Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 22:21:14 -0800 (PST) From: "Bryan K. Ogawa" <bkogawa@netvoyage.net> To: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Computer purchase for FreeBSD Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.91.960316222039.20302A-100000@digital.netvoyage.net>
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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?
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?
- Does anyone know what the differences are between the 2940W and
2940UW?
2.1 GB Fast Wide SCSI
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/
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