Author Topic: Operating Systems (Read 16128 times)

HiTmaN · « **on:** July 18, 2003, 05:55:20 PM »

Hey guys, I'm new to these forums and got a quick question for people who know alot about computers. For my computer that is running WindowsME (which I hate with a passion) I was thinking of switching to RedHat Linux 9 which you can see http://accessories.gateway.com/AccessoryStore/Software_316896/Operating+Systems_316946/Linux_316948/2268419_ProdDetail.htm

Sorry for the big link. Anyway its pretty cheap. I dont know anything about programming but does anyone know if its a fast reliable OS? It wont lock up randomly on me like my current OS, and is that the newest most current, or atleast a good version of Linux? Thanks for any help.

enigma487 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 18, 2003, 06:29:25 PM »

Alright HiTmaN. You're enthusiasm for an alternative to Microsoft is encouraging. However, there is much more to consider before you jump into that decision. In this day, Linux isn't quite ready for the masses. it's much more for the computer geek. downloading it and installing it may go alright for you (probably take all day if you haven't used linux before), but getting it to work with all your hardware may be another day entirely. Not to mention that most of your software that you are running on Windows ME WON'T (emphasis on WON'T!!) work with Linux distributions.

My recommendation: If you can afford it, run down to your local Best Buy or your favorite software store (or your friends house......) and pick up a copy of Windows XP Home Edition. you should be able to get the upgrade version for around $100. but if you really want to try RedHat, make sure you research, and can find drivers that will work with your hardware. if you don't have pretty mainstream hardware, you probably won't be able to find drivers. especially if you have a Brand Name computer (Dell, Compaq, Gateway). they use mostly proprietary parts that are less likely for someone to have created a linux driver for.
hope this helps

HiTmaN · « **Reply #2 on:** July 18, 2003, 07:11:23 PM »

Thanks that really help alot, I had XP before and didn't like it a whole lot, but I guess I can try again. Quick question for you though, do you know anyway that builds custom PC's? My friend in California had an awsome computer built with everything customized.

cubefreak123 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 18, 2003, 07:58:18 PM »

no offense dude but how can u not like xp? I think its great.

aoi tsuki · « **Reply #4 on:** July 18, 2003, 08:18:44 PM »

In terms of usability, stability, and support, it's great. It lacks good security, is still bloated, and i don't like MS's practices with handling my data. It's pretty much a classic Microsoft thing really. i've said it repeatedly, and i'll say it again. If i could get Adobe and Macromedia apps in Linux, i'd switch.

enigma487 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 18, 2003, 09:22:34 PM »

I've built several computers in the last few years. It's really not that hard, and you can usually get by cheaper than buying one. Give it a try, the worst you can do is have to ask for help during the process. It is a great way to learn a ton about computers if you don't know much.

hey aoi tsuki: when you say it lacks good security... are you running Home or Professional? with Pro and a good firewall you're pretty much set...

HiTmaN · « **Reply #6 on:** July 18, 2003, 09:25:00 PM »

I was thinking of it, but I don't really know all the pieces I need. I know a bit about computers, I do more on the networking side. I also build websites and images in bryce 5 and photoshop. Anyway where could I find a parts list of all the stuff I would need etc etc. Oh and btw pro is better then home edition with XP right?

enigma487 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 18, 2003, 09:26:56 PM »

pro is way better

Grey Ninja · « **Reply #8 on:** July 19, 2003, 05:51:34 AM »

Pro has extra features for you to play around with. Other than that, they are the same.

Personally, I dual boot Linux Mandrake and Windows XP.

Windows XP is actually a mighty fine OS. It's stable as hell, and is actually pretty fast. It does eat up a whole lot of resources though. It occupies about 1GB of space on your hard drive, and about 128MB of Memory, so if you have an older computer, just stick with Windows 98 for your Windows OS.

Linux is a pretty good alternative to Windows. It has TONS of free software available for it, which includes stuff from pretty much any application you might want to use. The single exception is gaming. There are emulators for about every system for Linux, including a good version of ePSXe. If you are like me, and only really play PSX games on your computer, then Linux might be right for you. Everything else that you have come to know in Windows, such as MP3 players, Movie players, Internet Browsers (YAY FIREBIRD!), and anything else are freely available, and Linux will run with a lot less overhead than any version of Windows, and with the stability of Windows XP. It does require some computer expertise though.

KnowsNothing · « **Reply #9 on:** July 19, 2003, 05:52:16 AM »

Well, if you wan't to build your own PC, the only advice I can give you is to go poke around techtv.com. They're always doing that kind of stuff and they're completely reliable. Yoshi's box is teh awesome!

EDIT: Or you could go to Grey Ninja, he seems to be smarter than any website I've ever seen. Oh look, he's posted below.

Grey Ninja · « **Reply #10 on:** July 19, 2003, 05:58:46 AM »

Heh... I just bought $200 worth of computer hardware yesterday, and I built myself a second computer out of spare parts.

ASUS CUSL2
Celeron 600 Coppermine
256MB PC-133 SDRAM @ 66MHz
3GB 5200RPM ATA 33 HDD
no floppy (although I do have a couple lying around, I don't know if they work)
no CDROM (no internal ones anyway... I have an external CD-Burner laying around I can use.)
Windows XP Professional
230W PSU
Integrated Video (Intel 815)
no sound.

6 free PCI slots
1 free AGP slot
2 free CNR slots
3 free IDE channels

Not bad for a PC made form spare parts I think.

I am going to fix it up real good and give it to my Mom as a thank you for all the help she gave me in the last couple of months.

enigma487 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 19, 2003, 10:17:37 AM »

Very nice Grey Ninja. i have 3 computers around the house with CUSL2 mobos in them. they run great. never ran into any problems running windows ME on them.

Grey Ninja · « **Reply #12 on:** July 19, 2003, 11:37:47 AM »

The CUSL2 is a very fine motherboard indeed.

I was a little torn when I bought it, because I really wanted the ISA slot that the P3V4X would offer me, but in the end, the CUSL2's onboard UDMA-100 won the day.

I have been running an Athlon XP on an ECS K7S5A ever since, and I had forgotten how quiet and cool my celeron was. When I booted up my Celeron for the first time in about a year and a half, I was just amazed by how quiet the computer was. I have gotten used to the sound of a hurricane in my room, but the good old Intel CPU was nice and quiet, and under 40C with a stock cooling fan. I really miss having a Pentium based CPU, and I am sure that I will go back to supporting the evil Intel corporation when I build my next computer. I am just about done to death with buying all sorts of cooling fans for my Athlon. The Athlon might seem cheaper at first, but after buying 5 new fans, and a new case and PSU to meet the power and space requirements, it just doesn't seem so cheap anymore.

A Pentium 4 will run just fine without a fan at all. That's what I really want in a CPU.

HiTmaN · « **Reply #13 on:** July 19, 2003, 03:39:06 PM »

I'd love to build my own custom computer. Where could I get the parts though? Would I have to order everything seperartly?

Grey Ninja · « **Reply #14 on:** July 20, 2003, 07:20:04 AM »

Well, where you get your parts really depends on where you live. I will be perfectly honest with you though. Building your own computer is EXPENSIVE if you want something that's fairly high end. The upside of that is that your computer will be tailored to meet your own personal requirements, and you can slowly but surely build a computer that will outperform anything else in its class. Upgrading shouldn't be a problem with a computer that you have built yourself, although with store bought computers, upgradability is usually intentionally disabled.

If you already have a computer, I would advise simply buying the necessary parts to upgrade your computer at first. Expensive things such as Video cards and sound cards can be bought later on.

The bare essentials of a computer are as follows:

Case with a decent Power Supply (300W minimum)
Stable motherboard with all the features you require.
CPU that is as powerful as you want within your price range, along with a cooling fan and heatsink.
Memory module fitting the motherboard and CPU you have chosen.
Hard Drive big enough to install the operating system of your choice.
Some way of displaying a picture on the screen.
Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, etc.

The motherboard, CPU, and possibly memory are about all that you will require if you intend to scavenge parts out of your old computer. If you have a name brand computer, you will probably need a new case as well. Those components will likely cost you about $200 - $300 USD.

manunited4eva22 · « **Reply #15 on:** July 20, 2003, 08:15:57 AM »

Pricewatch.com is a great site to start

If you want to talk about what kind of parts and what kind of price range you are looking at im me on aol im at masculinematale. I will help you as much as I can.

Grey Ninja · « **Reply #16 on:** July 20, 2003, 10:29:41 AM »

I rarely log into my IM's. But if you post a thread here in the forums, I will help you out as best I can.

I just installed 3 new fans in my computer though... I can't believe it actually got louder... I thought that my computer had reached the point where it wasn't possible to get any louder. I guess I was wrong.

HiTmaN · « **Reply #17 on:** July 20, 2003, 01:09:42 PM »

Alright thanks alot guys. I'm saving up cash and will get the rest depending on how good my report card is this year. A friend of mine who built his custom computer spent around $1,100, which isnt bad considering how awsome it is. Almost everything on it is the most powerful hardware you can buy. He isn't building it himself though, he is having it built then he'll pick it up when he gets back from vacation.

Grey Ninja · « **Reply #18 on:** July 20, 2003, 01:28:56 PM »

Yeah, I can't really find a way to spend more than $2000 USD on a computer, and that's loading it up with absolutely everything I could possibly want. Actually, just to figure it out, I have customized my dream computer, and it came up as $3000 CAD. I also went totally nuts, and threw in a $700 monitor.

Mind you, to fully realize the vision, the video card needs about a $30 upgrade, and I need to add another hard drive, and more memory. The hard drive's data rate must also be at ATA-133 levels. Due to limitations in the system customizer, I was unable to do this. Total cost would go up about $300, but I could easily ditch the LCD monitor and just get a CRT monitor to get it back under $3000.

Check it out.

Caliban · « **Reply #19 on:** July 20, 2003, 01:30:10 PM »

Hey Grey Ninja does a water cooling system make as much noise as the fans do?

Grey Ninja · « **Reply #20 on:** July 20, 2003, 01:36:06 PM »

Water Cooling is completely silent aside from the sound of a pump, and cools far better than a fan ever will. The problem is that it's dangerous to do, as it has the potential to destroy your computer very easily, and it can be quite expensive to set up. It also requires the expertise of someone who is good with tools, which I am not.

Uglydot · « **Reply #21 on:** July 20, 2003, 03:43:07 PM »

If done right, the chances are small that you will have a problem with water cooling.

Linux is hard if you want it good. If you want it to run like windows, you gotta do some work. By some, I mean a ton. Linux is hard. I used mandrake, hated it, then used slack. I love slack, but it took a while to learn, and I am a total nerd. ATI drivers suck for linux as well, btw. Unless you want big name FPSs or a few other big name titles, support sucks too. I use it still, and enjoy it, but the support is nothing to windows. I spend most time in windows now, I found that anti-MS was a pretty dumb reason to use and OS with such terrible support, no matter how much I liked it or not.

manunited4eva22 · « **Reply #22 on:** July 21, 2003, 08:16:25 AM »

Watercoolers are something I think should be built by the user. THe kits are overpriced and don't deliver the performance a home built kit does. Right now I have the heatercore of a Chevy Chevette, 4x 120MM fans, 2 sucking 2 blowing on the radiator. Have a 2 liter resevior, all of this is in its own box, and is run through 3/8'' tubing to the case. Have a dangerdin waterblock for cpu, and run that parallel to one on the northbridge then to the graphics chip and memory. The name of the pump escapes me, but it is 300GPH. Very quiet. I use deionized water, so even if it does spill out, there is a very slim chance it will electricute anything. Don't have any coolant or die in there right now, but might later.

As for a computer built if you want high performance, go for 2 SATA drives, and put them in RAID 0. You can get this off of any canterwood, springdale, or KT600 chipset. I remember nvidia spouting off about SATA, but don' know of any motherboards that use it.

For processors, I would recommend

for intel: 2.4C-2.8C, anything over that is overkill. If you intend to wait for the prescotts, you will be waiting until mid next year until they are in socket T and under 500 dollars a pop.

for AMD: If you are an overclocker, there are 3 chips I recommend. 1) the athlon 1700+: this chip is very cheap, can reach speeds of 2.2ghz on air (with a slk-900U), which is something like an 86% gain. Overall a good overclocker 2) Athlon 2400+, this chip is a more consistent overclocker, and I have seen it's mean overclock at around 2.3ghz 3)Barton 2500+, this chip has the added bonus of the extra cache, so even if it does not reach the highest speed, it can still be as fast. I have seen the bartons get to 2ghz-to 2.5ghz, 2.2ghz can be done on air, again with a slk-900U. The highest I have seen with the 2500+ is 2.9ghz, with a vapor chiller.

Motherboards: For intel: Canterwood and springdale, really are basically the same thing. It comes down to which features do you want. Both now have PAT (basically anyway), and both are decent overclockers, minus intels chipset, which is made for stability. Boards I recommend are Abit IS-7, IC-7. ASUS P4P800, P4C800, Albatron 865PE PRO.

AMD: I really like the new Nforce 2 400 chipset. It is single channel, but is faster than the dual channel set up. Nforce 2 Ultra 400 is good, and the asus A78X Deluxe from ASUS is a top favorite. It comes with 5.1 sound, dual LAN, and is fairly easy to overclock with

RAM: A lot of people will tell you how great Corsair is, but frankly I despise it. I would go for Kingston HyperX PC3500, Micron PC3500, or OCZ PC3700 Gold. I have also heard good things about Buffalo PC3700 if you do the voltmod on the P4C800, capable of getting absurd timings of 2-2-2-6.

Sound: If you are big into sound and want to wire stuff into your computer, go with the soundblaster audigy 2 with the front panel. If you want quality sound, go for the m-audio revolution 7.1 If you want gaming surround the soundstorm on the nforce 2 really is great.

GPU: Graphics cards have been a big topic lately, especially with all the nvidia optimizations getting caught. I personally would go for a 9700Pro, or 9800Pro for high end graphics. If you want midrange, go for the 9500Pro, because it is actually more powerful than the 9600Pro. Also have seen some good things about 5600 Ultra, but wouldn't take it personally.

That will be all for now. If you have questions, just ask.

HiTmaN · « **Reply #23 on:** July 21, 2003, 10:57:41 AM »

Wow...so much information..so many thing to know. This is gonna be an adventure heh. I'm going to start buying parts around October-November maybe I'll start taking my computer apart and putting it back together just to get the hang of things. How would that be for some pre-training?

HiTmaN · « **Reply #24 on:** July 21, 2003, 05:53:23 PM »

Bah, one more quick question. What do you guys think of Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 or just Windows NT 4? I heard its a pretty stable OS, I swear I have had just about enough of ME.

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Author Topic: Operating Systems (Read 16128 times)