OT: Can someone help me pick out a desktop machine? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

13 Mar 2011

At 05:26 PM 3/13/2011, you wrote:
...
 On Sun, Mar 13, 2011 at 4:46 PM, Dan Gahlinger
<dgahling at hotmail.com> wrote:

 The only basic recommendation I can make is, make sure it has an AMD cpu.

 Now, before this gets into another CPU flame war,
 Intel has for a while decided that the users/owners rights don't matter,
 it's DRM (digital rights management) all the way for them,
 with even the ability to disable or remove   software "they" don't
want you to run.
  oh, you paid for that program? that's too
bad.

 no thanks, when I buy a machine, I buy it, not a license to use it.
 go ahead, get Intel, let them monitor everything you do. 
I didn't know that!  Thanks!

  but the usual fanboys will say - the faster 
 is better, more cores is better, more FSB is 
 better, larger cache is better. blah

I found an HP machine there for around $850 that has a 6 core AMD chip
and 8 gigs of ram.  The motherboard can take 16 gigs also.  I think
that may be the winner. 
The box I just built from scratch has a AMD 
Phenom II X6 1090T "Black" CPU. I ran their 
overclocking utility and got 17% boost without 
even really trying hard. It's running at 3.7 mhz 
(3.2 mhz nominal cpu) though I suppose I could 
push it harder by upping the voltage a little.

...
   why a desktop
anyhow? why not a decent   notebook? why not an ipad2 (its under your price
requirement) ?
  the desktop days are numbered (yeah, just  
like the year of the linux desktop is every year) 
Not a chance. The public buys notebooks and 
laptops and pads because they're cool, but in my 
job, repairability is crucial, and it's also a 
little harder to steal a desktop. Or lose it.

...
 I really dislike notebooks.  I think they have less
power for the
money.  They're also less expandable.  I've also had a lot of problems
from a variety of notebook manufacturers.  For gateway, the keys fell
off.  For a few toshibas, the power bricks crapped out, then the power
connector in the machine broke so you can't charge.  My daughter had
an asus or acer or something with flaky 802.11g.  It would drop the
connection making her reconnect every 5 minutes, then went out
completely.  Replaced it, then the new one did the same.  I can't seem
to get one that just keeps working.  I have amiga computers that still
work, why can't a notebook last more than 3 months? 
Preach it brother. I'm right with you.

...
   most companies
aren't even making desktops   any more, or are cutting back, or ending soon.

846 . One tentacle, one vote.
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