Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 09:05:40 +0100 (MET) From: didier@aida.org To: "Bryan K. Ogawa" <bkogawa@netvoyage.net> Cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Computer purchase for FreeBSD Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.91.960317085904.201A-100000@aida> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.91.960316222039.20302A-100000@digital.netvoyage.net>
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On Sat, 16 Mar 1996, Bryan K. Ogawa wrote:
> I'm looking to get a system to run FreeBSD (and Windows95, probably)
> on. I'm willing to put a fair amount of money into it (this is the
> first new computer I've bought in about 5 years), and I'm looking for
> some recommendations. I am planning on running X and probably
> 2.1-stable (although I would prefer to do a CD install instead of a
> net-install of FreeBSD). I'd appreciate any comments you would like
> to make on the component choices I'm proposing. Since I'm asking many
> questions, feel free to skip over as many as you want.
>
> You are welcome to direct a copy of comments to me as well as to the
> list; I'm subscribed to the list, but on another account (so I'll see
> them later rather than sooner).
>
> Here's the system I have so far:
>
> System:
>
> Motherboard/BIOS/RAM:
> Intel P-133
> - Right now this seems to be the best price/performance balance
> for me.
>
> Triton Motherboard w/ 256K (512K?) Pipeline Burst Cache
> - Is 512K worth extra money (e.g. is there a significant
> performance increase)?
> - Are there any incompatibilities with 512K of cache?
we finally choosed a ASUS P55TP4XE mother board with 512k pipeline burst
cache and 128Mb DRAM
everything works fine
>
> 32 Megs EDO RAM
> - the Triton chipset boards don't support parity, correct? Does
> that mean they support the EDO RAM features (e.g. the error
> correction features?) I know it was discussed before, but I
> wasn't entirely clear on the answer.
> - If the answer to the above is no, what other advantages (if any)
> would EDO RAM have?
>
> Video:
> Diamond Stealth 64 w/ 2 megs VRAM
> - The video chipset FAQ (see sources, below) lists this as an
> S3 964 chipset (or the 968 for the Video version of the board).
> I'm planning on starting out with XFree86. Is a Number 9 cheaper
> or faster?
>
> 17" Monitor (probably a Mag, but maybe a Shamrock or other cheap)
> - Anyone have any comments on these monitors? According to
> InfoWorld, some of the Mags are pretty good. (see below for
> InfoWorld reference.)
>
> Storage
> Adaptec 2940UW (PCI)
> - I've seen Jordan's hardware recommendations list, which says
> that unless you're doing news or NFS, Wide SCSI is not worth it.
> Is this still true?
> - The drivers for the 2940UWs are in -current (-stable?), right?
> Does that mean that I must install these versions to run, or can
> I install 2.1.0-RELEASE initially and upgrade to take full
> advantage of the board later? If the answer is that I must
> install a more recent version, is there a CD I can buy that
> would let me install?
the Adaptec 2940UW works fine with FreeBSD-stable. 2940UW has a transfer
rate which is twice the speed of the 2940W 40Mb/s in wide mode
> - Does anyone know what the differences are between the 2940W and
> 2940UW?
>
> 2.1 GB Fast Wide SCSI
>
we installed 2 seagate barracuda 2GB each. (wide scsi)
they are really fast!
> 4X SCSI CD-ROM
> - I didn't see a real advantage to a faster drive, since I'll
> probably be using it primarily to install software, not run
> multimedia titles (or so I think--I suspect most of the time
> I'll be in FreeBSD).
>
> References I found useful
>
> 1. The PC Hardware FAQs were helpful, especially the video ones.
> <URL:http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/
> pc-hardware-faq/top.html> (all one line)
>
> 2. The November 20, 1995 issue of InfoWorld tested 17" monitors.
> Search <URL:http://www.inforworld.com/>; for a complete report
> (search for "17 inch monitors").
>
> 3. Jordan Hubbard's hardware recommendations are on the FreeBSD home
> pages. Part of the Hardware Guide.
> <URL:http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/hw.html>;
>
> Thank you very much for your time.
>
> bryan
>
>
> --
> Bryan K. Ogawa II Infinitum <>< On this account I speak for myself.
> <bkogawa@netvoyage.net> SDG http://www.netvoyage.net/~bkogawa/
>
>
--
Didier Derny | Microsoft Free Computer. | 486DX4-120 AL3 chipset
didier@aida.org | Private FreeBSD 2.1-STABLE site. | aha2940 / 1Gb HAWK
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