New pc to run Linux

[fourtwentyfour]

I would like a new pc to run Linux. Needs are business and home use, streaming tv, youtube etc, 2 or 3 monitors, current ‘new’ model, recent hardware, no windows installed, security chip on motherboard if needed.

I don't need wifi or bluetooth but a fast internet port and space for several modern small drives would be useful.

I could build one if guided as to the parts, but there are many small and mini pcs on the market now. I am competant and can solve problems but do not know what I need because tecnology has changed fast...

Thanks.

[Infrasonic]

Maximum budget?

[PhaseThree]

I would like a new pc to run Linux. Needs are business and home use, streaming tv, youtube etc, 2 or 3 monitors, current ‘new’ model, recent hardware, no windows installed, security chip on motherboard if needed.

I don't need wifi or bluetooth but a fast internet port and space for several modern small drives would be useful.

I could build one if guided as to the parts, but there are many small and mini pcs on the market now. I am competant and can solve problems but do not know what I need because tecnology has changed fast...

Thanks.

Take a look at the Intel NUC systems. They provide a good "barebones" basis for system building, Generally they will support a s M.2 drive and a single 2.5" drive. If this is sufficient you should find something to your liking

https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-ha ... intel-nucs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3q8sF4WuUc

[fourtwentyfour]

Maximum budget?

I generally try to meet my needs before thinking of money, but I guess less than £1000, if we really need to say, although that is quite a lot for a pc. I have seen some at £1500+, but surely they are overkill? I suppose I'd be happy at £500 to £750.

[fourtwentyfour]

https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-ha ... intel-nucs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3q8sF4WuUc[/quote]

Thanks, I'll look.

[Infrasonic]

Maximum budget?

I generally try to meet my needs before thinking of money, but I guess less than £1000, if we really need to say, although that is quite a lot for a pc. I have seen some at £1500+, but surely they are overkill? I suppose I'd be happy at £500 to £750.

You can get something decent within that range - it might not be the latest specs but if you go for a generation or two behind on say CPU's that's where the sweet spot is for value for money. Or go factory refurbs where you'll get a warranty and a very good price.

If you want more than two internal SSD/HDD then NUC's and mini PC's might not be the right form factor for you, even if they have the MB support for more than two SATA ports. Been there - got the skinned knuckles as a memento...

OTOH these days with USB 3.2 (10Gb) and Thunderbolt (40Gb) capability you can always use external SSD's anyway for booting and storage and it will be almost as fast as an internal. Hang a powered USB 3.2 (10Gb) hub off a fast port and there's a nice storage expansion option with easy access.

[Infrasonic]

Watch out for soldered components (RAM / SSD et al) - it's a common theme these days with OEM laptops and mini PC's.
Some are all soldered with zero upgrade potential, some are soldered with spare slots for socketed components to expand with - and more rarely all socketed with complete flexibility for swapping out for expansion (or after total failures).

[JohnB]

If you are buying a pre-assembled PC, it will be hard to avoid getting Windows, and often poorer value as the bare machines are a more limited market.If you do have Windows make sure you understand UEFI to ensure you can boot to Linux from it.

A good SSD will make more difference than raw processor power.

One advantage of building your own machine is you can choose lots of quiet components, and get a noise insulated case. That's the kind of area that manufacturers building to a price skimp on.

[BobbyD]

Your budget sounds fairly comfortable.

If you decide to self build, using PC Part Picker can help with hardware compatibility. For instance if you start by selecting a processor it will then offer you compatible motherboards and RAM. It also gives you a broad overview of pricing across a decent selection of suppliers within a particular category like CPU's (with plenty of filters to help find what you are looking for) which helps you spot the value. For example the i5-11400 is currently available for £10 more than its predecessor the i5-10400.

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/

An easy way to get an idea of comparative CPU performance: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

The one issue you might find is with a graphics card, if you need one.

[fourtwentyfour]

Thank you for all the latest comments.

I remember issues for Linux caused by graphics cards.. I guess I'll need some help there, but I'll look at my options.

[fourtwentyfour]

I've looked... Got to £1100 for case and internals, but not really much idea of what I was doing. It could be a long job... I am 71 soon... Hmm.

[BobbyD]

Thank you for all the latest comments.

I remember issues for Linux caused by graphics cards.. I guess I'll need some help there, but I'll look at my options.

I know nothing about linux, I actually meant you might have difficulty finding one!

[Infrasonic]

For all things Linux/hardware...https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page= ... x_articles

[BobbyD]

I've looked... Got to £1100 for case and internals, but not really much idea of what I was doing. It could be a long job... I am 71 soon... Hmm.

The other advantage with part picker is it should be fairly easy to post the system you've put together so far, which would allow for more targeted advice.

[Infrasonic]

Linux specialist options like this are available..https://system76.com/desktops/meerkat#specs

[Itsallaguess]

I would like a new pc to run Linux. Needs are business and home use, streaming tv, youtube etc, 2 or 3 monitors, current ‘new’ model, recent hardware, no windows installed, security chip on motherboard if needed.

I don't need wifi or bluetooth but a fast internet port and space for several modern small drives would be useful.

I could build one if guided as to the parts, but there are many small and mini pcs on the market now. I am competant and can solve problems but do not know what I need because tecnology has changed fast...

Take a look at the Intel NUC systems. They provide a good "barebones" basis for system building, Generally they will support a s M.2 drive and a single 2.5" drive. If this is sufficient you should find something to your liking

https://www.scan.co.uk/shop/computer-ha ... intel-nucs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3q8sF4WuUc

Things may have moved on since last time I was in the market for a mini-PC, but when I last bought one and carried out some research, I was put off by the Intel NUC's only taking mobile-CPU's, and so I ended up buying a similarly-sized AS-Rock DeskMini 110, and installed a desktop i5 CPU into it....

Just something to be aware of if this is still the case with the NUC's, and having just checked, I see that the AS-Rock DeskMini series has indeed had a revamp since I bought mine, and both the Intel and AMD options now have new models out which might warrant adding to the investigation-list -

https://www.asrock.com/nettop/index.asp

I've had my DeskMini 110 for a number of years now, stuck to the back of my main monitor, and it's been the best PC I've ever owned - 32GB RAM, Desktop Intel i5 CPU (with an upgrade path for a desktop i7 that I've not yet felt the need to take...), an M2 drive on the motherboard, and two separate SSD's installed inside as well, and all in a block the size of a normal desktop-PC's power-supply....oh, and it's as quiet as a mouse...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Black-110-SATA-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B01GSWJ3JM

Of course any Linux compatibility would have to be confirmed, of course, but I offer the above as my experience when last looking at the Intel NUC options and not being quite happy with them at that time...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[BobbyD]

I've looked... Got to £1100 for case and internals, but not really much idea of what I was doing. It could be a long job... I am 71 soon... Hmm.

Start cheaper and work up... https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/hxhcnL

No GPU, I'd see if you can wait out the GPU drought on onboard graphics if you do need one, or pillage from elsewhere.

No idea how suitable for linux, but a gen i5-11400, 16gb RAM and 2Tb MX500 SSD for £640 seems like a reasonable starting point. It's even got a Noctua cooler. and a Gold rated semi modularPSU...*

* Thrown together semi-quickly, I'm sure it can be improved

[GeoffF100]

Here are made to measure PCs from my local store:

https://www.cclonline.com/pc/home-pcs/

The Alpha 3000G is probably plenty for your needs. You can ask for more RAM etc if you need it. AMD integrated graphics is pretty good, but you can fit a graphics card if you find that you need it. You may be able to build it cheaper by buying the parts - if you can find them in stock! Running Linux should not be a problem. AMD Ryzen 3 3200G should not be problem for Linux, but you should check. Ditto for the Gigabyte A320M-S2H mother board. WiFi can be an issue (BrosTrend is supposed to be good with Linux), but you do not need that.

[GeoffF100]

There is are Explaining Computers videos showing how to build a Ryzen 3 PC and install Linux, by the way. You cold use a small form factor case if desk space is a problem.

[Infrasonic]

I'd agree with the others that you're unlikely to need a graphics card unless you plan on doing gaming or high end photo/video editing.

I'd caution against not fitting WiFi/Bluetooth.

What would you do if your internet went down or you got a problem with the Ethernet NIC?
With WiFi you could borrow a neighbours signal or use a smart mobile phone WiFi hot spot. (I've been doing the latter for six years, I also have a deal with my neighbours to borrow their WiFi in an emergency situation - they have two different BB suppliers BT+ Virgin.)

Bluetooth is much better than it used to be (not difficult...) - I wander around my flat with noise cancelling bluetooth headphones on hooked up to my laptop every day - music, podcasts, phone calls etc. Increasingly BT is used for handshakes between phones and laptops/pc's as well.

As mentioned supply is a real problem at the moment as the manufacturers thought the pandemic would reduce demand - it went up - and all the crypto mining mania has made things like graphics cards gold dust.
The market is dominated by scalpers buying up all the stock to resell at vastly inflated prices.

Good luck!