January 2005 - WLUG - wlug.mailman3.com

Re: [Wlug] cheap Compaq at Staples

by Brett Russ

On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 12:45:03 -0500, Bill Smith <wsmith(a)chezsmith.com> wrote: > -- People that know what they're doing, but are too busy to take > the time to find the parts that do what they need. OK, I'm in this group :-) Funny thing is though, I configured the machine the way I want it, price came out to $333 but as soon as I put it in the cart it jumped to $383. Can't find any explanation of the $50 mystery charge. Oh, I configured it with the Celeron 325J, 2.53GHz, 256KB Cache, 533MHz FSB instead of the Pentium 4, 520, 2.8GHz, 1MB Cache, 800MHz FSB to save $99 and a bunch of heat and power. I believe the DDR2 400MHz memory will run at 333 with this CPU, but not sure. Anyone have an opinion on the processor downgrade that would convince me it's bad? I was planning on using this for a MythTV backend, with Hauppauge HW video capture cards, so CPU is less essential. Also used for file/media serving, etc. Thanks BR

Jan. 4, 2005

Re: [Wlug] cheap Compaq at Staples

by Charles R. Anderson

On Tue, Jan 04, 2005 at 12:45:03PM -0500, Bill Smith wrote: > > The PowerEdge SC420 is ideal for your first server & network. > > Note: For server use only; CANNOT BE USED AS A DESKTOP. > > Dell does not support the use of a graphics card on the SC420. > > > > Hmm... Should I believe that? It's probably the same deal as the 400SC--it probably has an AGP slot on the motherboard. > The 420SC, Dell is betting, will be sold to entities that fit the > first and third groups, and if anyone from the second group tries to > install a video card (most servers tend to be headless or need only > redimentary graphics cards, so fancy cards are a giveaway!), then > all bets are off for support. Well, if you have a problem, you can always pull out the AGP card and switch to the PCI card before you call support...

Jan. 4, 2005

Re: [Wlug] cheap Compaq at Staples

by Bill Smith

On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 12:05:08 -0500 Bill Mills-Curran <bill(a)mills-curran.net> wrote: > When I started configuring it (the online price is even cheaper), I > got the following warning: > > The PowerEdge SC420 is ideal for your first server & network. > Note: For server use only; CANNOT BE USED AS A DESKTOP. > Dell does not support the use of a graphics card on the SC420. > > Hmm... Should I believe that? You can probably believe the part of "if you add a graphics card, you're on your own", but that doesn't mean that it can't be done. Most of their sales usually fit the following categories: -- People that don't know what they're doing, else they'd build their own machine. -- People that know what they're doing, but are too busy to take the time to find the parts that do what they need. -- Companies that can't be bothered to build and support their own custom boxes. These companies find it easier to have a third-party that will support the box(es) that they sell. The 420SC, Dell is betting, will be sold to entities that fit the first and third groups, and if anyone from the second group tries to install a video card (most servers tend to be headless or need only redimentary graphics cards, so fancy cards are a giveaway!), then all bets are off for support. I seem to recall something about someone having a bad experience with Dell with a laptop once... The guy refused the terms of the EULA (with respect to WinXP), and wanted a refund for the cost of the OS (he chose to put Debian on instead). The link is here: http://www.nomis52.net/?section=comps&page=dell (That's all a bit off the subject, though.) At any rate, the gist of the whole ordeal is that if you're okay with foregoing any support from Dell, get the system and modify it to your heart's content. If you don't want to risk voiding any future support, I'd pay close attention to the EULA and live by it. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- William Smith wsmith-at-chezsmith-dot-com Fall River, MA http://www.chezsmith.com Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend. -- Albert Camus, French writer and philosopher (1913-1960) * TAG! v3.1a *

Jan. 4, 2005

Re: [Wlug] cheap Compaq at Staples

by Jim Dibb

On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 12:15:11 -0500, Marc Hughes <marc.hughes(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 21:41:32 -0500 (EST), Gary Hanley <gary(a)hanley.net> wrote: > > On Thu, 30 Dec 2004, Brian Waite wrote: > > > > True. However Intel is doing quite well with "Centrino" and I'd bet most > > people who buy "Centrino" have no idea what it is. (No one here, of > > course!) > > > > Isn't it just built in 802.11b? If not.. then, yeah lousy marketing =) Someone said to me the other day, "Doesn't Centrino allow you to connect anywhere in the world?", like the ad suggests when connecting from a tent on the side of a mountain. In this case I think the marketing did too good a job of selling.

Jan. 4, 2005

Re: [Wlug] cheap Compaq at Staples

by Marc Hughes

On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 21:41:32 -0500 (EST), Gary Hanley <gary(a)hanley.net> wrote: > On Thu, 30 Dec 2004, Brian Waite wrote: > > True. However Intel is doing quite well with "Centrino" and I'd bet most > people who buy "Centrino" have no idea what it is. (No one here, of > course!) > Isn't it just built in 802.11b? If not.. then, yeah lousy marketing =)

Jan. 4, 2005

Re: [Wlug] cheap Compaq at Staples

by Bill Mills-Curran

On Thu, Dec 23, 2004 at 01:25:15AM -0500, Charles R. Anderson wrote: > On Wed, Dec 22, 2004 at 09:29:45PM -0500, Bill Mills-Curran wrote: > > Staples has a low-priced machine advertised in the Globe: $199.94 for > > a Compaq Presario with an AMD Sempron processor. Any idea how this > > might work with Linux? I picked up a cheap Compaq at Walmart a year > > ago, and I returned it because it was such a dog. > > I don't know, but Sempron is AMD's answer to the Celerons. I would > recommend getting a Small Business server Dell PowerEdge 400SC > instead. Those are Hyperthreading Pentium 4's, they work with Linux > (you can get it preinstalled if you like) and you are not paying any > MS-tax. In addition, they have an AGP slot (unadvertised) so you can > use them as a nice Linux desktop if you want. Dell has deals every > once in a while for these systems in the range of $300-400 in their > minimum configurations. Check slickdeals.net for the coupon codes. There's an add in today's Globe for a 420SC for $375. www.dell.com/globeoffer When I started configuring it (the online price is even cheaper), I got the following warning: The PowerEdge SC420 is ideal for your first server & network. Note: For server use only; CANNOT BE USED AS A DESKTOP. Dell does not support the use of a graphics card on the SC420. Hmm... Should I believe that? Bill

Jan. 4, 2005