Digital 250GB drive you chose, you can get an extra 70GB of storage if you go with the Western Digital WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive for $75.
Now for the power supply, I recommend ditching it. Among PC enthusiasts, that particular PSU is a piece of shit. It’s really not worth its price considering its low quality and inefficient PSU. I recommend getting the XClio Goodpower 500W Power Supply instead. Same price but it offers a bit more power where you need it and it’s of much better quality since it is built by Channel Well Tech, makers of quality power supplies. The Thermaltake PSU you chose was built by Sirtec, a company not known for good power supplies.
You’re probably wondering what I meant when I said that the XClio Goodpower 500W PSU offered more power than the Thermaltake Purepower 500W right? In case you didn’t know, wattage doesn’t mean as much these days. What matters most is where those watts are being delivered, the voltage rails. For current PCs, it’s all about how much amps are on the +12V rail since most PC parts draw their power from there. More amps on the +12V rail allows you to add more add-ons cards(sound cards, TV tuners, etc), hard drives, or faster video cards without the power supply dying on you.
You determine the amperage on the +12V rails by first finding out what’s the total combined wattage set aside for the +12V rails alone. Often some power supplies do not tell you this information straight up. If you see this on the power supply label: [+3.3v & +5V Combined: Some wattage], then just subtract that “Some Wattage” from the overall total wattage of the power supply.
So for example, the Purepower 500W PSU that you chose has a +3.3v & +5V Combined wattage of 220W as shown here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?CurImage=17-153-052-03.jpg&Image=17-153-052-08.jpg%2c17-153-052-02.jpg%2c17-153-052-03.jpg%2c17-153-052-04.jpg%2c17-153-052-05.jpg%2c17-153-052-06.jpg%2c17-153-052-07.jpg&S7ImageFlag=0&Depa=0&Description=Thermaltake+Purepower+W0100RU+500W+Power+Supply
So subtract 220W from 500W and we get 280W available on the +12V Rail. Now divide that total wattage for the +12V by 12 and you get how much amps the PSU has on the +12V rail. In this case, 280W divided by 12 is ~23A. So the Thermaltake Purepower PSU has 23A on the +12V Rail.
For comparison, the XClio Goodpower I recommended above has 30A on the +12 Rail. So the XClio Goodpower 500W power supply will provide you with more room for upgrades than the power supply you originally chose.
Sorry for the long essay but I thought you might have wanted to know if there were going to be problems with your build. So I hope my post will be of some help to you. Great blog by the way! Been reading since July.