Order a High Powered Linux Workstation on the Cheap

I just finished reading Paul Ferrill’s article at Linux Planet titled Build a High Powered Linux Workstation on the Cheap. As I am a system builder this article obviously piqued my interest. Paul goes into the specifications of his high powered workstation somewhat. So, I decided to see what I as a system builder could do to come close to matching his Do It Yourself (DIY) price.

Here is the list of components Paul mentions:

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition CPU 3.4GHz (quad-core)
MSI DKA790GX motherboard
PNY Optima DDR2 memory (4GB x 2)
Thermaltake Element G case
1 TB SATA drive (No specific model mentioned)

He comes up with a total of $665.00 for the DIY builder that wants to build his own PC. Notice Paul does not include a power supply, which is sort of necessary to make this system work. Paul also does not include shipping fees to get the parts shipped to one’s door. One would need to add a power supply that is quad-core capable to this mix which puts the total over $700.00 when the power supply is added. Granted, one can find parts from online stores that will ship via UPS Ground or FedEx Ground for “free”. So, shipping fees may not enter into the picture for the careful DIY shopper.

This is truly nice for the DIY person that likes to tinker with her own hardware. However, for the majority of PC users building one’s own PC is out of the question. The average PC user wants to buy it off the shelf or order it off the web preloaded with an operating system and probably some software. For the average PC user these are the only choices she wants to have. Most people do not get “shivery” over putting together “sexy” hardware like we hardware geeks do. More than likely the average PC user will tend to go a bit “green around the gills” just thinking about trying to build his own PC. This is where the system builders, such as my own company (An AMD only shop), ZaReason, System 76 and Penguin Computing enter the picture.

Here is what I get when I fill out a parts list form here as if for a new customer ordering a PC from my company today. I am using as close to the same components that Paul used as I can get:

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition CPU 3.4GHz (quad-core)
MSI DKA790GX motherboard
OCZ 8GB PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) DDR2 Memory (4GB Kit x 2)
Thermaltake Element T Case
Thermaltake TR2 Series 430W Power Supply
HITACHI Deskstar 1TB SATA II 7200 RPM 16MB Buffer Hard Drive
Preloaded “free” GNU/Linux Distribution (Any of the top 20 at DistroWatch, Mandriva recommended)

This system for the Non-DIY person would cost $793.00, plus shipping and perhaps sales tax if purchased through a system builder such as my own company. Adding a decent flat panel monitor and keyboard/mouse combo to get a complete system would add roughly another $175.00 to $200.00 to the total. I will figure the higher $200.00 for a nice monitor and keyboard/mouse giving a grand total of around $993.00 for a complete system using (roughly) Paul’s specifications. At this point I am not thinking this is all that cheap. What if we went with different components that are not quite so cutting edge? This could be done to bring the price down somewhat. In the interest of completeness I decided to do just that.

Here is my new parts form for a complete PC with GNU/Linux preloaded for the more budget conscious user:

AMD Phenom II X4 3GHz (quad-core)
ASUS AMD 780G AM3 motherboard
OCZ 4GB PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) DDR2 Memory (4GB Kit x 1)
Thermaltake WingRS 201 Case
Thermaltake TR2 Series 430W Power Supply
SAMSUNG 500GB SATA 7200 RPM 16MB Buffer Hard Drive
LG 20in Widescreen LCD Monitor
Logitech Keyboard/Mouse Combo (PS/2)
Preloaded “free” GNU/Linux Distribution (Any of the top 20 at DistroWatch, Mandriva recommended)

This more budget conscious, high power PC system would price out at $775.00 (See correction in comments below.). This is real pricing that would be used today if someone ordered this PC from my company. One does not care to do business with my company due to my shameless self-promotion? Fine, here is a comparable system from System76 with quad-core Intel CPU and only Ubuntu available: Wild Dog Performance. That is not quite as budget conscious though. Or, go find a system builder near you at the Naked Computers web site and make a deal.

The bottom line is whether one is a DIY type or an average PC user one can get a complete, rather high powered GNU/Linux based PC system for around $800.00. If one does not need a new monitor the total is closer to $600.00. Can one do this for no more than $500.00? I tend to think that might be possible if one were willing to settle for a more mid-range system with a dual-core CPU. Such as the Limbo 2550A from ZaReason, Inc. However, hardware prices for these more powerful quad-core components continue to drop. Perhaps in another six to twelve months one could build or buy a less than cutting edge, high powered, quad-core workstation for around $500.00. Time will tell.

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Edit Sat Aug 22 15:47:18 CDT 2009: Change the incorrect “OCZ 4GB” to “OCZ 8GB” on the first build specs.

Edit Sat Aug 22 19:27:24 CDT 2009: Add link for price correction in comments. Change “under $800.00″ to “around $800.00″.