[ILUG] PC for Development: What should I be going for.

[Phil Bradley]

Frank Murphy wrote:
> What sort of box(s) should I need haedware wise (CPU\Graphics\Ram etc..)
> to help develop\test\compile linux stuff.
> 64 and 32 bit.
> 
> Is it preferable to buy ready-built or diy job.
> 
> Frank

You definitely don't need specialised hardware in the way that gamers do 
(or think they do). Once you've learned how to build PCs, the attraction 
of building your own diminishes rapidly, I recommend a bog standard Dell 
PC with a 3 year warranty. My current desktop is a Dell dimension that 
has been up for almost a year (and I'm pretty sure it only went down 
because I moved it).

Things to note:

1. Fast disks help when compiling. 7,200 RPM SATA is reasonable, 10,000K 
are still a bit of a luxury item
2. Vista's RAM requirements means party time for Linux users. Get 2GB 
just because it's cheap but you'll be hard pushed to use it all
3. Intel graphics tend to work well as long as you're not expecting 
accelerated 3D. If you do want all the nice compiz-y type effects you'll 
have the hassle of using closed source drivers for Nvidia (not sure 
about ATI)

Remember that the more boring your hardware is, the more boring your 
installation will be. Not having any war stories about installation 
means that you are actually using your computer as intended.

The chances are that most people here (myself included) enjoy the 
challenge of bringing hardware back from the dead and running Linux on 
it but, if you can afford it, try to avoid doing this with systems that 
you depend on for getting work done.

Best of luck,
  -Phil