What would you do if....

[MurphCID]

You were given $3,000 (US) and told you had to spend it on a computer. You can either build or buy, but it must include at least one monitor, one keyboard, a mouse, and the operating system. What would you build/buy for that money?

[151tom]

.

[athi]

No idea how I would $3000 on 1 system, that is about 3 years of computer expenses for me.

[deepakdeshp]

No idea how I would $3000 on 1 system, that is about 3 years of computer expenses for me.

Do you spend this amount in 3 years on your computer's?

[athi]

No idea how I would $3000 on 1 system, that is about 3 years of computer expenses for me.

Do you spend this amount in 3 years on your computer's?

Been spending about $900 a year on computer related stuff for a while, which is not bad for a hobby and for all the stuff that I play with. Keeps me busy.

[Portreve]

If someone handed me $3000 with that requirement attached, I would buy a Purism laptop, top of the line, get a 61cm (24") monitor (or larger if you need something bigger), a pair of USB speakers (that is, ones which connect as their own USB audio device, and not through the 3.5mm headphone jack), a wired backlit keyboard, and a wired mouse with a heavy scroll wheel to it.

[Moem]

Been spending about $900 a year on computer related stuff for a while, which is not bad for a hobby and for all the stuff that I play with. Keeps me busy.

I spend a lot less than that (which is not a judgement, we all have our own circumstances and preferences). I honestly would not know what to do with $3000 to spend on a desktop. I have a desktop, and it's all I need. I mostly use my laptop but that's outside the parameters of the question.
Plus, I'm not sure how I could spend any money on an operating system...

Portreve's solution sounds partially usable except for the fact that if I'm going to buy a laptop, it'll have to have a trackpoint. And if I'm going to buy a mouse, it'll be a trackball.

[absque fenestris]

Assuming I had that $3000 available anyway:

• I buy myself the cheapest possible laptop, but with a good mouse in the next supermarket = with that the contract would already be fulfilled and of course the system would be something like that with the strange windows...

• so more or less $2700 would remain for me for more meaningful things - and on top of that, I have a good mouse...

...and with a little luck I might even get Linux Mint to run on the f...g laptop!

[majpooper]

CompuLab AirTop3 built to order with Linux Mint
$2,889.10

CPU
Core i9-9900K [C9900]
RAM
4x 16 GB [D64]
SSD
1x SSD 1 TB [HS1X1T]
NVMe
1x EVO 970 256 GB [NVME1X256]
Operating system
Linux Mint [XLM]
PCIe card
Intel X550-T2 dual 10GbE adapter [GE10GX2]
WiFi and Bluetooth
WiFi adapter 802.11ac + BT 4.2 [W]
FACE Module
FM-OPLN [FMOPLN]
Temperature range
Industrial temperature range -40°C to 70°C [TI]

[absque fenestris]

CompuLab AirTop3 built to order with Linux Mint
$2,889.10

CPU
Core i9-9900K [C9900]
RAM
4x 16 GB [D64]
SSD
1x SSD 1 TB [HS1X1T]
NVMe
1x EVO 970 256 GB [NVME1X256]
Operating system
Linux Mint [XLM]
PCIe card
Intel X550-T2 dual 10GbE adapter [GE10GX2]
WiFi and Bluetooth
WiFi adapter 802.11ac + BT 4.2 [W]
FACE Module
FM-OPLN [FMOPLN]
Temperature range
Industrial temperature range -40°C to 70°C [TI]

Yes, Yes! this Compulab AirTop3 thing could very well fall into the more sensible new acquisitions.
Only - who has experience with it?
On paper, resp. on their website it looks very nice - who has really worked with it? ...and my remaining $2700 shouldn't be enough for that either... but, as I said, in any case I have a good mouse...

[MurphCID]

CompuLab AirTop3 built to order with Linux Mint
$2,889.10

CPU
Core i9-9900K [C9900]
RAM
4x 16 GB [D64]
SSD
1x SSD 1 TB [HS1X1T]
NVMe
1x EVO 970 256 GB [NVME1X256]
Operating system
Linux Mint [XLM]
PCIe card
Intel X550-T2 dual 10GbE adapter [GE10GX2]
WiFi and Bluetooth
WiFi adapter 802.11ac + BT 4.2 [W]
FACE Module
FM-OPLN [FMOPLN]
Temperature range
Industrial temperature range -40°C to 70°C [TI]

Nice. I am working the specs for my AMD variant.

[BenTrabetere]

I have a new system and it exceeds my needs, so there is no way I would spend $3000 on a Dream Machine. Sooo...

I would get a Raspberry Pi 4 and the parts to turn it into a weather station, a cheap keyboard/mouse combo, and an inexpensive monitor. It would run Raspbian. I think $500 should cover the cost for the setup and a donation to Raspberry Pi Foundation.

Which leaves me with $2500.00. Enough for a digitizing tablet, a flatbed scanner, a film scanner, telecine projector to convert 8mm film, a vinyl-to-digital turntable, and a donation for the software to drive it.

[absque fenestris]

vinyl-to-digital turntable

More, more, please more information! Please...

[HaveaMint]

I just repaired my AMD 6core (Bad Mainboard) added more ram and made it my server. I built this below but had the video card and hard drives already for less than $600. I guess I could not tell the truth on the cost and pocket the rest of the money

Code: Select all

System:    Host: main Kernel: 4.15.0-55-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 7.4.0 Desktop: Xfce 4.12.3 
           Distro: Linux Mint 19.2 Tina base: Ubuntu 18.04 bionic 
Machine:   Type: Desktop Mobo: ASRock model: 970A-G/3.1 serial: <filter> UEFI: American Megatrends v: P1.20 date: 01/12/2016 
CPU:       Topology: 8-Core model: AMD FX-8350 bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Bulldozer L2 cache: 2048 KiB 
           flags: lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm bogomips: 64000 
           Speed: 1398 MHz min/max: 1400/4000 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1400 2: 1397 3: 1398 4: 1397 5: 1398 6: 1396 7: 1398 
           8: 1372 
Graphics:  Device-1: NVIDIA GK104 [GeForce GTX 660 Ti] vendor: eVga.com. driver: nvidia v: 390.116 bus ID: 01:00.0 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.19.6 driver: nvidia unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,nouveau,vesa 
           resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: GeForce GTX 660 Ti/PCIe/SSE2 v: 4.6.0 NVIDIA 390.116 direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] SBx00 Azalia vendor: ASRock driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:14.2 
           Device-2: NVIDIA GK104 HDMI Audio vendor: eVga.com. driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.1 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.15.0-55-generic 
Network:   Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: ASRock driver: r8169 v: 2.3LK-NAPI 
           port: d000 bus ID: 06:00.0 
           IF: enp6s0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 2.05 TiB used: 169.19 GiB (8.1%) 
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Samsung model: SSD 860 EVO 250GB size: 232.89 GiB 
           ID-2: /dev/sdb vendor: Western Digital model: WD10EZEX-08WN4A0 size: 931.51 GiB 
           ID-3: /dev/sdc vendor: Western Digital model: WD10EZEX-08WN4A0 size: 931.51 GiB 
Partition: ID-1: / size: 41.99 GiB used: 9.83 GiB (23.4%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda2 
           ID-2: /home size: 167.16 GiB used: 3.24 GiB (1.9%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda3 
           ID-3: swap-1 size: 6.50 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sdb3 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 20.1 C mobo: N/A gpu: nvidia temp: 41 C 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A gpu: nvidia fan: 30% 
Info:      Processes: 233 Uptime: 1h 01m Memory: 17.60 GiB used: 6.11 GiB (34.7%) Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers: 
           gcc: 7.4.0 Shell: bash v: 4.4.20 inxi: 3.0.32 

[all41]

A top of the line cutting edge system costs about the same now as it did 30 years ago--
about 3,000 USD. Nowdays we get more bang for the buck, and even a bigger bang because of the stronger buck.

[BenTrabetere]

vinyl-to-digital turntable

More, more, please more information! Please...

At one time I had a very nice Marantz stereo system - I went through a brief period of down-sizing at the turn of the century and, short on space, I gave it to a friend who helped me to move. I kept my collection of over 500 LPs, most of which have been played only once, when I recorded them to cassette and to reel-to-reel. The tapes are long gone, but the LPs have been sitting in boxes for nearly two decades.

I want a rig that will let me record most* them to CD and as FLAC files. The Teac LP-R660USB-PB would be sufficient, but MurphCID's budget should allow for something obscenely extravagant.

*I hope I am the only person on the planet to own pristine copies Mardi Gras (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Tarkus (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Serpent is Rising (Styx), and The Magician's Birthday (Uriah Heep). Toxic waste like that would not be converted.

[Pierre]

considering last set of computer acquisition for for just 5% of that amount,
but for several laptops, for a Total of 50% of that amount.

this site https://www.razer.com/gaming-laptops would be the go-to site.
but, that acquisition itself, would cause another issue,
- - what to do with that Default Operating System - - that it would come with.

[sphyrth]

I'd buy a MintBox Mini 2 Pro. Sure, I'm really paying for the Mint Brand, but I'm generally okay with the specs.

[AndyMH]

I'd build, but even with a high end i9-xxxx and the latest GTX9999 graphics I'd struggle to spend the money. Sounds like a party

t one time I had a very nice Marantz stereo system - I went through a brief period of down-sizing at the turn of the century and, short on space, I gave it to a friend who helped me to move. I kept my collection of over 500 LPs, most of which have been played only once, when I recorded them to cassette and to reel-to-reel. The tapes are long gone, but the LPs have been sitting in boxes for nearly two decades.

I want a rig that will let me record most* them to CD and as FLAC files. The Teac LP-R660USB-PB would be sufficient, but MurphCID's budget should allow for something obscenely extravagant.

*I hope I am the only person on the planet to own pristine copies Mardi Gras (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Tarkus (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Serpent is Rising (Styx), and The Magician's Birthday (Uriah Heep). Toxic waste like that would not be converted.

Oh dear! showing my age. My LPs are gathering dust in the attic along with most of my hifi - AR speakers, Armstrong amp, home built deck with a mayware formula 4 tonearm, and so on...

I remember, second year at uni (1971) and a friend blew all his autumn term grant on a reel-to-reel deck, a real audophile! Trade you ELP for Santana or Uriah Heep for Wishbone Ash?

[deepakdeshp]

No idea how I would $3000 on 1 system, that is about 3 years of computer expenses for me.

Do you spend this amount in 3 years on your computer's?

Been spending about $900 a year on computer related stuff for a while, which is not bad for a hobby and for all the stuff that I play with. Keeps me busy.

Well one way it's good but the other side is one tends to forget that there is life apart from computers as is the case with me.