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  • On the topic of building computers...

    This should probably go under "Off Topic" or "Life Advice", but it has links, so I decided to put it here.

    I think it's time to upgrade my Linux computer. So I started with a processor, then compatible motherboard and RAM.

    Is a quad-core Intel i3 and 8GB of RAM sufficient to run my Ubuntu box quickly?

    Right now, I have an AMD processor and about 2 GB of RAM, and while my machine runs, it's very sluggish.

    Here are the components I selected:

    Processor: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16819117822
    Motherboard: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16813144115
    RAM: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...82E16820232193

    Thoughts/Opinions?

    I don't want to spend a ton of money on this.
    Skilled programmers aren't cheap. Cheap programmers aren't skilled.

  • #2
    8GB of ram should do good. That is what I have.

    Get an SSD for your boot drive. I have a 128GB and a pair of mirrored 1TBs for my data. I can reboot my system, login and start an app in about 30 seconds. With a spinning disk, it takes about a 80 seconds.

    I like the AMD processors. I dropped in an FX-8350, 8 core.
    Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
    Save the Ales!
    Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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    • #3
      The new AMD CPUs are *very* good, and the price is excellent. Consider a Ryzen 5. Also, go with an NVMe SSD rather than SATA, they're easily double the speed and the difference in price has dropped to where it doesn't make sense to do otherwise.

      Edit: Here is a list of components I have collected for an upcoming build.
      Last edited by TheSHAD0W; 09-23-2018, 10:25 PM.

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      • #4
        Quoth csquared View Post
        With a spinning disk ...
        The preferred phrase is "spinning rust". Trust me, I know people who used to work for SanDisk, who just about invented SSDs.

        (Explanation for those who don't get it: The magnetic medium that is on the surface of standard HDD disks is iron oxide. It's not exactly "rust" like you picture, but it is pretty closely related.)
        “There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged.
        One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world.
        The other, of course, involves orcs." -- John Rogers

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        • #5
          Ok, is there a way that I can transfer my OS and all my software and files from a "standard" hard drive to a SSD?

          Asking for a friend. ;-)
          Skilled programmers aren't cheap. Cheap programmers aren't skilled.

          Comment


          • #6
            You might not want to transfer anything but the OS itself, unless your HDD is so old that it's actually the same size or smaller than the SSD you're getting. You are likely better off just reinstalling the OS (and if it's win10, it doesn't take long anyway) and then your important, updated programs. Keep the old drive (unless it's starting to show its age) for the other data until you can replace it with a newer one.
            "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
            "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
            "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
            "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
            "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
            "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
            Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
            "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

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            • #7
              Agreed. The rule is unless you're replacing ONLY the HDD, then an OS rebuild is the best approach. The reason for this anything else that gets changed causes issues with the OS registry and it spazes out until it can fix the issue. This is a particular issue with Windows OSes as after a certain number of changes it will lock you out. (This was particularly notable with XP when the tracker first came out. It's not nearly as big an issue nowadays but it can still come up.)

              If all you're doing is replacing the HDD, there are tools that will do a one-to one copy. The process is called "mirroring" and there are a number of tools to do so. Just search for "HDD mirroring software" and pick one you like. Just remember that it is making a copy, so you'll need to have the space available to do this. Once you confirmed the copy is good, just scrub the old HDD.
              I AM the evil bastard!
              A+ Certified IT Technician

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              • #8
                Quoth lordlundar View Post
                If all you're doing is replacing the HDD, there are tools that will do a one-to one copy. The process is called "mirroring" and there are a number of tools to do so. Just search for "HDD mirroring software" and pick one you like. Just remember that it is making a copy, so you'll need to have the space available to do this. Once you confirmed the copy is good, just scrub the old HDD.
                The machine I'm talking about is an Ubuntu Linux computer. I'd like to keep all my files, so would mirroring software work from a "standard" platter drive to a Solid State drive?

                Right now my "main" hard drive on that machine is a 500GB platter drive. I have a 3TB drive installed on that machine also that I use for storing a bunch of files.

                So basically, could mirroring software take everything from my 500GB drive, and put it onto a SSD?

                Because if that's the case, then I could potentially "wipe" the 500GB drive and use it for storage, too.
                Last edited by EricKei; 09-26-2018, 07:36 PM.
                Skilled programmers aren't cheap. Cheap programmers aren't skilled.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Keep in mind that mirroring/ghosting means moving all of the drive's contents or none of it; the destination drive must be the same size as the source or larger (even if the old one isn't full). Also, there may be some issues moving from an HDD to an SDD due to differences in how they store data (AFAIK mirroring is just that -- literally a bit-for-bit copy of the drive, including any fragmentation or bad sectors (if any)), but I'll leave that one to folks more knowledgeable about SSD's ^_^
                  "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                  "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
                  "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
                  "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
                  "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
                  "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
                  Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
                  "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    You add the hdd as a second drive and mount the relevant partions.
                    Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
                    Save the Ales!
                    Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth mjr View Post
                      The machine I'm talking about is an Ubuntu Linux computer. I'd like to keep all my files, so would mirroring software work from a "standard" platter drive to a Solid State drive?

                      Right now my "main" hard drive on that machine is a 500GB platter drive. I have a 3TB drive installed on that machine also that I use for storing a bunch of files.

                      So basically, could mirroring software take everything from my 500GB drive, and put it onto a SSD?

                      Because if that's the case, then I could potentially "wipe" the 500GB drive and use it for storage, too.
                      As long as the File Allocation Tables match up it should not be an issue. Just remember to test the result before wiping the original first. Linux might have some quirks I'm not familiar with so if someone more familiar with Linux steps in to correct me that would be nice.
                      I AM the evil bastard!
                      A+ Certified IT Technician

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I'm planning to buy a new machine which will run Linux. (I don't have the patience anymore to build my own ). What brands are good for that these days? I particularly want to move a bit upscale on graphics, with a decent GPU that can at least handle modded Minecraft.

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                        • #13
                          Well Minecraft (even modded) is pretty light on the GPU. The real killer for that is RAM.
                          I AM the evil bastard!
                          A+ Certified IT Technician

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