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A preview of the specs of the revised Linux config guide

Since the HP IQ506 I tried started to have screen flickering issues since that problem means a new screen and inverter to fix, I got some extra time to refine the text for the guide in the meantime. The idea behind this is easy. While I look at systems, I can use the downtime without a system to find something a bit better then this machine that also works properly. The end result should be something I can put the new images in, make minor tweaks and consider good enough for public consumption. That doesn't mean I won't be done or have all of these issues worked out yet. It means the guide will be good enough for use with most people and I will have everything ironed out except maybe a handful of small mistakes.

Right now, I do not have a ETA for a early preview of the guide. I don't plan on doing this until I have overlooked it 3 more times and knocking the major issues out. I would rather knock most of the issues out before I do this.

Are there any kinks other then review for public release?

That depends if I add anything. I need to make a decision on how much coverage I want to put towards Wireless cards. I do not plan on doing this yet, due to how I set up the review process. How I do it makes it a burden to add anything until I finish a review. I have the step count fixed per review, so I can't decide to add a step without starting over. I will look into it when I have this review finalized.

One thing I would like to mention is I never gave Wireless cards a place in 2013. This is because I was using my Mac to get Internet on the machine at the time over Ethernet tethering. I never talked about it at the time because I basically had zero experience with it at the time.

These days, I have a lot more experience with the issue then I did in 2013. I have the information to do it. But since it's a new thing seeing as I never attempted it before, I will need to decide if I want to introduce it or omit it again seeing as I never did it in the original version. The other hurdle is the real world experience. I only have real experience with 3 brands, due to how I handle Wireless to avoid many of the issues new users have. The brands I know are Intel, Atheros and Realtek, with my preferred card being Intel. I have used Azurewave in Windows before, which was a terrible experience. I have nothing good to say about Azurewave in Windows. Azurewave is untested in Linux, so I do not know how it will fare yet. Testing will be interesting, to say the least. I have found cards that suck in Windows are some of the nastiest cards you can use. You do not want to know as a first time user how bad cards that fain in Windows fail under Linux. I'll give it as fair of a chance as I can, but my opinion on Azurewave is already low.

There is also a problem of brands I can fit vs the line limitation. I am already limited to 8 lines and I have to use one to clear up a good experience will not always transfer to another card of the same brand. This leaves me with 7 brands I can cover and I only want to touch on what I expect most systems to come with. I also want to limit the brands I list to 4-5 rather then have 7, ideally. I will add more then 5, but I think 4-5 will be the most realistic.

I will be putting these brands in:

  • Intel
  • Realtek (little experience)
  • Atheros
  • Ralink (partially negative opinions; little to no real world commentary)
  • Azurewave (expect some very negative opinions if I add it)

When will I have a preview out?

I do not have an ETA. I need to look the guide over and get it ready for public viewing, and then make a final call on the wireless seeing as I never had it and it'll be new and delay this further.

I am not far off from having a temporary public preview. Again I don't have a timeframe yet but it should be ready soon.

Will I loosen up the specs a bit?

In short: I won't do it at this point. In some cases, I can't. In some cases it's impossible. I have the hardware finalized. The ONLY thing I can tweak at this stage is the Wireless step, if I decide to add it.

The reasons vary wildly. Here's why:

  • maxed out by age or line limitations (CPU; Intel is maxed by line limitations and hardware age requirements. AMD is maxed out for the same reason).
  • personal opinions, which should be treated as such (distro steps; good and bad, media)

* Objective reasons (dGPU, iGPU)

  • practical reasons (platter drive steps; new and used, SSD, RAM, media)
  • depreciated and will no longer be updated but will remain for legacy machines (chipset)

How did I come up with the specs I am going with?

I looked at multiple factors. They all played various roles in deciding the specs.

I looked at what I consider obsolete first. I consider anything pre C2D Peryn or Wolfdale to be outright obsolete or so close to it I would rather not have it in the specs I put up for the guide. The Core Duo is dead to me and the P4 has been dead since the C2D machines started to get cheap. The P4 was already obsolete to begin with but before the Westmere flood came in the prices were still high. They have since stabilized to the point I can say with confidence the P4 is history. This was the primary source.

I then looked at what iFixit members use. I see a lot of 2007-2010 Macs here. These all vary from SR to Peryn, or Conroe and Wolfdale. I ultimately chose to leave the 65nm C2D's out and focus on Peryn and Wolfdale. This made it worlds easier to deal with. It also was the least I tolerate. Again, looking at both my side and the side of what I think people will want to see. I think Peryn and Wolfdale is a fair compromise. This was the second source.

I then had to look at how people respond. This is where the 2007 desktop exception came from. I added it because the Wolfdale machines started coming out in 2007, and I consider that to be a acceptable minimum. I also didn't think it would be too much of a hassle. I wanted to make it 2008 as a starting year for consistency but I figured budging one year on desktops wouldn't be an issue. This was the last source. I do take it in, but I don't give it that much weight.

Do I think some people will find my objection to Santa Rosa and Conroe machines a little premature? Yes. At this point, it's all about Peryn and Wolfdale for price to performance. Santa Rosa and Conroe are a little long in the tooth for me. Merom is just awful from my experience with it.

I basically had to leave the old specs I decided on in 2013 behind. I have had 3 years on top of my configs I didn't put out there to gain some experience. I know what works and what makes the most sense more then ever now, and the guide should reflect that. There were leftover P4 references. Nobody cares about the P4 anymore.

Who is this targeted towards?

Someone setting their first Linux system up. After their second system, I do not think they will need this guide anymore and can figure it out without guidance.

How do I feel about people using lesser systems then I am recommending/requiring?

I am not recommending it because I am not supporting it, and any problems that come up are on the user to fix. However, I do not have a problem with it if the user can accept that they are on their own.

I don't disagree with the idea by any means. I absolutely think it's something that should be considered if you can learn how to make it work on your own but again.... Be prepared for problems to come up that I will not help with. I just needed my specs to have some QA in the final product.

A good example of this is Santa Rosa laptops. Due to the fact these are 1-2+ years older then I am recommending be used I will not help if a problem comes up.

What are the final specs?

What are my requirements?

System age

Desktops: 2007; 2008 machines are preferred.

Laptops: 2008; 2009 is preferred.

All In One PC's: I do not recommend these systems. If you must use an AIO the best approach is to match the year to the component type used. The vast majority use laptop parts.

Processor specs

MUST BE DUAL CORE. QUAD CORE IS PREFERRED.

Laptops

  • For Intel laptops: Preferred minimum is a Westmere based laptop. If you can't afford this, a Peryn Core 2 Duo (Socket P) laptop is acceptable. 1066MHz FSB is preferred. 800MHz is acceptable if the system does not have a 1066MHz CPU. I recommend a Sandy Bridge laptop if you can afford one.
  • For AMD laptops: AMD Danube is recommended. Tigrus is acceptable if you cannot afford an AMD Danube laptop. If you consider using anything older the best strategy is to look at the benchmarks and compare the laptop to something newer that has better performance.

Desktops

  • For Intel dektops: Preferred processor series is Westmere LGA1366. If you cannot afford to go this route, Wolfdale LGA775 is also acceptable. I still recommend looking at Sandy Bridge machines first.
  • For AMD desktops: AM3+ based systems are recommended. AM3 is acceptable, since it supports DDR3. AM2+ should be avoided if possible.

Memory requirements

  • DDR3 is recommended due to price. DDR2 can be used, but prices need to be checked first.
  • 8GB is recommended. If you cannot afford 8GB, 4GB is also usable.

Storage requirements

  • SSD's are not essential, for all intents and purposes. While a spinning drive will be slower, these are cheaper then SSD's.
  • Intel GMA systems typically need a dGPU for good performance. GMA graphics are known for poor graphical performance.
  • Intel HD Graphics based systems should be based on the use case. These work for normal tasks, but struggle with heavy workloads.
  • AMD Radeon onboard graphics are optional. It will help, but isn't always strictly necessary.
  • You should not need a dGPU for AMD Radeon D series graphics. These are based on a Radeon graphics core, so it runs similar to a dedicated card anyway.

Miscellaneous information

What this guide covers.

  • An overview on what hardware works in Linux.
  • Which hardware can be troublesome.
  • Which hardware to avoid using.

What will this guide DOES NOT COVER.

  • Server grade processors and motherboards. NOTE: Some X79/X99/C60XX boards have Xeon support enabled, but this is up the board manufacturer. These use the LGA 2011-X socket. These boards are the exception.
  • Specialized hardware will not be covered. You are on your own for this hardware.
  • Troublesome hardware like TV tuners will not be covered. There is not enough demand to cover them and are a major compatibility problem. These aren't exactly as relevant with increasing STB use anyway. The main problem is you are at the whim of the vendor for Linux support. DRM is also a problem in Linux.

Update

I'm ready for a early preview on this. Be aware I am still making changes here and there on the existing steps, but for the most part I am done with the text.

I still need to make a final call on the Wireless and ONE Intel laptop processor (T4 Series Pentium; these are getting very close to the end of their life). Outside of this, I am almost done.

Here is a link to the guide. It is limited to Master Techs right now.

Why did it take so long to come out with the preview? The initial machine I used had problems with the screen/inverter, hard drive and the DVD drive. Only recently did the Wireless become a problem. I decided to take a break from looking at systems and deciding what I want this time. I have that down to the point I feel like it's pretty much final. I can take the standards for the guide, my budget and then pick something. That was the point in getting the text and standards finalized in the short term. In the long term, I am going to need a reliable system to use for the project.

I am not ready for a public release yet. That will involve finding another system and fixing any issues left that are major.

Update on Wireless

I took a look at how much of a hassle it would be to implement. It shouldn't be hard to do and looks manageable. However, it will take some time to fit it in the guide and I will not be adding it yet. I want to finish this review round before I put it in, because it's a shoehorned addition. I can't drop it in and call it a day, because it's more complicated then that. This is why I chose to omit it in 2013. I didn't have the information to make it happen at the time. As to what it will take.... Well, it's not going to be short and to the point. It's going to be a long form addition. It looks like it's going to have to be broken into 4 steps:

  • Part 1 will be laptops without a whitelist (and a warning in this step this is a problem)
  • Part 2 will be laptops that have removed them later on, but are prone to the whitelist problem.
  • Part 3 will be laptops with a whitelist

Once that's done I will have 5-6 brands in the list. 2 lines will take up how the brand matters and how the chipset matters. Because of those 2 lines, it will be limited to 6. The brands will be:

  • Intel
  • Realtek
  • Atheros
  • Broadcom
  • Azurewave
  • Ralink

Right now, I have a draft in M$ word for use later on when it's okay to add it. It will need a lot of work when I am ready but I am kind of there on the Wireless addition. I am also in the process of testing cards on hand for go/no go/problems and putting a list together. Spoiler alert: Intel is at the top

As of 8/8/16 the base guide is done. Wireless is being added now.

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What distro are you recommending to install with? Ubuntu? Gentoo? :P

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I've got a few on the list of good ones. This is just hardware, so I didn't give mentioning my list a thought. I'll name a few off as a general idea. Debian(yes, the reference version the distros all use), Mint/Mint Debian(Mint Debian uses Debian rather then Ubuntu as a base, essentially), Xubuntu and Kubuntu(Ubuntu without the problems I have had with Ubuntu for years). There's more, but that should give some idea. Ubuntu with Unity has been out for years since the Amazon spyware nonsense. My opinion on each distro should not be the main factor in which one is picked. That's why I said my opinions need to be taken accordingly.

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Yeah, I suppose it's kind of up to the user to decide what they want from a distro. As long as there aren't any proprietary driver problems (thanks Broadcom), I've found Debian pretty easy to install/configure. Ubuntu is a little more forgiving with proprietary drivers. Xubuntu or Ubuntu Mate are both pretty good alternatives to Unity. I'm not super familiar KDE.

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Ralink seems to be infamous for bad driver problems, as I have seen with the RT2790. I had a queue problem where I had problems with it having TX write issues that also jammed the queue. The issue solved itself 24 hours later with no use, but it was still not usable on the Internet because of that problem. Realtek seems to be better. The problem is Realtek/Ralink RT designations so you need to make sure it's really Realtek and not Ralink. It seems like it's better to avoid RT series cards unless you make sure it's not a Ralink card. The other reason is experience. I'm at the point where I pretty much standardized on Debian and can build a Linux system to be stable by replacing parts that are known to cause problems and have a high success rate. I don't expect the users to know how to do that, so I included some Ubuntu distros and Mint in the list for that reason. Some first time users may want that tolerance for stupid issues like that one with the Ralink card in the HP AIO. I don't like how much of a nanny Ubuntu has become, but I understand new users preferring it.

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That sounds like a good approach. Debian and Ubuntu should cover people from fairly experienced to completely new. If anyone is using the guide who doesn't want to use Debian, they'll probably know enough to use a distro of their own choice.

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Probably. I consider the ones I listed as either a starter distro (Ubuntu/Mint), to a medium experience distro (Mint Debian) and then a high user experience distro (Debian). The distro also comes into play when you talk about hardware because some distros are more forgiving then others; Debian is the least forgiving of the ones I put in the list. For me, I am also specific about CPU's and RAM; probably more then the average reader. I can deal with 4GB, but I really prefer 8GB. Wireless is an area I am hard pressed to budge on. I know how bad flaky cards are so I stick to cards that work well. For the hard drives.... I prefer to change them because if they weren't removed before the laptop left the company. If you got it the chance of it having high Power On Hours is VERY good. They also seem to have a bad habit of dying at the worst time possible. 24/7 operation for 3-4 years is not good for the drive. I also assume it is not there by company policy so I budget for a new drive. As to situations where they want to keep the drive in use if it works. I think the best compromise is to provide testing steps to break even enough ground. You can always replace it if you like to use my rule (assume the drive has a high POH if it's there and replace it in the system build; if it isn't, you need to buy one anyway) but if you are trying to reuse as many parts as you can it also leaves room for you there. It isn't dictating you budget in a $50-70 platter drive or $105-190 (SanDisk Ultra II) or $93-125 for the 950 Pro for a premium SSD. On the midrange end (MX200) it's $84-109 for an SSD. For a cheap SSD it's in the ballpark of $71-129 for a Crucial BX200 or $47-74 for a SSDNow drive. It's more of a nudge that it's probably better to get rid of the potential problems while you are ahead. The GPU side is open to opinions as there is some subjective nature to the need for it.

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