OT: Need a new computer

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Tue, Dec 08, 2009 at 01:29:49AM -0500, William O'Higgins Witteman wrote:
> I understand the sentiment, but I am just finishing a major, unplanned
> home renovation, and my current computer shuts down if I launch X.
> Waiting is not looking favourable.  Doubling my budget is not very
> exciting.

The main problem is that for $400 you get a pile of obsolete shit.
For $800 you get very high quality current stuff.  For $2500 you get
seriously high end stuff.

The difference in quality and performance of a $400 and a $800 computer
is huge.

> Also, I am not inclined to build a machine from parts myself - I don't
> do it often (i.e. not in years) and you can introduce major problems by
> doing it wrong.  I need a machine in the very near future that just
> works out of the box.

Well most computer stores will build it for you if you give them a list
of parts you want.

> To give you an idea of how much I need a machine that just works, I see
> that I can get a Mac Mini for $649, and I would be up and running
> (browsing and video) inside of an hour.  When I have more time, I can
> configure Boot Camp and run Linux on it.
> 
> I'm not sure what VT support is (virtualization, right?), and I'm willing 
> to bet it wouldn't make YouTube run faster.  I don't play games, I don't
> transcode video, I don't even use OpenOffice more than twice a year.
> Firefox, vim, Python, vlc, miro, mutt - that's what my home machine
> does.

No it wouldn't.  Would it would allow is running virtual servers for
web development and testing faster.  If you don't need that, then you
don't need to worry about it.

> I appreciate your advice, but there's no way I can build a machine, and
> if some store is willing to do it out of adequate parts, that may be the
> way I need to go.
> 
> The downside to the Mac Mini is that I am less likely to upgrade it,
> whereas if I get a PC, I can upgrade bits as appropriate - swapping RAM,
> drives is no problem, but I am unwilling to seat a new CPU without adult
> supervision.  The upside of the Mac Mini is that it is small, quiet and
> adequate.
> 
> (There's no way I'm paying for Windows, btw, so most other store-bought
> machines are not feasible.)

Most computer stores have no issue building a machine without windows.

-- 
Len Sorensen
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