my parents present to me:

Thu Nov 24 14:41:42 MST 2011

Dual-core means there's really, seriously two CPUs in there.  The AMD
"Opteron" has eight "cores" - separate CPUs.

There's some applications out there that are set up to run on two CPUs
at once.  Most don't.  It also helps some when you do "virtualization"
- run one OS such as, say, WinXP underneath another OS such as Linux.

OK.  Look.  There ARE some low-end CPUs and GPUs (Graphics Processing
Units) that choke hard on Linux.  A lot of CPUs (including the C-50)
are integrated with the graphics processor, which is why the CPU can
be trouble.

AMD/ATI (same company) graphics tend to work well with Linux these
days.  AMD has put out a lot of data on how their GPUs work, which has
let the open source community build good drivers.  You should be OK
with any AMD/ATI GPU except the very highest end.  Referring to this
page, it looks like you want the absolute latest Linux variants for
the 6250 card:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RadeonDriver

That means run Oneiric, or Linux Mint 12, or the latest release Fedora
or similar.

The Intel GMA500 is a total disaster.  Intel bought it from a small
Linux-hostile company.  Avoid at all costs.  Some of the GPUs
integrated with the Core i3/5/7 series are messy but rapidly
improving...these are probably higher-end than you're looking for.
The Intel i945 graphics are still seen on a few micro-sized critters
and it's rock solid...not that fast, but it can still do basic Compiz
fr'instance.  The 965/3000 series is one to avoid, the 4500 series
work great.

NVidia has some integrated CPU/GPU combination chips that are also
very Linux-hostile and a total mess to deal with.  Look for the word
"ION" and run away screaming if you see it.  Some are integrated with
the Intel Atom series CPUs, either on-chip or nearby.  Avoid all such
combinations at all cost - if you see "Atom" and "Nvidia" together,
run away.

LISTEN UP: when you listed system specs in an earlier message in this
thread, you didn't list the video card/chipset.  That's a serious
mistake.  Pay close attention to the video chip and google it with the
word "Ubuntu" to see if the support is there.  That's how I got the
ATI/AMD video driver support link I showed you above.

The only other potential trouble spot is the WiFi chipset, and even
then you're usually OK.  With Lenovo, HP and Compaq, the BIOS will
fail to start up if you swap WiFi chipsets with something else - so
you're stuck with the factory WiFi card.  On Dells, Acers, Asus,
pretty much everything else, you can swap WiFi cards around.  This can
be a lot of fun.  Example...my Dell 1525 came with a Broadcom-based
1390 (Dell part number) WiFi card.  I've put the 1395 in for more
range.  I also have an Intel in there that doesn't have as much range,
but it DOES have the ability to re-broadcast...which means I can take
in a signal off of my cellphone via USB in and re-broadcast that for
other users if I want to share my cellmodem connection...in other
words, create a WiFi hotspot.

The very best Linux WiFi cards are usually Atheros.  All have
re-broadcast support and excellent open-source driver support.  Next
best is Intel - good drivers but only some can re-broadcast.
Broadcoms require connecting up some other way first to download the
right firmware, but once running they're pretty solid.

Jim

On Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 2:17 PM, Michael Havens <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:
> But what id 'dual core'? Or is that one of those things that can't really be
> explained?
>
> On Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 2:13 PM, Jim March <1.jim.march at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> The C-50 is dual-core.  Still a slow one though.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>> On Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 1:50 PM, Michael Havens <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > I found the c-50 on your link jim but not the dual-core c-50. Or else
>> > does
>> > 'dual core' mean anything?
>> >
>> > On Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 12:07 PM, Jim March <1.jim.march at gmail.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Lemme show you something.  The C-50 is a turd.  Here's it's score of
>> >> 453 at CPUBench:
>> >>
>> >> http://www.cpubenchmark.net/low_end_cpus.html
>> >>
>> >> The T7400 found in some six year old Thinkpad T60p critters
>> >> fr'instance pulls over 1,200:
>> >>
>> >> http://www.cpubenchmark.net/mid_range_cpus.html
>> >>
>> >> Granted, the video chip isn't half bad that's integrated with the
>> >> C-50.  It'll work.  But the whole machine is built to a very low price
>> >> point.
>> >>
>> >> Jim
>> >>
>> >> On Thu, Nov 24, 2011 at 11:50 AM, Michael Havens <bmike1 at gmail.com>
>> >> wrote:
>> >> > Glad I didn't jump at any of the opportunities you guys presented
>> >> > because.....
>> >> >
>> >> > For BLACK Friday the Wal-Mart up here is selling  a Compaq Presario
>> >> > with
>> >> > an
>> >> > AMD dual core processor with 2 gig of memory and 250 gig drive for
>> >> > $198.
>> >> >
>> >> > http://tinyurl.com/7ykallg
>> >> >
>> >> > hmmm,,,, it seems bestbuy has a better deal. but we don't have
>> >> > bestbuy
>> >> > up
>> >> > here.
>> >> >
>> >> > On Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 6:08 AM, Stephen <cryptworks at gmail.com>
>> >> > wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I just for a d630 from eBay for 95 shipped to my door.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Not new but working and the are workhorses and are well supported by
>> >> >> Linux. All I need is a hard drive for it.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> On Nov 21, 2011 11:52 PM, "Michael Havens" <bmike1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> My parents said they would get me a laptop. I asked how much they
>> >> >>> wanted
>> >> >>> to spend and figured I'd ask you guys because you might make a
>> >> >>> little
>> >> >>> money!
>> >> >>> Who wants to build me a laptop for about $200?
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> --
>> >> >>> :-)~MIKE~(-:
>> >> >>>
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>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > --
>> >> > :-)~MIKE~(-:
>> >> >
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>> >
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>
> --
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>
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