<p>The newer systems are far poorer quality. Those <$500 systems are 2 year throwaways. Mobos have really taken a beating in the low end. Those $50 specials are really crap.<br>
A pretty nice system can be built for $800 unless you want top end graphics cards. Add an extra $150 for a good mid-level nvidia.</p>
<p><blockquote type="cite">On Mar 16, 2010 7:53 PM, "Björn Gustafsson" <<a href="mailto:bg-ale@bjorng.net">bg-ale@bjorng.net</a>> wrote:<br><br>I'm in the market for a new desktop Linux system, and I've never<br>
bought a consumer unit before. This time though I'm sorely tempted by<br>
deals I see in the $350-$450 range on discount desktops, which are<br>
sometimes even quad-core systems.<br>
<a href="http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-pavilion-p6203w-desktop-athlonll-x2-r-215-2-7-ghz-4gb-500gb/q/loc/101/213720391.html" target="_blank">http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-pavilion-p6203w-desktop-athlonll-x2-r-215-2-7-ghz-4gb-500gb/q/loc/101/213720391.html</a><br>
for example is $370 for an older model dual-core desktop.<br>
<br>
My 5+ year old case is feeling creaky, and I'm probably due for a new<br>
power supply, so I don't think I can build a comparable system myself<br>
for under $450, and I worry about durability with such cheap parts.<br>
My main requirements are a dual or quad-core processor and at least 4<br>
GB of RAM, with a decent video card. If I look at <a href="http://pricewatch.com" target="_blank">pricewatch.com</a> and<br>
similar sites the components add up to $500 or more. (Not including a<br>
monitor, which I don't need.)<br>
<br>
Does anyone have suggestions on a low-budget alternative to pre-built<br>
systems, or am I wasting time even thinking about that? For example,<br>
are the "no OS systems" that Ascendtech sells any good?<br>
<a href="http://www.ascendtech.us/customkititems.asp?kc=DTPCC2DE8400912" target="_blank">http://www.ascendtech.us/customkititems.asp?kc=DTPCC2DE8400912</a><br>
<br>
--<br>
Björn Gustafsson<br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
Ale mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Ale@ale.org">Ale@ale.org</a><br>
<a href="http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale" target="_blank">http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale</a><br>
See JOBS, ANNOUNCE and SCHOOLS lists at<br>
<a href="http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo" target="_blank">http://mail.ale.org/mailman/listinfo</a><br>
</blockquote></p>