[wellylug] second computer

[Brent Wood]

--- Rosemary McGillicuddy <mcgillra at infogen.net.nz> wrote:
> I'm interested in purchasing a second computer for trying different 
> distros.  I asked my local computer person and got this:
> "a secondhand systembox would be around $350, 600Mghz, etc, 6 months 
> warranty, new case, plus monitor ,keyboard and mouse, Linux can be a bit 
> of a problem to install."
> 
> I've asked for some hardware details so I can check compatibility.  The 
> deal sounds about okay to me - am I correct in this?  I guess 600Mg will 
> be slower than what I have (2000), but fine for experimenting?  Advice 
> appreciated.


My 02c...

As long as you have 256Mb memory you should be OK. If you want to try other
than minimalist distros, don't skimp here. Basic LAN support should be fine, or
about $5 to $10 for a 10/100 PCI LAN card which makes it simple. A 10Gb HDD is
enough. 

With a 6 month local warranty that price seems pretty reasonable. You probably
wouldn't get that warranty with much cheaper hardware. It does depend on what
"around" really means. $350 is reasonable, $400 is getting a bit much... 
You could probably get a basic system for playing with Linux for around $200,
shopping around, but likely to be lower spec & no warranty.

You might be surprised at how little difference there can be between a 600 &
2000Mhz system. Home computers are not that often cpu bound (gaming excepted).

An internal modem is likely to be the biggest problem compatability wise,
unless you have some obscure USB devices....


Cheers,

  Brent Wood