| From: Peter King via talk <talk@gtalug.org> I don't remember you telling us what the older (now also failing) machine model is. AMIbios from 2009 suggests to me that it predates UEFI. If so, it probably isn't worth investing any time to fix it. Publish or perish (unless you have tenure)!
(This system's problem could be as simple as a broken power switch.) A notebook or a miniPC might be a good stopgap. You get to tune that suggestion to match your requirements. Shopping too hard will waste your time too. A mini PC ought to just plug into your exiting desk setup. When you are no longer using it, it takes little space in you cupboard, bookshelf or the back of your desk. It is easy to stick in a bag to carry to another site. These BeeLink Mini PCs look OK to me but are not as deeply discounted as they have been. You might well prefer Minisforum. Support isn't a strong suit (but then your experience with Lenovo has been disappointing). All these are from amazon.ca. The listings have coupons that come and go so the prices wander. And there are so many listings of the same devices from the same vendor! Some have an additional 10%-of-list-price coupon that I cannot see because I've used mine up. <https://www.amazon.ca/Beelink-Computer-4-0GHz-Screen-Display/dp/B09SYSPSSM/ref=sr_1_12> $367 Ryzen 5 5560u 16G RAM / 500G NVMe SSD This is a notebook CPU. Low power in both sense. Easy to update RAM and SSD but you cannot add, only replace. <https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09P112VZJ/ref=syn_sd_onsite_desktop_0> $329 after coupon; same as above. <https://www.amazon.ca/Beelink-Computers-5600H-32GB-500GB/dp/B0C3VKV6DJ/ref=sr_1_2_sspa> $570 after coupon Ryzen 7 5800h 32G RAM / 1T NVMe SSD This ups each of the specs in the previous box. <https://www.amazon.ca/Beelink-7840HS-Computer-Desktop-Display/dp/B0CH7XHM7M/ref=sr_1_5> $749.99 after coupon Ryzen 7 7840HS 32G RAM / 1T NVMe This adds a better processor with a better iGPU and faster RAM. Fun alternative: Best Buy has the Asus Ally gaming console, open box, for $549.99. It has essentially the same guts as the 7840HS system but only 16G RAM and 512G SSD. It has only one port (USB C / USB 4 / power) but a docking station fixes that. --- Post to this mailing list talk@gtalug.org Unsubscribe from this mailing list https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
