[ale] Do people still roll their own Linux desktops?

[William Fragakis]

Actually, it's hard to remember when I last bought a "retail" desktop.
Probably my snowball eMac 6 years ago. Have built lots of boxes since
then for myself and others. 

Can't say that it's better than retail. I guess I enjoy the freedom to
pick and choose what goes in the box, the ability to overclock like
mad*, and just the process of getting boxes via UPS and putting it all
together. 

If you enjoy the process of assembling a box, the answer is yes. If you
just want to open a box and install your distro without touching a
screwdriver, heed the other posts. If you go the former, newegg is your
friend if for nothing else than the reviews and very fair return
policies.

regards,
William
*work boxes get tweaked just a bit, fun boxes usually glow like charcoal
embers

On Tue, 2010-03-16 at 19:48 -0400, Björn Gustafsson wrote:
> I'm in the market for a new desktop Linux system, and I've never
> bought a consumer unit before.  This time though I'm sorely tempted by
> deals I see in the $350-$450 range on discount desktops, which are
> sometimes even quad-core systems.
> http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-pavilion-p6203w-desktop-athlonll-x2-r-215-2-7-ghz-4gb-500gb/q/loc/101/213720391.html
> for example is $370 for an older model dual-core desktop.
> 
> My 5+ year old case is feeling creaky, and I'm probably due for a new
> power supply, so I don't think I can build a comparable system myself
> for under $450, and I worry about durability with such cheap parts.
> My main requirements are a dual or quad-core processor and at least 4
> GB of RAM, with a decent video card.  If I look at pricewatch.com and
> similar sites the components add up to $500 or more. (Not including a
> monitor, which I don't need.)
> 
> Does anyone have suggestions on a low-budget alternative to pre-built
> systems, or am I wasting time even thinking about that?  For example,
> are the "no OS systems" that Ascendtech sells any good?
> http://www.ascendtech.us/customkititems.asp?kc=DTPCC2DE8400912
>