On Tue, 9 Feb 2021 at 00:06, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote: > > | From: steve--- via talk <talk@gtalug.org> > > | Subject: Re: [GTALUG] HP Z420 + rx5600 + MSI MAG272CQR ? > > Does HP support linux on its workstations? That would be nice. > > For some reason AMD video support has seemed slow to settle. Is the > rx5600 support solid? > > I've never needed that much video horsepower. But plenty of people > do. > > | > Just looking at some stuff.. looking to replace my DELL Vostro > | > 220S 4G machine with > | > something. > > I take it that it has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Yeah, it's > probably worth upgrading. On the other hand, if you've lived with > that, an middle-of-the-road current machine should be fine. > > The z420 is probably expensive overkill. Is it old? I saw a review > from 2013. Are you buying used? > > If you don't want to fuss, I kind of like the Lenovo ThinkCentre M75q > Tiny computer (but I am having a problem with the WiFi 6 driver): > <https://forums.redflagdeals.com/lenovo-canada-lenovo-thinkcentre-m75q-tiny-gen-2-amd-ryzen-7-pro-4750ge-win10-4gb-500gb-hdd-570-2438949/> > Or if you wish to choose things (like DVD burner) > <https://forums.redflagdeals.com/lenovo-canada-lenovo-thinkcentre-m75q-tiny-gen-2-amd-ryzen-7-pro-4750ge-win10-4gb-500gb-hdd-570-2438949/> > This second thread mentions a deal for the m75q, a Small Form Factor > variant that allows more expansion. > > The m75q has all mod cons. Since you're old too, you probably > remember that term. For others: all modern conveniences. WiFi6, some > magic USB-c stuff, HDMI (dongle, supplied) USB-3.x, 1G ethernet, > support for gobs of RAM. NVMe. I think that it has a 2.5" bay but > I'm too lazy to check. > > Note that HP z series and Lenovo ThinkCentre are not cheap consumer > junk. (I don't mind cheap consumer junk.) > > > Monitors are very personal. For me, a decent but inexpensive 40" > UltraHD TV beats a 27" monitor every time. Gamers would disagree > because the refresh rates can be better on monitors. > > | > Cant go to Movies anyMore. > | > > | > GoTa bring the Movie to Me. > > You will want quiet, then. Not guaranteed with a workstation. > > You also need to take a little care with the video, depending on your > monitor (the rx5600 would be fine). > > For our household, a separate, non-computer solution is better for > watching movies. Example device: a $65 Google ChromeCast with Google > TV. We do have a dedicated tiny PC connected to our TV for viewing > the few things that our Android TV device does not support. > > | Ooops forgot Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver. > | > | This is my last upgrade ever, and the perfect place to stop. > > 18.04 is already 2 years stale. Surely 20.04 LTS would be a wiser > choice. And more likely to support the rx5600 (just a guess). > > And don't say never. Not a good way to think about computers. They > are kind of disposable (not quite as badly as mobile phones). > > Planning for the distant future is hard. Perfection is the enemy of > getting things done. I know.
Going to add a few "me too" votes to a couple things Hugh said. Are you a gamer? Because if you're not, the card and the monitor sound like overkill - expensive and not necessary for your declared use case (movies). Keep in mind that retro-gaming doesn't count as "gaming" in this context: retro-games don't require a high-end video card. I haven't purchased a specialty video card in 15 years, and I watch movies frequently on my built-in video cards - works fine up to 1080p, although I admit I see tearing and problems at 4K. The built-ins are also usually a lot easier to get running in Linux for a lower cost. However, like Hugh, I do most of my video watching either on a first gen Apple TV (I got it free ...) that acts as a Netflix box, or on an Asus O!Play Mini, both of which are hooked to my TV. I'd also like to back Hugh's recommendation of a larger and cheaper (or perhaps equally priced) 40" monitor over the 27", unless your eyesight is a lot better than mine. I'm finding larger monitors to be a huge blessing as I get older, and the properties a gamer monitor might provide aren't usually of any use to me. -- Giles https://www.gilesorr.com/ giles...@gmail.com --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
