# recommended hardware / system

## gohmdoree

looking to build a little router, and have another box to just tinker around with some kernel programming.  any recommendations?  i suppose something quiet and small like a mac mini?  a mac mini?

----------

## huckabuck

how about a Dell Zino HD .... i just ordered one. AMD dual core, ATI card, 4 gigs ram.

----------

## gohmdoree

thanks for the suggestion.  will give it a look.  what do you plan on using it for?

----------

## r3tep

 *gohmdoree wrote:*   

> looking to build a little router, and have another box to just tinker around with some kernel programming.  any recommendations?  i suppose something quiet and small like a mac mini?  a mac mini?

 

Some years ago, I found the soekris embedded devices at the internet. http://www.soekris.com/net5501.htm

They are very small, extendible and quiet. Unfortunalety, they are expensive.

Someadays, Intel brought out Atom. If you buy a small netbook, you'll have a fully functional system with a screen, so that you can easy debug what hangs. Most netbooks are extendible (USB-HDD, more (USB)-NIC's) and their price-range is the same like an embedded device whit it's functionally.

----------

## huckabuck

 *gohmdoree wrote:*   

> thanks for the suggestion.  will give it a look.  what do you plan on using it for?

 

As my regular desktop, its time to upgrade from a 7 year old Celeron.

----------

## gohmdoree

huck, that is some good mileage you got there.  i have all old hardware myself.  its good enough for now.  i'll check out that dell and maybe an atom pc to dink with.  soekris, i've come across those recently too.

thanks for the suggestions so far.

----------

## Mad Merlin

The Fit PC is very cool, tiny and fanless.

----------

## gohmdoree

i purchased a soekris and an alix mobo to fool around with.  did look at the fit pc, but didn't give it a go yet.

how was that Dell Zino HD?  my home machine is an old mac g5.  thinking of maybe going back for a dual boot with linux.  not sure.  

i'm also thinking about building or getting a machine to just run a straight linux desktop.  looked at the eee, asus and wind.  thoughts on those?  shouldn't expect much in terms of video?  better to just build?  i do have a powermac quicksilver at home not being used.  maybe good enough to dust it off and bring it out.

----------

## NathanZachary

I have a Samsung NC10, and it works just fine for what I need.  I'm still messing with the Intel graphics driver because HD video playback is really intense on the processor and sluggish.  I don't know about using the NC10 as my main system though.

----------

## gohmdoree

i picked up a msi wind last year.  have gentoo on it, but haven't made it much of a priority.  i could use that and connect it to one of my lcds, lack desktop space.  i was eyeing that but ended up going for the msi.  no luck with the hd playback?  wonder what hacks there are for that or if its just a limitation on the hardware.

----------

## NathanZachary

I don't believe that it is a limitation of the hardware because systems with the same chipset and GPU function just fine.  I'm still trying to figure out the cause.

----------

