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PlanningPage initially created: 2025-03-07. Laura's Linux ComputerI last built a computer for Laura in 2016, running Xubuntu. Parts order:
I generally went pretty cheap on this unit, trying to squeeze it into a $500 budget. The prices listed above come up to $509. I later added a PCI board to add a USB 3.0 front panel interface (which the box supported). I'm not seeing a video card, so CPU must have had online video. The hard drive died later, and was replaced with a SSD. Keyboard/mouse/monitor not specified, so we used whatever we had on hand (probably from old system). Same for speakers. Keyboard and mouse, and probably monitor, have been upgraded since. There is no need to go that cheap again, but it has been a pretty adequate computer, and her requirements are fairly modest. I won't bother linking to everything I considered here. After some discussion of Mini PC options -- roughly a 5x5x2 inch package with built-in video and wi-fi, designed to sit on desk or even on a rack attachable to the back of a monitor -- she decided to let me build another mini-tower box. I sketched out something in the $800 range, and she approved. The following is what I wound up ordering:
* CPU includes free: Team Group T-Force Vulcan Z 2.5" 512GB SATA III NAND Internal SSD: valued at $37.99 I originally listed a CPU Liquid Cooler: Corsair Nautilus 240 RS 2 RS 120 Fans: $85.11, but on checking out it came with an extra shipping charge ("from Canada") and delivery was kicked out almost two weeks, so I deleted it. I'll shop elsewhere. Total (no CPU cooler) $747.06. Delivery Friday, June 27. Further notes: CPU: PassMark: multithread: 29997, single thread: 4570; CPUmark/$ 167.59. Clockspeed: 3.9GHz; Turbo Speed: 5.4GHz; Typical TDP: 65W. Cache per CPU Package: L1 Instruction: 6x32KB, L1 Data: 6x48KB; L2: 6x1024KB; L3: 32MB. CPU Mark relative to top 10 common desktop CPUs is 4th, below AMD Ryzen 9 5900X (39,015, $258), above AMD Ryzen 5 5600X (21,861, $129). List of "machines with this CPU (or similar) range from $1199-1699, all "gaming" machines with 32GB RAM, 1TB M.2 SSD, 650W power supply (where specified, most not), various graphics cards (3 have NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060; also Radeon RX 7600, NVIDIA RTX 5060). Two most expensive have water coolers. Motherboard: I wanted AM5, with 4 DDR SIM slots, and thought WiFi might be a plus, but otherwise I wasn't very demanding. I like the idea of BTF wiring, but I'm not finding much info on that count in the motherboard spec sheets. ASUS and ASRock are brands I've bought in the past. Case: Laura wanted smaller, but not much variation in ATX cases, the main new trend is to move the wiring and possibly the power supply off to the side (instead of above or below). Micro-ATX cases are available, but are not cheaper, and not much smaller. Laura likes the gaming lighting, so I leaned toward cases with more glass. Some size comparisons:
SSD: CPU includes a bundled 512GB SSD, but it uses SATA instead of M.2 NVME connection. M.2 should be faster: according to PCIe generation: 3.0 (3500 MB/s), 4.0 (7500 MB/s). 5.0 (10-12000 MB/s), vs. 550 MB/s for SATA. Motherboard has: 1 Blazing M.2 for type 2260/2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 GB/s mode); 1 Hyper M.2 (64 GB/s), 1 M.2 (32 GB/s) Power Supply: Notes: 80+ Bronze vs. Gold certification: former is at least 82% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load; latter at lest 87% efficient, so less heat waste. In between is Silver, and higher is Platinum. 80+ is below Bronze, at 80% instead of 82%. ATX 3.1 has a new cable used for high-powered video cards (12V-2X6 vs. 12VHPWR). MSI MAG A550BN ATX80+ Bronze (550W): $54.99 -- ATX 80+ Bronze (650W): $74.99 -- ATX 80+ Bronze (750W): $94.99 -- ATX 3.0 80+ Gold (650W): $99.99 -- ATX 3.1 80+ Gold (750W): $109.99 - compact sizing, flat cables SAMA GT650BK 80 PLUS Gold ATX 3.1: $64.99 -- GT850: $124.99 Corsair CX CX750 80 PLUS Bronze ATX: $89.99 (not modular?) Miscellaneous NotesMotherboard form factors (DTX boards less common; there are some larger form factors, but no need to consider them here):
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