new computer

[David Schwartz]

Check out the latest batch of Intel-based N100 Mini PCs. They’re smaller than MacMinis. 

I’d say a minimal configuration would be 32GB of RAM and 1TB (or 2TB) of SSD. I’d say an N100 is minimal CPU.

Some with AMD CPUs are cheaper as well.

Here’s a search on Amazon:

https://amzn.to/3woboP0 <https://amzn.to/3woboP0>

They don’t sort very well; here’s the cheapest Linux box I found. There are cheaper ones with Windows that you can delete.

https://amzn.to/48wM5rv <https://amzn.to/48wM5rv>

I’ve got a 2014 MacMini, a 2014 MBP, and a 2018 MacMini and they’re still going strong. You can find late-model used Intel MacMinis for a few hundred bucks that work great.

Way back in the day, the all-in-one boxes used to have problems with a serial port or the video going out and the whole thing would be dead. But that doesn’t seem to happen much any more. I use my MacMinis daily and the newer one runs the fan a lot when I’m watching videos, but other than that, they’re still humming right along. I had one of the first gen iMacs and the video card in it died shortly after the AppleCare expired. I ended up selling it for $375 anyway. Today you can buy USB-3 and USB-C expansion ports with one or more HDMI interfaces on them if the on-board video dies.

Unless you need a super-high-power over-clocked water-cooled screaming machine for gaming or bitcoin mining, I cannot see the value in building a machine from scratch unless you’re trying to do it on the cheap using recycled components. What’s the point?

-David Schwartz




> On Feb 23, 2024, at 6:46 PM, Michael via PLUG-discuss <plug-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:
> 
> I want a guy I know to put a computer together for me. I'm thinking a single core (I don't think I need more processing power than that) with 8 gig of ram. I'm wanting to spend $3-$400. I'm an older guy now and won't use it for much more than web and email. What should I tell him to put in it?
> 
> -- 
> :-)~MIKE~(-:
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