On a previous computer, I had an Alien ATX case. The one drawback with that case was only one drive slot for a DVD drive. I prefer computer cases with a few more than that so internal drive sleds can be installed. When onboard cards break, if you have spare pci slots available and spare cash you can replace those broken onboard cards with alternatives if you can redirect the motherboards to use your replacement cards.
-- Jude <jdashiel at panix dot com> "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." Ed Howdershelt 1940. On Tue, 19 Sep 2023, Dale wrote: > Frank Steinmetzger wrote: > > Am Mon, Sep 18, 2023 at 06:40:52PM -0500 schrieb Dale: > > > >>>> I tend to need quite a few PCIe slots. I like to have my own video > >>>> card. I never liked the built in ones. > >>> You’re just asking to be asked. ;-) Why don’t you like them? (I fear I may > >>> have asked that before). > >>> > >>> I get it when you wanna do it your way because it always worked™ (which is > >>> not wrong — don’t misunderstand me) and perhaps you had some bad > >>> experience > >>> in the past. OTOH it’s a pricey component usually only needed by gamers > >>> and > >>> number crunchers. On-board graphics are just fine for Desktop and even > >>> (very) light gaming and they lower power draw considerably. Give it a > >>> swirl, > >>> maybe you like it. :) Both Intel and AMD work just fine with the kernel > >>> drivers. > >> Well, for one, I usually upgrade the video card several times before I > >> upgrade the mobo. When it is built in, not a option. I think I'm on my > >> third in this rig. > >> > >> I also need multiple outputs, two at least. > > That is not a problem with iGPUs. The only thing to consider is the type of > > video connectors on the board. Most have two classical ones, some three, > > divided among HDMI and DP. And the fancy ones use USB-C with DisplayPort > > alternative mode. Also, dGPUs draw a lot more when using two displays. > > > > They have added a lot of stuff to mobos since I bought one about a > decade ago. Maybe things have improved. I just like PCIe slots and > cards. Gives me more options. Given how things have changed tho, I may > have to give in on some things. I just like my mobos to be like Linux. > Have something do one thing and do it well. When needed, change that > thing. ;-) > > > >> One for > >> monitor and one for TV. My little NAS box I'm currently using is a Dell > >> something. The video works but it has no GUI. At times during the boot > >> up process, things don't scroll up the screen. I may be missing a > >> setting somewhere but when it blanks out, it comes back with a different > >> resolution and font size. > > In case you use Grub, it has an option to keep the UEFI video mode. > > So there would be no switching if UEFI already starts with the proper > > resolution. > > That rig is old. Maybe 10 or 15 years old. No UEFI on it. Does use > grub tho. I duckduckgo'd it and changed some settings but last time I > booted, it did all that blinky, blank stuff. Sometimes, I wonder if it > is hung up or crashed. Then it pops up again and lets me know it is > still booting. Eventually, I'll remove the monitor completely. Then it > either boots up or it doesn't. I just ssh in, decrypt the drives, then > mount from my main rig and start my backups. I might add, this new > setup with LVM, the backups started at about the end of a previous > thread last Wednesday I think. It's still copying data to the new > backup. It's up the files starting with a "M". The ones starting with > "The" is pretty big. It's gonna take a while. Poor drives. o_O > > > >> My Gentoo box doesn't do that. I can see the screen from BIOS all the > >> way to when it finishes booting and the GUI comes up. I'm one of those > >> who watches. ;-) > > Yeah, and it’s neat if there is no flickering or blanking. So modern and > > clean. > > > >>>> Figure the case is a > >>>> good place to start. Mobo, CPU and such next. Figure mobo will pick > >>>> memory for me since usually only one or two will work anyway. > >>> One or two what? > >> One or two types of memory. Usually, plain or ECC. Mobos usually are > >> usually pretty picky on their memory. > > Hm… while I haven’t used that many different components in my life, so far > > I have not had a system not accept any RAM. Just stick to the big names, I > > guess. > > I think one of my rigs uses DDR, I think my main rig is DDR3. I noticed > they are up to DDR5 now. What I meant was if a mobo requires DDR4, that > is usually all it will take. Nothing else will work. Whatever the mobo > requires is what you use, just pick a good brand as you say. > > > >>>> Since no one mentioned a better case, that Define thing may end up being > >>>> it. That Gamemax is cheaper but a lot less drive capacity. Heck, when > >>>> I bought my current case, which has space for five 3.5" and six 5 1/4" > >>>> drives, I thought I'd never fill up just the 3.5" ones. Now, the 3.5" > >>>> ones have been full for a while and the 5 1/4" are about full too. > >>> Full with ODDs? Or drive cages? You can get 3×3.5″ cages which install > >>> into > > ------------------------------------------------^^^^^ > > > > That should have been 5×3.5″. Too many threes and fives floatin’ around in > > my head and it’s getting late. > > > > Honestly, I read it the way you meant it. lol I've got about three > different kinds in my wish list. Eventually, I'll take the side off and > see which one will work. I also found one that I think can be used as a > external case. It has a fan, power plug and eSATA connectors. I think > it holds five drives. If I get that, I just may scrap the setup I > currently have and have one large LVM setup and backup everything to one > set of drives. It will also fit in my safe too. > > My brain is starting to hurt. ROFL > > Dale > > :-) :-) > > P. S. I just realized, I have a old Gigabyte mobo on the shelf. It's a > old 870 I think. I also have a old 4 core CPU somewhere that goes on > it. I think. I upgraded mobo and CPU since original build. > >
