Hello Stan, Thanks for your response. My comments are inline below. Steve ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stan Witkowski" <stan@stanwitkowski.com> To: "Steve Petrie, P.Eng." <apetrie@aspetrie.net> Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2016 12:02 AM Subject: GTALUG - BUILDING DEBIAN 8 PC TO REPLACE WIN XP PC
I suggest:
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2. Unless you have a specific need (MUST HAVE backup for stock market trading, for example), don't install a dial-up modem. Why? (Everything is Internet based...)
Mainly because I use dial-upon the Win XP system, and I don't want the hassle of changing it to use DSL, before I get the new Linux PC. Also, I'm curious to see if the experience with dial-up is better on Linux than on Win XP. I do plan, after the Linux PC is operational, to switch to DSL.
3. Install as much RAM as you can afford. (This also allows the use of a ramdisk, which can give you VASTLY faster access.) Personally I would not build a system with under 16 GB RAM, and better, 32 GB.
Others have mentioned this too. Makes good sense. I will change the spec to 16 GB and assure expandability to 32 GB.
re: Hard Drive Western Digital Caviar Blue Internal Hard Drive 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM 6Gb/s SATA 64MB cache;
IMPORTANT: I used Western Digital Green drives (and now their replacement, the Blue) ONLY AS BACKUP DRIVES!!! These are "environmentally friendly", meaning they will spin down down after a short interval (2 - 3 minutes) if there is no access to them, to save on electricity. THIS IS BAD IN A WORKING SYSTEM!!!
They are perfect as external **ARCHIVE** drives (you write a bunch of stuff to them for archival use once an hour, say), but as daily use drives they can be a disaster.
Example: The drive is written to, and spins down. A few minutes later it is accessed again, and so spins up. Down/up/down/up.............
Better: Western Digital Black drives = more expensize, but also tougher, etc.
Advice worth it's wait in gold !! I'll look at the Western Digital Black drives.
Stan.
(I'm moving in a week and hence am surrounded by packing and chaos <grin>, so any replies may be spotty...)
I saw no "spots" ... Please accept my extra thanks for taking time out from your move, to advise me.
(I'll follow your progress - may go the same or similar route at some point later.)
Stay tuned ...