[sclug] Multicore motherboards of choice

[M.Blackmore]

On Tue, 2008-03-18 at 19:49 +0000, Will Dickson wrote:
> 
> 4GB is pointless unless you've got a 64-bit-clean OS / software stack
> - 
> the last 1GB of the 32-bit address space is reserved for
> memory-mapped 
> I/O of various kinds, so the last GB of RAM won't be used.

Gads, yes, I'd TOTALLY forgotten that issue of memory limit and 32 bit
computing. I've no reason to be running 64 bit now or for some time in
the future, though probably will go for a 64 bit gpu boards as we tend
to run computers for a loooonngg time. 7 or so years is typical, given
our current crop still in use, and stuff may come in the future.

Incidentally, the only modern box here (which I've yet to use that much
being bone idle about transferring a lot of stuff) did show significant
improvement with GIMP and some video editing when upgrading from 1gb to
2gb, and also when having an insane number of windows and documents open
in evolution, OO, firefox, konqueror and opera ... yes all three cos a
lot of the political and socio-economic sites I frequent (as an ex
social science academic as well as IT person, did both at the same time)
seem to be pernickity about not using IE <spit>. I habitually overload
systems with open windows, alas. Bad habit of convenience.

I'd like to go back to dual screen - alas my old pci video card died a
while back that I was using for a second screen with the agp nvidia 5300
under suse 9 and 10, just before I deserted to ubuntu.

So I've never tried multi monitor with ubuntu - is it as easy to set up
as suse 9.x was where it was a total doddle? 

Do motherboards come with two or more video slots? ISTR you could get
dual agp slots on some boards, but found my old 4mb matrox millenium pci
card did fine for simple document display.

My wife still uses a matrox g400 dual card with a stonking (for its day)
32mb of ram. Given excellent service since about err 1999? and all she
needs when it comes down to it for her documents and spreadsheets for
working from home. I bet I can't find anything with an agp slot though.

What should I do about dual monitor? Is it worth two pci-e cards? Or
does anyone do a good dual head card like the Matrox's for modern slots
that don't cost a fortune?

For me, one good fast card for vid editing etc. and some other cheapo
nvidia basic card for the second screen for simple document editing? For
her, a single dual head without needing particular amounts of
performance?

Y'see I'm thinking of upgrading both of us as her 700mhz/512mb machine
is really groaning. 

Then the elder daughter can have the shuttle for her small desk, and our
"little late 40s bundle of surprise" 5 yr old boy will remain quite
happy for a year or two with his freecycle-obtained win98se 866mhz
machine for playing all the 90s era computer games we've a collection of
(freecycle again), and all the web pages seem to work as well as with
anything on a linux boot into edubuntu (no windows allowed on the
internet, full stop!)!

Finally, though the steel cases will do for putting stuff into, who
cares about modern and pretty styling, sounds like it isn't worth trying
to use the old atx psu's. I might as well keep a couple for spares for
the old stuff some of which I will put in the kitchen and dining room as
terminals for the kids to play with their friends on web browsing stuff
(and get them out of our study!) and freecycle the rest and any cases
left over. 

I suspect there isn't any money in ebaying old atx psu's or CDrom drives
is there? 

What about a couple of old scsi CDrom drives and a pair of scsi DVDroms
and some adaptec and other scsi 2 cards? Worth any dosh or just
freecycle the lot and have done with it?