Building computer :)

Leslie

Leslie

Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2005
Location
Marion, NC
I know this has been asked before, but here goes!
I have an old Dell Dimension 2400 computer tower. I was looking around at newer parts to put in it.
I don't want a super fast gaming comp, just something faster and updated components.
I have a few things I have picked out already.
I need help with the OS. I was looking at Ubuntu. Anyone that uses it think it is a good OS?
Free is good! LOL :)
Thanks in advance
Leslie
 
I'm not an expert in the hardware department, but, I would suspect that, at today's prices, you could buy a new computer for what it would cost you to upgrade one.

As for Linux, I have been running it on and off since the mid-90s, and for the past 8-10 years it has been my main/only OS. Personally, I run Debian. However, for a beginner, I would highly recommend either ubuntu or Linux Mint as your first choice. Both are based on Debian, and both are designed with the new user in mind. If you like the Windoze "look & feel", Linux Mint has about all of the "bells & whistles" built in. Personally, I don't see myself ever running Windows again.
 
I work at a computer store repairing computers, building them, and selling them. In the past it was cheaper to build than to buy but now it's flip flopped. I would recommend just getting a new one or a new used one. We have pretty decent used Dells at the store for $179 that have 1gb of Ram and an 80gb HDD plus they come fully reloaded with windows XP, anti-virus, and Office. x2 on Ubuntu and Linux mint, I'm Windows 7 on my computers and I think it's the best OS MS has ever put on the market and you don't need a super fast computer to run.
 
twistedjeepster said:
I work at a computer store repairing computers, building them, and selling them. In the past it was cheaper to build than to buy but now it's flip flopped.
Click to expand...

I second this. Been building PC's since the late 90's and it just recently has flipped where it's cheaper to buy it built.

If you have decent credit, but a Dell with their financing. If it helps, newegg.com has Windows 7 for $100 all day long. Well worth the cash if you ask me. I use Linux/Unix for all my work, but run Windows on personal computer.
 
Its cheaper now to buy a computer and add an extra hard drive + Video card. That is what I did years ago.

Now all my desktop needs is a SSD (well, it doesn't need that, but I will justify it needing it), a new Video card and more RAM.

Seriously, look around for a good desktop computer with good specs and buy that. That + monitor + extras will probably be under $1000.
 
acache.gawkerassets.com_assets_images_4_2008_10_340x_aquarium_pc.jpg



http://hackedgadgets.com/wp-content/2/Mineral_Oil_Submerged_Computer_2.jpg

This is my new project.. You can gut your computer, put the internals in a fish tank and fill it with mineral oil. Its not like water, Its non conductive so it will no cause a fire or shock you and will cause your computer to run cooler. Its like the liquid cooled days thus allowing you to run programs that require alot of RAM and processor speed but keeping a good core temp around 60 degrees. try it out!
 
I've been using Ubuntu for years. But I actually had to stuff more ram in my laptop in order to run the latest releases. It had 512mb, had to pull one of the 256 sticks and put a gig in it.

As far as your old Dell goes... that machine is probably not worth upgrading. I bet if you pull the lid and look at the caps on the CPU power supply, they're bulged and leaking.

The best bang/buck would be to stick some more ram in it, a GB of DDR 2700 is going to be $35-40. I wouldn't do anything beyond that, except maybe an external USB hard drive.

If you decide to buy a new one, the bottom of the barrel laptop or desktop from Dell or whoever will be a substantial upgrade from what you have now. You can do most everything short of video editing and 3D rendering with $300 in components.

And yeah, Win7 is worth the upgrade.
 
a lot of those manufacturer computer cases are designed only for the parts the manufacturer puts in. Sometimes its hard to adapt one to fit standard stuff.

Honestly I just finished building my own computer. I built it for around 700 including monitor.

Stats are -

Antec Three Hundred case
Antec 620w power supply (maybe a bit underpowered for the future, but it was a good deal)
ASUS M4A89GTD Pro motherboard (SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0, 890gx)
AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1ghz Triple Core
Samsung Spinpoint 1TB hard drive (SATA 3.0GB/s)
G.SKILL Ripjaws 4gb DDR3 1333 memory
and an Asus 24x dvd burner

plus

Acer H243Hbmid 24" HDMI monitor

Honestly, for the price I think I did well. Windows 7 only cost me 30 because of the student discount..

Building opens up a lot more options. The standard hardware that comes in a regular manufactured box is often pretty cheap, and being able to buy a quality motherboard is worth the extra 50 or so building your own, plus there is something satisfying about researching, buying, and building your own computer.
 
y2kcrawler said:
acache.gawkerassets.com_assets_images_4_2008_10_340x_aquarium_pc.jpg

http://hackedgadgets.com/wp-content/2/Mineral_Oil_Submerged_Computer_2.jpg
This is my new project.. You can gut your computer, put the internals in a fish tank and fill it with mineral oil. Its not like water, Its non conductive so it will no cause a fire or shock you and will cause your computer to run cooler. Its like the liquid cooled days thus allowing you to run programs that require alot of RAM and processor speed but keeping a good core temp around 60 degrees. try it out!
Click to expand...

The only problem with this build is that A. you have to keep adding oil to it, and B. it won't stay clear like this forever; dust and stuff will get in there and dirty it up. I will admit that it is a cool idea but not very practical.
 
Macdaddy4738 said:
Antec 620w power supply (maybe a bit underpowered for the future, but it was a good deal)
Click to expand...

Meh... I'm running more than what you've got listed here (125W Phenom, 2 HDs, 2 tuners, 5770, etc) on an Enermax 450W.
 
You can always add it up and see what the power requirements are for each rail, then compare that to the actual ratings on the PSU. Total wattage isn't as important as making sure you have enough power on both the 5V and 12V legs.
 
Macdaddy4738 said:
Building opens up a lot more options. The standard hardware that comes in a regular manufactured box is often pretty cheap, and being able to buy a quality motherboard is worth the extra 50 or so building your own, plus there is something satisfying about researching, buying, and building your own computer.
Click to expand...
I want to build one just to say I can. I like to learn new things! :)
I was asking about Ubuntu.
 
I'm hopefully going to upgrade my whole system in the near future to the Phenom II x6 with 8gb RAM and a GTX450. Working in a Computer store it won't cost me that much.
 
Leslie, if you get stumped on something, don't give up. I'll be happy to help you if you get stuck on something. :)
 
y2kcrawler said:
acache.gawkerassets.com_assets_images_4_2008_10_340x_aquarium_pc.jpg

http://hackedgadgets.com/wp-content/2/Mineral_Oil_Submerged_Computer_2.jpg
This is my new project.. You can gut your computer, put the internals in a fish tank and fill it with mineral oil. Its not like water, Its non conductive so it will no cause a fire or shock you and will cause your computer to run cooler. Its like the liquid cooled days thus allowing you to run programs that require alot of RAM and processor speed but keeping a good core temp around 60 degrees. try it out!
Click to expand...
Man I think that is really cool looking.What does the airator do?Or it it just for cool factor?How often do you have to change the oil?
 
I'm also kicking around some ideas for a new machine. The end goal is a new file server, running Win7 as the OS with FlexRAID on top.

One idea I've been kicking around is to replace this motherboard I already own with something newer. That particular mobo has 5 SATA connectors onboard and two PCIe, so could potentially support quite a few HDs as a file server. I already have 4gb (2x2gb) of DDR2/800 to go into the new machine. I'd just need to decide whether to use the Phenom that's already in it, or buy a Sempron or maybe a 45nm Athlon for less-intensive file server duties.

I was originally shopping for a new motherboard with 5 or 6 SATA ports... problem is, the sweet spot for ram prices is now with the ~1333mHz DDR3 stuff. Any money I saved going with an older mobo, I'd piss away trying to buy memory for it.

Then I guess I'd buy one of these to replace the 785 board in the donor computer... or maybe save a few bucks and buy one of these. 4GB of DDR3 and call it good. Upgrade one computer and build a second... all for about $200.
 
Late last year I spec'd an IBM X-series box (intel) for a RHEL linux server I'm putting together. 128Gb ram, Solid state drives, etc... Should fix some of my ongoing performance problems. :flipoff2:
 
... every time I try to have a tech thread, somebody comes along and craps it up.
 
That's a web-available computational cloud. I'm building a home file server.

I'd go broke trying to put my data in their cloud.
 
Haha. Didn't realize it was for home use.
Have you messed with Windows Home Server? I love running it for local backups and media serving. Currently up to 10TB. It is hands down the best OS Windows has put out, and almost nobody uses it.

It does incremental backups of Windows and Mac machines. They aren't like ghost images that are impossible to full a single file from. It gives you a domain name to reach from the web to grab anything you want off it or any box on the network that has RDP. It will serve media to Xbox, MCE, and tons of other devices without a hiccup. And an added bonus is that it's a full version of Windows Server 2003 for less than $100.
 
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