Re: [gentoo-user] building a machine for Gentoo

[Mark Shields]

On 7/9/07, Philip Webb <purslow@×××××××××.ca> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> (1) 3rd Machine
>
>   (a) CPU -- AMD 64 X2 4800+ (65 W) , 512 K , 65 nm , socket AM2
>        or    AMD 64 X2 5600+ (89 W) ,   1 M , 90 nm , socket AM2
>   (b) Mobo -- Asus M2N-E Nforce 570 , DDR2 533/667/800
>   (c) Memory -- Kingston , 1 GB , 800
>   (d) Graphix -- Asus EN8500GT Nvidia , 512 MB DDR2 800
>   (e) HDD -- W Digital , 500 GB , 16 MB
>   (f) DVD-RW -- Samsung SH-S182F/BEBN , DVD-W 8x , CD-W 32x
>   (g) Diskette -- from 1st machine
>   (h) Case -- store-brand Radiant P4 Mid (500 W)
>
> (2) Additions for 2nd machine
>
>   (a) Copy data into 2nd machine : DVD-ROM -- LiteOn 16x
>   (b) Switch keyboard/mouse/monitor : KVM switch -- DLink
>
> (3) LCD Monitor -- Samsung SyncMaster 931BW , 19 in , 1440x900 , 2 ms


<snip>

(1a) I'm confused by the CPU features '65 nm' & '90 nm':
>   yes, I know they refer to tiny distances,
>   but would expect the faster CPU to have the smaller distance,
>   whereas the opposite is true for those listed (AMD docs don't mention
> it).
> (1d) The Nvidia site lists '8500GT' as supported by driver 100-14-09 ,
>   which is in Portage, but currently masked (the reason is not clear);
>   Phoronix has a review of this card used with Linux.
> (1f 2a) I'm new to DVD's, which I plan to use for back-ups
>   & to keep the 2nd machine upto-date as an emergency alternative;
>   I don't now do video or gaming, but the box should support them in case.
> (1h) The store will probably confirm whether the power supply is adequate.
> (2b) A KVM switch seems a big improvement on plug/unplugging connections.
> (3) My Samsung SyncMaster 550s CRT monitor (2000) still works very well.
>
> Does anyone have any warnings or comments re any of the bits & pieces ?
>


(1a):  If this is just a backup machine, I would recommend the one that uses
the less power. Also, make sure you compile CPU scaling into the kernel.
Unless of course heat or energy use isn't an issue.
(1d):  I can imagine it's masked because it hasn't been fully tested to be
marked as stable yet; however, I have used it on my system which has a
8800GTS card, and it seemed to work fine, although it wasn't terribly stable
(only tested it with Beryl).  2D seems fine.
(1h):  Unless it's a brand name power supply or case that comes with one,
I'd recommend junking it and buying a good quality, brand name power supply,
like Thermaltake or Antec.  You gamble the rest of your system failing when
you use a lower-end power supply.

-- 
- Mark Shields