[Gllug] OT hardware recommendations

[Mike Brodbelt]

On Sun, 2003-03-09 at 19:46, will wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I am building a new PC for my Dad  as he has decided it is time to upgrade from 
> the AMD K2 400 he is running at the moment, and am hoping for some advice on the 
> hardware.  I am going to install win2k on it aswell as Linux and it is going to 
> be used for:
> 
> - Scanning/image manipulation
> - Maybe some  some video manipulation taken from the DV camcorder that they have 
> (has what looks like a firewire connector)
> - Word processing.
> - Surfing the Information Super-Interweb
> - Not games (well, minesweeper of course)
> 
> The plan is to maybe install the OSes on the IDE disk and using the SCSI disk 
> for things like storing images/video on for the speed.
> 
> I have compiled a shopping list (below) from scan.co.uk, but have some questions.
> 
> - The scan 17" TFT screen seems pretty cheap, what is the catch?  Would it be 
> better to go for a 17" CRT for the same price?  What are peoples experiences of 
> these?
> 
> - If my Dad is going to be doing 3D work, will a consumer 3D card make much 
> difference, or are these more useful for 3D games acceleration?

If his 3D package uses OpenGL, then any kind of hardware GL will be very
noticeable.

> - SCSI disks, I assume that U320 is faster than U160, will he notice the 
> difference, it is worth splashing out for the extra speed and controller.

No, and in general, U320 won't be any faster than U160 for a single
disk. The number refers to the bus speed - with U320 you can have more
disks on a single SCSI channel before the bandwidth of the channel
becomes your bottleneck. With a single disk, you won't come close to
maxing out either U160 or U320. It's only really a consideration when
planning servers, to decide how many SCSI channels you needto make best
use of your disks.

> - I know nothing about SCSI, is the controller I have selected OK?  Anyone got 
> any suggestions about what I should go for?

The Adaptec controllers are pretty good, and well supported. I would
price a similarly specced Tekram as a comparison - they're also good,
and would be worth going for if they're cheaper than the Adaptec.

Be aware that in a single disk configuration, SCSI is not going to give
you much of a performance boost over IDE. You will get more reliability
on average (SCSI disks tend to have 5 year warranties, IDE disks only
1), and if you wanted to put multiple disks in a RAID setup it's a win,
but for a single disk config, it's probably not noticeable.

> - Memory, Should I spend the extra for ECC, and would there be a benefit for 
> going for branded RAM?
> 
> - Any recommendations for a motherboard?  I have no clue here...

Pick a decent brand. Asus, Tyan, or Supermicro would be the ones I'd go
for.

> - UPS: Are these make any good from peoples experience?

They do what they say on the tin. It's really your call as to whether
that justifies the cash in your particular situation.

> - Can anyone see anything obvious that will not work with Linux?

The graphics card. The Radeon 9000 is based on the Rv250 core, which is
not yet supported by the DRI projects. Buy a board based on the Rv200
core instead. These are the Radeon 8500 LE, Radeon 8500, Radeon 9100,
Radeon 8700, or Radeon 8800 boards.


Check out the firewaire card on the Linux1394 project's database. 

HTH,

Mike.


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