I’m considering a new computer, looking at Dell Vostro 470 mini-tower with i5-3450 and Intel HD Graphics 2500.
I’ve read some posts here that leave me wondering if perhaps this hardware has some issues w/ suse 12.2.
Since this would be an online purchase I can’t try the live CD first and am looking for advise/confirmation if
this computer will install ok.
Thanks, Jon
Let me say that my first attempt (Intel i7 2600K) was not too good under openSUSE 12.1, but the basic video driver is in the kernel file and you can upgrade the kernel up to the very latest release if you need to do so. I have a bash script that can do this for you. Further, all you would need to do is to buy the least expensive nVIDIA card that works in your PC later and pop it in if you need to. Some are as cheap as $50 US that would work for you. One thing is for sure, it is supported officially, but lots of different video chipsets have this problem or that, the Intel i5 or i7 is what I would get and you have other options that do not spell the end of the world later if you need to do that. Unless you are spending your last dime on this PC and have no access to buying new hardware later, I would buy this PC you can afford and face the fixable issues later when and if they come. A Laptop known to use Optimus tech is the only thing I would not do.
Thank You,
James:
Thanks so much for this info. Actually, the machine I’m looking at has the option of an NVIDIA GeForce GT 620 for an additional $50.00 so it’s probably worth it to me to [size=2]select that option.[/size]
Jon
Yes, I do agree with that assessment. Further, I would pull the new video card once just to give the native video a try, to see what you will get. While not the same thing, on my latest PC, I got the i7 3770K and put in an older nVIDIA 275. I am now running the native built-in nVIDIA driver called nouveau with the GT 275 and it is working very well for me and I am happy to see it running so well. I do have a newer GT 560 in another PC where I have loaded the latest nVIDIA driver, now up to 304.60 as I do recall. When you get your new system, you must come back and tell us how it is working and to get any more help that you may require. Good luck with your new PC Purchase.
Thank You,
Very good. I know I will be needing that help as I have very little expertise w/ Linux even though I have been plinking at it for at least a decade. I’m only now getting serious and am switching to it as a main OS. Also hoping to run os/2 in vBox.
I took the plunge and bought a i7 3770, Dell had a great deal and the cost differential between i5 & i7 was very small. It comes with an AMD Radeon HD 7570 and the only info I could find here was on earlier HD’s. I have not kept abreast of the technology and I hope it all works well with a non-MS system. So I have my fingers crossed, about 2 weeks for delivery.
Appreciate all the help so far.
jon
You will want to use the proprietary AMD fglrx driver (the current situation on the OSS driver front for the HD 7xxx series is improving but still crappy: [Phoronix] RadeonSI Gallium3D Driver Gets A Big TODO List](http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTE3MDY) … stock 12.2 supplied drivers would be even worse). Though it doesn’t appear that you were interested in it, do note that, out of the box, you won’t be able to use the the two graphics adapters concurrently … you can do it, but it will have to be manually configured.
I have an IvyBridge on OpenSuse and it works fine with kernels >3.4 and mesa >8.03, which is both the case in OS12.2. Upgrading the kernel to >3.5.3 also showed improvement on that machine.
It comes with an AMD Radeon HD 7570 and the only info I could find here was on earlier HD’s.
which makes my above statement completely superfluous for you, but hey maybe someone else has similar problems 
Tyler:
You are correct, I will not be running 2 adapters nor will I be running anything more than 1 screen. However I will be using a KVM switch for multiple systems and that old device uses ps/2 connections whereas the new computer will have usb inputs. I know there are adapters but I wonder if they will work. A different issue is that my APC UPS uses a proprietary serial cable and the computer probably doesn’t have a 9 pin serial port (but I haven’t checked that out yet). So I see the above as my primary obstacles for an upgrade into this century of computing…
Re: fgrlx. What driver should I select when I so the original install, or should I have the fgrlx available on a mem stick for selection?
Thanks, Jon
If you are going to attach your monitor to the discrete HD 7xxx graphics adapter (and I’m assuming its a PCIe card):
Just install and run atiupgrade. It should download and install the correct driver.
The system might come with a PS/2 (a shared usage one) … but it might be time to just get a new one; KVM (I have no idea if the adapters would work for it, or if it would be any cheaper just picking up a newer usb based one instead … alternatively, if you’re monitor has input switching, you might want to see about dispensing with a KVM altogether and use the monior’s built in capability along with Synergy (which will provide the KM part)…as for the serial port for the apc, if the system’s mobo doesn’t provide one (or even an onboard header that you could route a backpane connector too) you could likely get a cheap serial card (either PCI or PCIe … depending upon your requirements … though, that also adds an additional translation layer, and might invoke unexpected results … though, on the other hand, I doubt it for serial)
Good luck!
I have an 15 3570k running with the inbuilt intel 4500 graphics. all seems to work ok including USB3 etc. The MB is an ASUS p8h77m pro. It has 16GB ram, 3 hdd. However I run a minimal openSUSE 12.2 from an external 50GB HDD that was rescued from a very old laptop. If you have enough fast memory, at least with the 4500 graphics you probably do not need a separate graphics card unless you are playing games or other very heavy 3d graphics
Fantastic. Thanks
jon
Thanks everyone for the useful info. I am going to first try a PS/2 to USB converter for the KVM and a serial/usb converter for the UPS. As a fallback I’ll get a serial card for the UPS. The system has 4 pcix slots and I guess the video card uses one. Is a pci-x slot backwards compatible with pci?
The video card is a bit of a mystery. I bought a minitower and the online manual is for a desktop. I presume the MB’s are the same but the ‘customize’ option did not have any extra video choices, only the Radeon HD 7570. I assumed it was on the MB but now realize it is probably an addin video card. Maybe the MB has a built-in Intel chip that is bios disabled as shipped. I’ll have to check when it gets here. I don’t really think I need the Radeon, I only got it because it was the default selection didn’t realize there were no other choices. So perhaps the MB doesn’t have a built-in video. Seems odd that Dell would offer the Radeon as a default selection and not charge extra for it.
Jon
You mean PCIe (PCI Express) … PCI, PCI-X and PCIe are all distict buses … see wikipedia:
PCI Express - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The video card is a bit of a mystery. I bought a minitower and the online manual is for a desktop. I presume the MB’s are the same but the ‘customize’ option did not have any extra video choices, only the Radeon HD 7570. I assumed it was on the MB but now realize it is probably an addin video card.
It has to be:
Maybe the MB has a built-in Intel chip that is bios disabled as shipped. I’ll have to check when it gets here. I don’t really think I need the Radeon, I only got it because it was the default selection didn’t realize there were no other choices. So perhaps the MB doesn’t have a built-in video.
As mentioned, the mobo itself won’t have a built in IGPU, but the cpu most definitely will! But yep, its quite possible that they’ve disabled the Intel iGPU in bios if they’ve shipped the system in that configuration (i.e. sold it with a radeon HD 7xxx). And yeah, by the reads of it, you likely don’t really have a need for the discrete radeon card.
Seems odd that Dell would offer the Radeon as a default selection and not charge extra for it.
I’m pretty sure they’re not giving it to ya for free
Likely packaged as an attraction to anyone who might want to do a little more then causal gaming … as while the iGPUs of recent vintage have greatly improved, they are still anemic in the mind’s eye of gamers.
Tyler:
OK, thanks for this. It doesn’t seem to matter how much research I do on something, it is never enuf.
Gaming is not me, so I bought a system with a card I don’t need. The price was so good I didn’t even give the video card a thought at the time of purchase.
Of course, the focus of this machine is w7 & w8 so I guess it makes marketing sense in that regard.
Jon
I have this situation with 2 PCs. One 11 years old (uses PS/2) and one 3 years old (uses USB). I use an ATEN Masterview CS1784 KVM (which is old and no longer in the market, with newer ones present).
I use the KVM USB connection with both my newer and my older PC. When grub 1st comes up the KVM USB keyboard is not recognized on the older PC (it does work with the newer PC). When X window (with LXDE finally boots) the USB keyboard is recognized in the older PC. This old PC sits underneath my desktop, so I just connected a second PS/2 keyboard to it, which works with Grub so if I wish during boot I use that PS/2 to change the grub boot selection. Once the PC is past the Grub boot menu, I switch to using the KVM keyboard. I keep the older PC’s PS/2 keyboard under the desk, out of the way, on top of the old PC (there is just enough space).
Not an elegant solution, but it works. And most the time I ‘go with’ the grub default boot selection so the PS/2 keyboard is not needed.
So what are you running on that other box? I abandoned my KVM-switch years ago when I discovered VirtualBox. Your brand new system should be good enough to run virtual machines, I use it to run Win XP and some testservers. Just a thought, but you’d get a cleaner desktop and a lower energy bill.
I’d imagine that, provided the new system has enough RAM (and disk storage space to create and house the VMs in the first place), the technical word you were looking for was “oodles” as opposed to “should” 
So what are you running on that other box? I abandoned my KVM-switch years ago when I discovered VirtualBox.
he actually mentions earlier in the thread about looking to do OS/2 in VBox
I am running Suse in one box and 2 other boxes are running eComstation (os/2). I’m a bit concerned that the KVM won’t work with the new box due to the KVM being ps/2. I have bought a ps/2 to usb converter and have my fingers crossed. One of the os/2 boxes provides my home with NAT/Firewall/Gateway services so it is always running. I’ll repurpose my current Suse box to run ecomstation and it will replace the old Pentium III (that is not a typo!) that is the NAT/Gateway machine to a blazing Celeron D. I bought the new box in order to run vBox with eComstation under Suse, it will replace my other os/2 machine.
Jon