should i build a pc? whats best for Linux Lite 2.0?

[elliott]

i have not built a pc since i was a kid, but i'm out of work and on a hp with a bad pws/graphics or worse. i had replace all the ram and issue returns crashing during video. so what i build i basically want to work for 10+ years, i don't game, and i use LL2.0 even on my new laptop with ddr3 ram and plan it to be my main os on anything new. so i rather not spend money on a windows i tried tons of distributions and LL 2.0 is my favorite so even if i get a pc faster than current i plan to keep this os as the main os no doubt. Linux Lite saved me from XP and i really could not think of anything i dislike about it, i'm not into flashy os's i even pass on zorin and ubuntu ect. great job and thanks to creators of Linux Lite 2.0, it's the perfect OS and i have got many to get off xp with it happily. took me an hour to get used to and never look back!

back to my question, what is a good reliable motherboard for LL2.0 looking for highest quality but does not need to be super fast i am currently happy with 3.0 dual core but would not mind being able to get more than the 4gigs of ram i max out with now. any suggestions? would you recommend me buying refurbished and hope it works with linux? or building personally? the most important thing is that it works with LL so i'm scared to buy something with any windows... starting with 1.0 this os opened my eyes.

thanks, if you guys think referbished cheap computer is better idea let me know which is known to work with LL i am trying to save a little money for cyber monday if the deals are real... if anyone took the time to read this and reply, thanks a lot.

[rokytnji]

Shoot. I don't build.

What I did.

https://www.linuxliteos.com/forums/index...opic=721.0

What I paid

Dell Touchscreen cost> ORDER TOTAL
US $52.55

AC Adapter cost> US $8.04

OCZ SSD 180 GIG Hard Drive cost > ORDER TOTAL
US $85.00

Extra 4 gig of ram stick cost giving me 5 gig total. Because the 1 gig stick is soldered into the mobo> US $31.99

The Dell Touchscreen was a gutted XT2 corporate sale for 50 odd bucks. Sold New they went for 2,500 bucks.
My touchscreen works out of the box with Linux-Lite 2.0. My battery life is 4 hours (I GOT LUCKY ON THAT)n
It had the pen in the netbook. I did not even know it was there till I googled and researched what I should have
and how the all the external tablet switches should work like the scroll wheel on back of the lcd screen on the bottom edge of screen.

It runs faster than my Wifes Dell E4500 I5, 8gig ram, 500 gig hard drive netbook with Windows 7 corporate edition on it.
There is no internal DVDRW on mine. But my wife has one on hers.

With Black Friday and Christmas showing up. Newegg is hammering my inbox with email deals.
I will post back tomorrow on what they are trying to sell me. Maybe you might see something that
catches your attention for Mother Boards, Hard Drives, CPUs, Monitors, Ram, etc......

Sometimes they throw out a killer bare bones Desktop deal that you have to assemble, but all the components are included in the deal.
Power Supply, Case, mobo, ram,dvdrw, cpu,video card,whatever.

Todays Email from Newegg to me
http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/Nov...et_p1=#TOP

A good foundation IMO for a cheap build
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...9233-S1A5B

$39.99 After $20.00 MIR

Appeals to the biker in me for a case. 40 bucks is fair. ABS Plastic is pretty tuff stuff and lightweight.

Cheaper by 10 bucks (with mail in  rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...9042-S1A4C

Or you can tear apart your old case and reuse it. With some handiwork skillset from you. Might require die grinder and cutting wheel skills.

[elliott]

thanks for all the information! i was a kid when i built a pc 16 or so years ago to be honest but still have a huge box, has anything changed or i guess u can gut the entire thing and reuse my very large old box.. all but my laptops are xp computers and none are usb 3.0 which drives me nuts that i only have 1 express my graphic card needs so could never get 3.0! i have two hard drives and plenty of dvd-rw laying around for sure. i am curious and will pull my old box down could a 15 year old very large so easy to work in box be used to build a modern pc?

i also very interested in this "bare bones Desktop" i never heard of them. i have installed a power supply and other parts seeing that i am running some old stuff but would rather it come together. lol i'm more of a working on than inside person i am just trying to save money and if waiting means i get longer lasting better pc i would rather than end up with a cheap hp with a power supply litterally laptop style on a desktop. someone posted a video that is what inspired me, and also my daily crashes. its not a driver issue. cheap power supply, graphic card, just replaced all ram and crashes slowly returning during videos. i just think it might be time to stop spending money on a old machine.. and take the 1tb new hd out and maybe keep the original very old but working one in this. the graphic card is very old and cheap but if not broke good enough, i suspect the power supply logisys very cheap and plastic casing had a bad feeling from start but it was so cheap...

thanks you for informing me of bare bones desktops and i am checking all your links now wow i want your setup and hack from the road lol i dont even own a smart phone but looking at your setup almost is making me want to do similar... i can't believe the price you got, i need to be on my feet and subscribe like you to newegg.

anyone think intel is superior and last longer or is this an old stereotype i have? i don't really trust them as a linux user in the past they put hardware in my computer that would not allow me to use linux. (modems) amd just as good as intel now? i want 64bit so i can get more than 4 gigs of ram, but to be honest i had no idea how expensive ddr3 ram costs and seems like the ram itself might cost more than buying a refurbished computer and deleting windows.. wozers! not a gamer but would like to use virtualbox for small things. will research ddr3 now and get with the times.

[ChrisL]

Just to add my 2 cents to the mix (lots of good info above) - If you have a Core2duo 3,0 ghz or anything close I would just stay with that for now.  Some of the later P4s I think (XP era) should be fine; guess i depends what you are looking to do.  I have a C2D 3.0 in a HP dc5800 that I loaded 2.0 LL on a couple days ago and with the low resource usage of LL it seems to scream.  It only had 2 G  RAM initially and still screamed (eBay'd 4 more G so up to 6 GB now).  Awesome machine, especially for $30 at the local resale shop (they had a pallet full of them).  Even with the 2 GB ram it seemed to out-perform my Windows 7 I5 2.4Ghz/8 GB ram laptop for normal tasks.

If you decide to get a different machine than you have and go the used route rather than build one, I can only recommend you stick with HP or Dell (there may be others, just not in my experience) as they seem to keep supporting their machines.  I have an old Dell w/P4 from 1999/2000 or so and can still go on-line for a bios, etc. if necessary; not the case with 2 MUCH newer Gateways ... after a few years they just pulled all support and I can't even locate anything about them on their site never mind a bios update, or any other download. Can't imagine there is a lot of cost in leaving resources like this available to customers.

I had planned to build a computer in a few months but realized that I seem to have more fun rescuing one from the scrap heap and restoring it to life as a usable machine.

Chris

[elliott]

chris thanks, i really want to do what you said but not sure where to start....

i got a 3.0 dual core intel that came with xp, and it's treated me great until video crashes, usually youtube if i rewind it gets stuck in a loop and turns off. or movies. the last time it did this, the issue got so bad that i replaced all the ram which 3 out of 4 sticks were bad.. im testing the ram next crash which is overdue but it seems fine just the beginning of the old problem.. and my room mate must have threw my old power supply away because i still own my first desktop windows 95 and 2 freaking comadore64's i had when i was like 6 with a million floppy games... i also have tons of very old processors, graphic cards, i keep it all a closet full of junk, but power supply is gone after days of searching. obviously disappointment if your wondering why i replaced the power supply to begin with,  a cheap bluray burner i no longer use last i checked door is locked i no longer use it and installed a new hd to go with the still working original.. so this thing has been going strong for many years until these video crashes.

i wonder, if i throw an old graphic card into it and drop the HD for VGA if this issue will stop, i plan on trying this but i have a bad feeling about the power supply. i did the second i seen it came in a plastic cover. could this have burned out my ram and is now doing the same? if not the power supply is it possible the computer is just old and eats up ram after 10 years or so?

so i'm left wondering if i should spend 50 bucks on a power supply just to find out that this is not the issue, any opinions guys? or try to get a refurbished cheap pc and finally have usb 3.0 which is my only complaint. i have one pci-express but if i remove the graphic card to one that takes only pci i could upgrade this machine to usb 3.0 with the empty express and be good, for dollars.

i am out of work and have been happy with this so what do you think could be the issue and is it worth fighting for? at the time i bought this i could have got a newer windows 7 machine but i was stuck on xp for software reasons so purposely got this one, also because the windows 7 comps all were under 3.0 dual core at the place of purchase so i went with the fastest comp with xp. served me well with 4 gigs of ddr2 ram so if you guys have experience is a breaking pc vs one that needs a part pleasseee share. i don't want to wait until the deals for older pcs end even if i do not build over time.

[elliott]

Chris or anyone if you only want to read the issue,
when i open a youtube video is usually during i hit forward or backward on the video, the comp crashes just leaving me with the last sound repeating 20x before restarting. occasionally it gets creepy because i watch dark comedys and horror movies ;P this happen before when the ram died, so i ran ram32 software test and so far the ram seems ok it was the last thing replaced in the computer 1 year ago when the same video issue got so bad that i would crash every video play.

tomorrow when sober i plan on trying some older graphic cards, this one is hd the graphic card is old nvidia GeForce 9500 GT 1gb this is not a driver issue because i issues still exists on xp with the cd driver installed and worked for years. if i'm lucky it's the graphic card, fan still spins and has been cleaned, still can open large 1080p tho and no other issues other than this strikingly similar problem i fixed a year ago.

can a power supply burn ram out? i even if i added a house fan behind it and improved temp and kept it dust free... or could a computer just get old and break this way? i am not sure because to be honest i have an even older computer running than this, but this is what i need for every day use, i don't own a tv so it's used a lot.. i take care of my hardware and never recall having a motherboard break unless i built it wrong so if anyone has had similar symptoms or even a guess.. would be deeply appreciated.

as you can tell i'm just trying to fix the problem but am scared i will be beating a dead horse if buying expensive replacements to test...

[gold_finger]

as you can tell i'm just trying to fix the problem but am scared i will be beating a dead horse if buying expensive replacements to test...

That's the key question for older systems.  Will new components for it end up costing same as cost of a newer (complete) used system and/or will the money be wasted if new part is not compatible with newer system that you might end up needing anyway if fix does not work?

My guess is that your video card in old computer is on the fritz.  If you've got a replacement card already that you can test out, that would be good.  If not, you're faced with dilemma.  Good chance that you'll need to spend approx $75 on new video card and it will be an older version (possibly AGP connector) that is no good on newer systems.  If it doesn't solve problem, then you're out $75 on a part that can't be used on new built or newer used system.  If you buy a new power supply, make sure it is one that could handle your needs if you end up having to resort to building a new computer.

If situation is not desperate at this point, I'd recommend you sign up for Newegg emails and start researching components and their costs.  Sort Newegg search results by those with "Most Reviews", then pay attention to what people write in those reviews.

Also, if Craigslist is popular in your area start regularly browsing the listings there for used computers.  Be careful with Craigslist though.  Take your time and do plenty of research on computers you see listed.  Don't jump on first thing you see that sounds good.  Save copies of listings that interest you and over time you'll get a better feel for what is a reasonable sale price on various models.  Normally, computers take a while to sell and multiple similar computers can be found at any given time.  Know the correct, full specs of any computer you choose to go test out before you go; then carefully check what you find to make sure it really is what was advertised.  Bring a live Linux Lite USB stick with you for the test.  Like rokytnji, I've had my fair share of experience acquiring used systems at really good prices; but if you don't really know what your doing and what to look for, it's easy to get taken for a ride.  Good general rule of thumb on Craigslist, try to decifer which listings are from "normal" people vs. serial sellers with tons of listings for various computers.  Stick to buying from average everyday users who are just getting rid of their old computer because they bought a new one.  You should be able to find pretty good 5-6 year old computers for $75-150 max.

Regarding new builds -- most Intel and AMD motherboards will work fine with Linux.  (AMD boards and their components are less expensive at similar performance points than Intel.  I've used AMD exclusively for a number of years and don't have any complaints.)  Generally speaking, if you stay away from the newest high-spec boards that require/use absolutely newest graphics you're less likely to run into compatibility problems with Linux.  Decide approximate budget and what you need to use computer for, then pick components based on that.  If not a gamer and just need computer for basic use, you should be able to build a nice system for under $500 that will run circles around what you currently have.

P.s.
In new builds, you can usually get away with using some old parts -- DVD drive, hard drive, etc.  If old DVD and/or hard drive is an IDE drive, be careful to make sure new MB supports that -- many do not and only have connectors for SATA drives.

[ChrisL]

Hi Elliott,

gold_finger as usual has lots of good info.  I wonder what you would like a computer to do?  A different build is certainly required for serious gaming vs. surfing on-line.  I unfortunately do not have a clue as to your problem - my best guess would have been  a video card as gold_finger suggested, sounds like you have another to try out so that should help figure out the cause.

I have never had RAM fail, I know it happens but I don't believe that it is all that common.  If you have that much ram failing I expect something else has gone sour.  I have heard of power surges killing ram, do you use a surge protector (vs, a power strip)? It also does make me wonder about the power supply; and if so did that possibly also kill your graphics card?  http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/pc-com...er-supply/ As gold_finger pointed out, you don't want to spend a lot on components that will not ultimately meet your needs.  If you end up building a new pc you could certainly re-use the power supply if you get one that is adequate for a new build.  In other words, maybe your current power supply is 250W, but that size is not going to be adequate for most new builds so if you buy a new one I would get a larger one that you can re-use.  As you I think mentioned NewEgg (and Tiger Direct, etc.) have a lot of specials going on, and I have seen some decent supplies for $20 or so after rebates. If you decide you want to build a pc either now or in the future I would take a look here to estimate power supply requirements):
http://images10.newegg.com/BizIntell/too...index.html
and plug in what you want your system to look like, then look at psu in that power range.  The other thing to keep in mind is what you need for connections.  The power supply you have may have power/data connections for sata or pata drives or both.  Do you need a 6pin connector to power a graphics card?  Many older cards to not require this, but a lot of the newer ones do (again - what do you want it to do?).  Just makes sure the new psu has the connectors you need.  In some cases you can use adapters (such as a dual pata to 6 pin adapter for graphics card) but you may find that they cost more than upgrading to a PSU that has all the connectors in the 1st place.  I find the product reviews/Q&A very helpful.

XP era computers encompass a lot of different hardware, so take a good look at what you have vs. what you want to do.  Slots ... any of the mid-range up graphics cards now use a PCIe X16 slot, some of the older xp motherboards don't have any PCIe slots (just PCI), some do.  Maybe you need it, maybe you don't.  My old Pentium 4 does almost everything I want but the best card I could put in it was a GeForce FX5200.  I found out when I tried to use STEAM it would not allow me on, as it said I needed higher level drivers (I had the latest/greatest drivers for the FX5200, so essentially a better card was required); I am at the of the road for updates on that box.

So, overall I guess I would suggest you think about what you want your pc to do, figure out if your current box would do that if it was fixed.  If it would meet your needs, and you decide to fix it I would buy decent components on sale that you could ultimately reuse in a new build.

If it isn't going to meet your needs consider some of the options gold_finger suggested.  Craigslist can be great, especially if you are not in a hurry, and local resale shops as well.  Good luck, wish I could help more on your youtube video issue (probably not related but did you read through this with Adobe flashplugin-legacy issue?): https://www.linuxliteos.com/forums/index...opic=160.0) but I just don't have the knowledge.

EDIT: Sorry Elliott, sort of forgot about your need for usb 3.0.  There are these if your pc takes PCIe x1 but I guess I would figure out what your issues are 1st (also not sure if there are any issues w/Linux and these adapters): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6815158388
Once again though, adds to the total cost of keeping the old box.

Chris

[elliott]

thanks so much for response chris,
basically i can't get exactly what i want from this machine because it only has 1 pci-express slot that i think all graphic cards take? i had a long night so plan on testing and replacing the graphic card with the one that came with the pc originally and others to see if this is the issue or not. i'm hoping it is because the power supply i have is very strong like 650w i over did it but where i went wrong was with a cheap company. when i look up power supplys for this computer to buy just what came with the computer would be around 50 dollars, i am unsure if i can buy a different one that is not listed to work with my computer if i find a better deal? i made sure that it listed my pc under its compatibility.. am i correct on this? if i get a new machine 500 would be over budget but i rather not buy a computer worse than what i have, but i could deal with this computer i do not game,  occasionally i use vbox which strains the 32bit max being little less than 4gigs.

about craigslist, let's say its my power supply and the cost would be 50+ possible a new card 50+, would i be better off buying a refurbished cheap computer with better specs like those just random 200 dollar pc's instead of spending 100 to fix this one, more if the ram is broke again... but for 100 dollars more i could have usb 3.0 and a graphic card where my computer limits me with only pci-express. or do you think i could find a good graphic card that is pci only, i'll see if they even exist my guess is no

cant thank you enough... money is a big issue but if i spend an extra 100 dollars to get a refurbished computer the deals seem very good on new egg... these are just two random cheap which i believe have usb 3.0 and would fit my needs i believe. seems like for spending the same i can get a 2TB computer with similar specs or better than what i have now, i might have to give up on HD but i don't use the bluray player anymore so would i even notice. if you don't mind checking out these cheap but better specs on refurbished comps that may end up being cheaper if issue is the power supply, graphic card, and god i hope not the ram again because thats what started these crashes and it just progressed. i get about 3 crashes a day now.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/...&rrindex=3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6883280672
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6883220648

[elliott]

gold_finger, i actually lost track of how many times you helped me with issues here, so first thank you for your time as well.

my friend is all about speed and gaming so sends me links to craigslist computers but to be honest my budget is not 500 dollars... this is why i am looking at what parts might need to be replaced and then finding computers that have better specs and usb 3.0 included, i am not sure if they have good graphic cards or if i will switch back to vga. my monitor is huge i use it as a tv, i just checked and it does take the older vga and then the HD long pin less common connector, (sorry forgot the name) but seeing that i do not watch blurays i suppose 1080p is something my computer rarely does if i do find a refurbished computer that would possibly be cheaper than buying and hoping this fixes the issues...

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/...&rrindex=3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6883280672
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6883220648

if you have time it looks like 200 dollars about what i could be spending if i do not fix the issue with a graphic card, if i also need a new power supply to replace this powerful but cheap one, i would be spending less if i got a similar but better computer with all working parts. it almost seems like fixing it would cost more and i would be stuck without usb 3.0 for many more years. 500 dollars would buy me a dream computer and i'm a total geek who spends a lot of time on computers, so even tho i do not game it would blow my mind.

i'm going to try a older graphics card in this computer now and see if that is the problem.. if it is not, its the ram again or power supply or something unknown.. so hopefully i'll see if i need to spend a lot or what, but refurbished computers seem almost too good to be true. if you find the time to check out the links i sent, 200 dollars seems like i can get a better pc, i just need to make sure i am willing to not use HD, do you think i would notice if i got a computer that only took vga if not watching blurays or gaming? do normal movies and pictures take a hit, if so i will look for one that takes hd wire... my monitor is huge and takes the long pinned connector which is less common so it might take some settling...

, i use the pc heavily but no games, i do multi task and usually have a lot of stuff going on tho 4gigs of ram has held me over. but these newer computers come with the faster ram too ddr3 and i could upgrade them to over 4 seeing it will be my first non 32bit desktop. thanks for your time man and any other suggestions... or if you know if pci non express graphic card and using the one pci -e for usb 3.0 should be my goal.