New computer

English Open Chat
1

Hi,

first I will describe what I have now - it will be easier for me to explain what I want to achieve.

On a daily basis, I privately use a 10-year-old computer in an office configuration (integrated cards, etc.). System - Opensuse Leap

I **use the Internet **every day - browser, e-mail, bank payments - I really appreciate the fact that I have a head free from fear of viruses, exploits, etc. (I know that I am not 100% safe, but nothing bad has happened to me for over ten years).

The computer also acts as a multimedia magazine - I rip photos from phones and cameras, I keep music (mp3 and wav), I have some movies. I also have **samba and DLNA servers **running (although I use them rarely but it’s nice that they are and work).

I use a printer and scanner sometime.

I am amateur photo editing in GIMP (no big deal, simple editing, watermarks), I also tried video editing but Shotcut crashes most of the time. Nevertheless, I would like it to work.

I have two disks in my computer, some of my data is encrypted. I really like the option that - knowing the password - I can unlock the disk from any distribution or computer - it’s as if my motherboard has fallen.

I have a relatively new monitor that does not need to be replaced.

I also have an old laptop with Windows (W10), which is practically unusable, but my wife dumps her iPhone photos on it several times a year, sometimes she also uses** iTunes **to download music to the phone.

I also need Windows because of Garmin devices, or actually applications to support them.

Basically everything I wrote about, I would like to have on a new computer + better support for multimedia processing. Probably a slightly faster processor, more RAM, maybe a dedicated graphics card is enough.

Generally, I have 3 options on my mind:

  1. Build a new computer from scratch, rather with Linux, or Windows in dual boot (if possible, I’m not up to date) or in a virtual machine, of course I will pay for the license;

  2. as above but buy a used workstation such as Lenovo ThinkStation or HP Workstation Z440 - it will be cheaper;

I would have to buy a UPS for both variants, because I have problems with the power supply.

  1. Buy some relatively powerful Windows laptop and quit Linux. I do not really care about mobility, the computer would still be attached to the monitor 90% of the time on the desk, but as needed it can be taken on vacation, the problem with UPS is also eliminated. The current sheet metal can still be used as a backup or server. The downside is that I don’t know much about Windows administration. This option is the most expensive, I estimate it to be around $ 1,000

Budget up to $ 1000 for a new desktop (with UPS) or laptop.

For a used workstation, I think I could buy it for the equivalent of $ 400-500 + UPS costs. I would use existing SSD / HDD drives from my current computer.

Can you advise me somehow?

Thanks!

Sorry for my english but I am using the translator

2

Hi
Full disclosure, I’m a HP fan :wink:

I recently recommended a https://support.hp.com/gb-en/document/c07905298 to a friend with Windows 11, not sure what Garmin devices your referring to but it runs well, maybe some extra RAM and a bigger NVMe SSD for dual boot?

Anyway, I have a HP Z440 here, it runs without issues, whilst it did not come with windows installed, installing it works (Pro version) and activates, now since only has TPM 1.2, I run Windows 11 in a virtual machine since I can select TPM 2.0, likewise it activates without issues.

Graphics card prices are crazy, so that might be the issue, if getting a second hand HP Z440 (Mine was from eBay), there should be graphics and memory options. I already had AMD and Nvidia GPU’s, I also have a 1TB NVMe installed now on a HP adapter card.


inxi -Fxxz
 
System:    Kernel: 5.15.8-1-default x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.2.1 Desktop: GNOME 41.2 tk: GTK 3.24.31
           wm: gnome-shell dm: GDM Distro: openSUSE Tumbleweed 20211228
Machine:   Type: Desktop System: Hewlett-Packard product: HP Z440 Workstation v: N/A serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 6
           serial: <filter>
           Mobo: Hewlett-Packard model: 212B v: 1.01 serial: <filter> UEFI: Hewlett-Packard v: M60 v02.57 date: 05/21/2021
CPU:       Info: 12-Core model: Intel Xeon E5-2690 v3 bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Haswell rev: 2 cache: L2: 30 MiB
           flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 124521
           Speed: 1198 MHz min/max: 1200/3500 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1198 2: 1198 3: 1413 4: 1197 5: 1201 6: 1197 7: 1199
           8: 1197 9: 2296 10: 1679 11: 1198 12: 1198 13: 1198 14: 1198 15: 1198 16: 1578 17: 2595 18: 1198 19: 1198 20: 1822
           21: 1199 22: 1198 23: 1198 24: 1198
Graphics:  Device-1: AMD Lexa PRO [Radeon 540/540X/550/550X / RX 540X/550/550X] driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus-ID: 02:00.0
           chip-ID: 1002:699f
           Device-2: NVIDIA GP108 [GeForce GT 1030] vendor: eVga.com. driver: nvidia v: 495.46 bus-ID: 03:00.0
           chip-ID: 10de:1d01
           Display: x11 server: X.org 1.21.1.2 compositor: gnome-shell driver: loaded: amdgpu,ati,nvidia
           unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa alternate: nouveau,nv resolution: <missing: xdpyinfo>
           OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon RX 550 / 550 Series (POLARIS12 DRM 3.42.0 5.15.8-1-default LLVM 13.0.0)
           v: 4.6 Mesa 21.3.1 direct render: Yes
Audio:     Device-1: Intel C610/X99 series HD Audio vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           chip-ID: 8086:8d20
           Device-2: AMD Baffin HDMI/DP Audio [Radeon RX 550 640SP / RX 560/560X] driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel
           bus-ID: 02:00.1 chip-ID: 1002:aae0
           Device-3: NVIDIA GP108 High Definition Audio vendor: eVga.com. driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 03:00.1
           chip-ID: 10de:0fb8
           Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.15.8-1-default running: yes
           Sound Server-2: PulseAudio v: 15.0 running: yes
           Sound Server-3: PipeWire v: 0.3.39 running: yes
Network:   Device-1: Intel Ethernet I218-LM vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: e1000e v: kernel port: 4040 bus-ID: 00:19.0
           chip-ID: 8086:15a0
           IF: eth0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
           Device-2: ASIX AX88179 Gigabit Ethernet type: USB driver: ax88179_178a bus-ID: 2-3:2 chip-ID: 0b95:1790
           IF: eth1 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
           Device-3: ASIX AX88179 Gigabit Ethernet type: USB driver: ax88179_178a bus-ID: 2-4:3 chip-ID: 0b95:1790
           IF: eth2 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
           IF-ID-1: br0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: unknown mac: <filter>
           IF-ID-2: br1 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: unknown mac: <filter>
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 1.84 TiB used: 294.62 GiB (15.6%)
           ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 vendor: Silicon Power model: SPCC M.2 PCIe SSD size: 953.87 GiB speed: 31.6 Gb/s lanes: 4
           serial: <filter> temp: 27.9 C
           ID-2: /dev/sda vendor: Western Digital model: WDS500G2B0A-00SM50 size: 465.76 GiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter>
           ID-3: /dev/sdb type: USB vendor: HGST (Hitachi) model: HTS545050A7E680 size: 465.76 GiB serial: <filter>
Partition: ID-1: / size: 60 GiB used: 8.67 GiB (14.5%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme0n1p2
           ID-2: /boot/efi size: 247.9 MiB used: 5.1 MiB (2.1%) fs: vfat dev: /dev/nvme0n1p1
           ID-3: /home size: 99.95 GiB used: 20.89 GiB (20.9%) fs: xfs dev: /dev/nvme0n1p3
           ID-4: /opt size: 60 GiB used: 8.67 GiB (14.5%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme0n1p2
           ID-5: /var size: 60 GiB used: 8.67 GiB (14.5%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme0n1p2
Swap:      ID-1: swap-1 type: partition size: 3.62 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: -2 dev: /dev/nvme0n1p8
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 39.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: amdgpu temp: 43.0 C
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Info:      Processes: 525 Uptime: 1d 21h 32m Memory: 62.71 GiB used: 5.09 GiB (8.1%) Init: systemd v: 249 runlevel: 5
           target: graphical.target Compilers: gcc: 11.2.1 alt: 11 Packages: N/A note: see --pkg Shell: Bash v: 5.1.12
           running-in: tilda inxi: 3.3.07

This setup is probably overkill for your needs… but for me, packaging, kubernetes etc it’s perfect for spinning up virtual or docker instances.

Now, I have a HP 15-aw057nr Laptop (purchased from the local pawn shop), this has dual AMD graphics and was upgraded to windows 11 (On a separate SSD cdrom caddy), it also runs SLED 11 SP3 on Wayland (doesn’t show secondary gpu, but DRI_PRIME=1 works)


inxi -Fxxz


System:
  Kernel: 5.3.18-59.37-default x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 7.5.0 
  Desktop: Gnome 3.34.5 wm: gnome-shell dm: GDM Distro: SLED 15.3 15-SP3 
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: HP product: HP Pavilion Notebook v: N/A 
  serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 10 serial: <filter> 
  Mobo: HP model: 81FE v: 81.21 serial: <filter> UEFI: American Megatrends 
  v: F.32 date: 04/25/2019 
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 22.9 Wh condition: 22.9/22.9 Wh (100%) volts: 8.7/7.7 
  model: Hewlett-Packard Primary serial: <filter> status: Full 
CPU:
  Topology: Quad Core model: AMD A10-9600P RADEON R5 10 COMPUTE CORES 4C+6G 
  bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Excavator rev: 1 L2 cache: 1024 KiB 
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm 
  bogomips: 19164 
  Speed: 1187 MHz min/max: 1200/2400 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1196 2: 1193 
  3: 1189 4: 1191 
Graphics:
  Device-1: AMD Wani [Radeon R5/R6/R7 Graphics] vendor: Hewlett-Packard 
  driver: amdgpu v: kernel bus ID: 00:01.0 chip ID: 1002:9874 
  Device-2: Chicony HP Wide Vision HD type: USB driver: uvcvideo 
  bus ID: 1-1.3:3 chip ID: 04f2:b56d 
  Display: wayland server: X.Org 1.20.3 compositor: gnome-shell 
  driver: amdgpu,ati unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa 
  resolution: 1366x768~60Hz s-dpi: 96 
  OpenGL: 
  renderer: AMD CARRIZO (DRM 3.39.0 5.3.18-59.37-default LLVM 11.0.1) 
  v: 4.6 Mesa 20.2.4 direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: AMD Kabini HDMI/DP Audio vendor: Hewlett-Packard 
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:01.1 chip ID: 1002:9840 
  Device-2: AMD Family 15h Audio vendor: Hewlett-Packard 
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:09.2 chip ID: 1022:157a 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.3.18-59.37-default 
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL810xE PCI Express Fast Ethernet 
  vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: r8169 v: kernel port: e000 bus ID: 02:00.0 
  chip ID: 10ec:8136 
  IF: eth0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
  Device-2: Intel Wireless 3165 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel port: e000 
  bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 8086:3165 
  IF: wlan0 state: down mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 456.46 GiB used: 9.64 GiB (2.1%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Western Digital model: WDS250G2B0A-00SM50 
  size: 232.89 GiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> 
  ID-2: /dev/sdb vendor: SanDisk model: SDSSDXPS240G size: 223.57 GiB 
  speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 60.00 GiB used: 6.16 GiB (10.3%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda2 
  ID-2: /home size: 169.92 GiB used: 3.48 GiB (2.0%) fs: xfs dev: /dev/sda3 
  ID-3: /opt size: 60.00 GiB used: 6.16 GiB (10.3%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda2 
  ID-4: /tmp size: 60.00 GiB used: 6.16 GiB (10.3%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda2 
  ID-5: /var size: 60.00 GiB used: 6.16 GiB (10.3%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda2 
Swap:
  ID-1: swap-1 type: partition size: 2.63 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) 
  priority: -2 dev: /dev/sda4 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 54.0 C mobo: N/A 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
  GPU: device: amdgpu temp: 45 C device: amdgpu temp: 29 C 
Info:
  Processes: 249 Uptime: N/A Memory: 10.89 GiB used: 862.6 MiB (7.7%) 
  Init: systemd v: 246 runlevel: 5 target: graphical.target Compilers: 
  gcc: 7.5.0 alt: 7 Shell: bash v: 4.4.23 running in: gnome-terminal 
  inxi: 3.1.00

My on-the-road Laptop is a HP 14-an013nr, I like the smaller footprint, not a speed daemon, but functional, it dual boots as well.


inxi -Fxxz


System:    Kernel: 5.3.18-59.37-default x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 7.5.0 Desktop: Gnome 3.34.5 wm: gnome-shell dm: GDM 
           Distro: openSUSE Leap 15.3 
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: HP product: HP Notebook v: Type1ProductConfigId serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 10 
           serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: HP model: 8305 v: KBC Version 73.16 serial: <filter> UEFI: Insyde v: F.36 date: 05/11/2020 
Battery:   ID-1: BAT0 charge: 28.6 Wh condition: 28.6/28.6 Wh (100%) volts: 12.5/10.9 model: Hewlett-Packard Primary 
           serial: <filter> status: Full 
CPU:       Topology: Quad Core model: AMD E2-7110 APU with AMD Radeon R2 Graphics bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Puma rev: 1 
           L2 cache: 2048 KiB 
           flags: avx lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm bogomips: 14373 
           Speed: 1455 MHz min/max: 1000/1800 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1797 2: 1797 3: 1797 4: 1797 
Graphics:  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Mullins [Radeon R3 Graphics] vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: amdgpu 
           v: kernel bus ID: 00:01.0 chip ID: 1002:9850 
           Device-2: Chicony HP TrueVision HD type: USB driver: uvcvideo bus ID: 1-1.4:4 chip ID: 04f2:b56c 
           Display: x11 server: X.org 1.20.3 compositor: gnome-shell driver: amdgpu,ati unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa 
           resolution: <xdpyinfo missing> 
           OpenGL: renderer: AMD KABINI (DRM 3.39.0 5.3.18-59.37-default LLVM 11.0.1) v: 4.6 Mesa 20.2.4 direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Kabini HDMI/DP Audio vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: snd_hda_intel 
           v: kernel bus ID: 00:01.1 chip ID: 1002:9840 
           Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] FCH Azalia vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:14.2 chip ID: 1022:780d 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.3.18-59.37-default 
Network:   Device-1: Realtek RTL810xE PCI Express Fast Ethernet vendor: Hewlett-Packard driver: r8169 v: kernel port: 2000 
           bus ID: 02:00.0 chip ID: 10ec:8136 
           IF: eth0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Intel Wireless 3165 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel port: 2000 bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 8086:3165 
           IF: wlan1 state: down mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 111.79 GiB used: 13.51 GiB (12.1%) 
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: OCZ model: VERTEX460A size: 111.79 GiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> 
Partition: ID-1: / size: 25.00 GiB used: 6.54 GiB (26.2%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda3 
           ID-2: /home size: 25.00 GiB used: 6.54 GiB (26.2%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda3 
           ID-3: /opt size: 25.00 GiB used: 6.54 GiB (26.2%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda3 
           ID-4: /tmp size: 25.00 GiB used: 6.54 GiB (26.2%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda3 
           ID-5: /var size: 25.00 GiB used: 6.54 GiB (26.2%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/sda3 
Swap:      ID-1: swap-1 type: partition size: 1.50 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: -2 dev: /dev/sda5 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 42.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: amdgpu temp: 59 C 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Info:      Processes: 280 Uptime: N/A Memory: 6.75 GiB used: 1021.2 MiB (14.8%) Init: systemd v: 246 target: graphical.target 
           Compilers: gcc: N/A Shell: bash v: 4.4.23 running in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.1.00
3

Thanks for your comments.

I will try to relate to them.

Garmin. I use eTrex 32 - the only option to update the device is a USB cable and the Garmin application (maps and gpx files can be loaded from a Linux desktop but the Garmin update requires the Gramin Express application and more advanced work with maps - BaseCamp; on Linux I use QMapShack but either it does not work perfect or I can’t use it, BaseCamo seems friendlier).

iTunes for my wife - these are generally the main reasons why I need Windows.

I am trying to upgrade an old laptop - but doubling the RAM from 2x2 GB to 2x4 failed - one slot does not detect new memory, I can at most stay with the 2 GB + 4 GB configuration. So far I have not noticed any significant improvement.

I also bought an SSD to which I was supposed to clone the old HDD, but for now I refrained from it - I will explain the reason in a moment.

My old desktop did not need to be replaced urgently, although as I mentioned - I did not manage to fully use the video processing on Shotcut.
But in a situation where the laptop upgrade is doubtful, I thought to replace my desktop - or simply a new laptop with Windows - Asus Zenbook or Dell Inspiron, or to remain faithful to Opensuse :slight_smile:

For the equivalent of about $ 300, I can buy the HP Workstation Z420 Tower E5-1620
with 8 GB RAM DDR3 configuration
Disk: 240 SSD.

It seems to me that 240 GB SSD will be enough for the system and the / home partition
Alternatively, I can use my existing 500 GB SSD and the second - 1 TB HDD.
I need some space for photos, and if I deal with video editing, the space will quickly run out.

8 GB RAM is certainly not enough, I think that with Windows in a virtual machine 16 GB will be the minimum - that’s why I would spend the next money on RAM and a Windows license.

Alternatively - for a similar price - I can buy a Lenovo ThinkStation P500:
NVIDIA QUADRO NVS 295
8GB DDR4
Disk: 300 GB SAS

The purchase of such a workstation will probably be a more developmental option than the upgrade of an old laptop?
The main thing - to spend as little money as possible and get the best effect :slight_smile:

Thank You!

4

My favourites are now (I prefer 17" notebooks)
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/lapto…md/len101g0010
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/lapto…l)/len101g0003

5

@galko_ferdinand

Thanks for your suggestions. However, a laptop with a 17 "screen seems too big to me. As I wrote, I would connect it to an external monitor 90% of the time.
Certainly, changing my desktop to a laptop would make me use it more often in other places at home, outside it - but I think a 14 “or 15.6” screen would be enough for me.

Greetings!

6

I use Dell 7490 - only get gen 8 (i5-8350 as the smallest) - 14 inch display = lots for sale on eBay.
Don’t be afraid to get a model with small memory and disk

you can add 32 gb of 2400 DDR4 for about $120 and a 1 TB nvme for $110. Cheap Dell Latitude 7490 can be had under $400 and all have Windows 10 license in BIOS. New battery is under $50.

I run OpenSUSE 15.3 as host and VirtualBox guest machines of 15.3, Tumblrweed, Windows 10 - the VM machines make easy backup - just copy the vdi file as a backup. If you setup VirtualBox with Bridged Networking you can have Webservers in the virtual machine - editing videos needs lots of memory -32gb is almost enough.

Low power - they come with a 60Watt Power Supply. Spares Power Supplies are $35.

(I am retired HP engineer - Dell laptops are easier and less expensive to fix.) the Dell website has manual that show how to replace any part. - I just repaired a friends broken screen with a new one in 5 minutes and cost less than $100 with shipping.

You will have to find some company on eBay that does international shipping and can fill out the customs forms for anything you order from America.

Good Luck

7

@larryr

Thank you for your suggestion.

For the equivalent of $ 590, I can buy a Dell Latitude 7490 i5-8350U 8GB 256GB SSD FHD.
For the equivalent of $ 640, I can double the amount of RAM and disk capacity.
The battery does not really matter to me, it is important that it works as a UPS in the event of an electricity failure.

But…
For a slightly smaller amount, I can have the Lenovo ThinkStation P500 - and I’d rather have it than my laptop. By using the disks from my current computer, I could upgrade it.
Of course, by buying the proposed Dell, I could simply use Windows on it, leaving my old desktop with Opensuse as a backup and a file server.

The last thing - video processing, which I wrote about, is not a big deal, just editing videos taken with the phone.

Thank you and best regards!

8

Welcome to the New Year,

At the moment, I am still thinking about modernizing my old laptop - it is the cheapest option but without the possibility of further development.

Nevertheless, the option to replace my current computer, although not so urgent, is still interesting.

The favorite is the Lenovo ThinkStation P500 with NVIDIA QUADRO NVS 295.
I would expand the RAM to 32 GB, buy a M.2 PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 disk with a capacity of 128 - 250 GB for the system and the / home partition.

For data, I would use the SSD and HDD drives I already have, including external ones, on which I have backups of important documents and family photos. Thanks to this, I would tidy up the desk and gain the possibility of using RAID, or I would simply mount the disk - archive on demand and copy important files. And all in one housing, with cables hidden inside :slight_smile:

The decision-making process is difficult for me, it includes hours of verifying information on the Internet, drawing schematic diagrams and even visualizing what it will look like in my office;)

Finally, an anecdote - over a year ago I almost went completely to the apple reserve - having an iPhone and iPad, I bought a mac mini but finally sent the mini back, and then got rid of apple devices, today only my wife uses them :slight_smile:

Greetings

9

For a broad overview e.g. browse their site: Office PC konfigurieren + bestellen I did the same with Custom Workstation Computers | Puget Systems when configuring my i7-6700K in 2016 and finally arrived with a desktop delivering 90% of their performance at half the costs.

The benefit of this approach is easy and affordable upgrading:
https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/541321-Upgrading-the-Hardware?p=3086058#post3086058 # 80€
https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/541321-Upgrading-the-Hardware?p=3086058#post3086058 # 189 €
Host erlangen is ready for many more years to come.

See also the upgrade of the i3-4130 from 2014: https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/541321-Upgrading-the-Hardware?p=2944249#post2944249 Last year I considered giving away the replaced parts. However I ended up with buying a new case (60€), power supply (45€) and SSD (40€). The i3-4130 still makes for a great backup system after 8 years.

10

Hi
The NVS 295 is no longer supported, so would only be nouveau driver…

11

oops …
Thanks for the warning.
Is the lack of producer support a big problem in this case? Sorry to ask so directly, but generally I was dealing with Intel integrated cards.

If NVS 295 is not supported, I might just look for another computer. What kind of graphics card to look for? Maybe K2200?

Thank you!

12

I think that my current desktop can be used as a file server for a few more years. In fact, only one application - Shotcut is not working properly, probably the computer is too weak for it.
I also thought about expanding it, but the casing is too small, it can only hold 1 HDD 5.25 “and 1 SSD 2.5”.

So I wouldn’t invest in this computer. When buying a new laptop (including the Dell used here) I would probably leave it as a backup / samba / DLNA server anyway - at least at the beginning.

When buying a workstation, however, I would live to minimize the amount of hardware, and then I would get rid of it, taking disks from it.

My current desktop is:


inxi -Fxxz
System:    Kernel: 5.3.18-lp152.106-preempt x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 7.5.0 Desktop: MATE 1.24.0 wm: marco dm: LightDM 
           Distro: openSUSE Leap 15.2 
Machine:   Type: Desktop Mobo: Intel model: DH61DL v: AAG14066-205 serial: <filter> BIOS: Intel 
           v: BEH6110H.86A.0038.2012.0110.1653 date: 01/10/2012 
CPU:       Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Pentium G630 bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Sandy Bridge rev: 7 L2 cache: 3072 KiB 
           flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 10774 
           Speed: 2264 MHz min/max: 1600/2700 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 2373 2: 2059 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 
           chip ID: 8086:0102 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.3 compositor: marco driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa alternate: intel 
           resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz s-dpi: 96 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Sandybridge Desktop v: 3.3 Mesa 19.3.4 compat-v: 3.0 direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel 6 Series/C200 Series Family High Definition Audio driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 
           chip ID: 8086:1c20 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.3.18-lp152.106-preempt 
Network:   Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: TP-LINK TG-3468 driver: r8169 v: kernel 
           port: e000 bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 10ec:8168 
           IF: eth3 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 1.36 TiB used: 743.30 GiB (53.2%) 
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: HGST (Hitachi) model: HTS725050A7E630 size: 465.76 GiB speed: 3.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> 
           ID-2: /dev/sdb vendor: Seagate model: ST1000DM003-1CH162 size: 931.51 GiB speed: 3.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> 
Partition: ID-1: / size: 27.09 GiB used: 17.92 GiB (66.2%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3 
           ID-2: /home size: 55.67 GiB used: 41.10 GiB (73.8%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/dm-0 
Swap:      ID-1: swap-1 type: partition size: 8.42 GiB used: 33.2 MiB (0.4%) priority: -2 dev: /dev/sda2 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 43.0 C mobo: N/A 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Info:      Processes: 186 Uptime: 9h 34m Memory: 7.67 GiB used: 1.96 GiB (25.6%) Init: systemd v: 234 runlevel: 5 
           target: graphical.target Compilers: gcc: 7.5.0 alt: 7 Shell: bash v: 4.4.23 running in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.1.00
13

Hi
Only from the point of not being able to run the proprietary driver… The K2200 is, see Linux x64 (AMD64/EM64T) Display Driver | 470.94 | Linux 64-bit | NVIDIA

Or look at an AMD option?

14

@malcolmlewis

Thank You very much!

15

Both the CPU and the Drives are abysmal. A refurbished workstation is a bad idea, in my opinion of course. Even the smallest core i3 outperforms most out of date systems:
Intel Pentium G630 @ 2.70GHz vs Intel Core i3-10100 @ 3.60GHz [cpubenchmark.net] by PassMark Software Affordable boards and memory are available for socket 1200. SSDs are now affordable too.

16

@karlmistelberger

Thank you for your opinion.
Unfortunately, apart from the fact that I am not up to date with the hardware, I also use a translator.

So let’s try to communicate :slight_smile:

If I understand you correctly, you are rejecting the idea of ​​investing in old workstation. In part, I will admit you are right, because I am completely unfamiliar with hardware.

As for my current computer - is your suggestion to upgrade this machine?

First thing - I have two drives there - HDD, which is a data store (music, photos, movies - these files are shared by samba / DLNA servers).

I have the system, / home and swap on my SSD.
I also have a DVD in this computer - archaic technology, but thanks to it I have my music from CDs on the HDD …

In this case, I would have to replace the motherboard (by the way - my network card is damaged and I’m using a new one on a PCie).

Could you suggest me some configurations? As I wrote - I would like the computer to cope with simple video editing and with VirtualBox (Windows).

The casing is a limitation, because it is small, apart from DVD it can only contain 1 HDD and 1 SSD. I would like to use the drives that I have, but I do not insist on doing so.

Thank you!

17

Complementing the above:

  1. the board must be mITX
  2. I would start with 16 GB RAM (rather 1x16?)
  3. I think I would still use two hard drives - 1 fast for system and /home (256 GB) and the other, at least 1 TB for data - unless it’s a bad idea, straight from the HDD era and one high-capacity fast disk is enough?
18

Have a look at the parts list of: A Computer Build To Last For At Least The Next 8 Years (UPDATED FOR 2021)

The build is oversized for your requirements. If you like the build I can suggest an adjusted parts list. I don’t see a SSD in your inxi output. You can plug your HDDs into this build. Micro ITX narrows down your options and rises costs. Micro ATX is cheaper and more flexible. ATX is easiest, flexible and inexpensive as all my builds in the signature.

19

You’re right, I don’t have an SSD. I had the previous, small Transcend - 32 GB but I replaced it a few years ago with a 2.5 "HDD - and I forgot about it [facepalm]. I was convinced that it was an SSD …

Regarding the mITX board - this is my chase - CHIETEC BT-02B. There is a choice - the old housing and searching among mITX boards or adding the housing to the shopping list.
In the store where I usually buy electronics, many items are unavailable. This applies to the cheaper ones. For example, MSI MEG Z490I UNIFY is available.

In turn, mATX is available twice as cheap MSI MAG B560M BAZOOKA, so for the price difference I can buy a new chase.

These are just two arbitrary examples of motherboards, what is your opinion on this?

What processor would you suggest? i5 10th gen will be enough?

Considering the option with the Dell Latitude 7490 laptop, I could buy it for about $ 600 (Intel Core i7-8650U 16 GB / 256.00 GB). For $ 80 I could buy a docking station, for another $ 80 a battery, and for 130 - a 1TB drive. So for the equivalent of $ 900, I could buy a laptop.

We can consider $ 900 on the top of my desktop upgrade budget, although I’d rather spend less, say $ 600.
I would need:

  • motherboard
  • processor
  • RAM
  • chase (if we change the disc format to other than mITX)

Edit:
I did not include a cooling paste or a Windows license in my list, but the license is not urgent as long as I still have an old laptop.

I certainly do not need a DVD because I have, I would also buy an SSD drive, but only for the system and at / home, taking into account the processing of photos and videos, 250 GB should be enough to save projects, ready films and photos would be stored on the HDD.

20

filip76,
since you are speaking about the predecade experience, two major things that changed for me during this period: KVM and USB 3.0.

Could you suggest me some configurations? As I wrote - I would like the computer to cope with simple video editing and with VirtualBox (…).

I dropped vbox as a desktop hypervisor and switched to KVM there. Since on have been having a wonderful experience with sharing USB devices with hosted VMs - mic, cameras and stuff on the conference calls included.

Moreover, an external 3.0 USB ssd hard drives work surprisingly efficiently when running KVM based VMs. If you do not plan a vm farm on external disks you are not going to be disappointed with current USB speeds.