Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 13:25:41 -0500 From: sbabkin@dcn.att.com To: hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Home computer for FreeBSD Message-ID: <C50B6FBA632FD111AF0F0000C0AD71EE413299@dcn71.dcn.att.com>
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Hi! I've moved to US and now came to the point when I can spend some money for a home computer. Now about the problems. I want an inexpensive (read: no brand names) and customarily configured (read: no brand names) computer that will surely run under FreeBSD. In Russia I solved it in a simple way: I had friends selling computers so I was able to try the computer with FreeBSD before buying. Can anyone suggest some way of doing the same here ? May be, like buying, trying, then returning back if it does not work ? I remember that someone here was selling computers even with FreeBSD preinstalled. May be any advises/experiences on where to buy/not buy by mail or what new hardware compatibility problems were recently encountered ? I did not read this list for a few last months, so I probably have missed some information. That's what approximately I want to get, and the questions about it: Pentium or AMD-K6 166MHz processor. I would prefer even 133MHz and save money but I can't see them on sale. Is it better to buy AMD due to the recently reported problems with GDT (LDT?) on Intel ? PCI motherboard with as many PCI slots as possible. Minimum 4 (plus PCI IDE), better 6. Which chipsets are recommended as stable ? Which PCI bridges are supported by FreeBSD ? And at least 3 slots for memory SIMMs (6 slots for 32-bit SIMMs). I want to start with low amount of memory like 64M in one slot and be able to add it later. CL5440 video card. The only problem is that it seems to be pretty rare. Which other cards do have good support under FreeBSD ? The performance is not critical, my only requirement is support of 1024x768 with 80Hz or higher, and stable work. And lower price. Symbios/NCR SCSI card. Is Sony CD-R drive compatible with Phillips ? If not, is it supported in FreeBSD ? Thank you in advance for any recommendations! -SB To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
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