[ale] upgrading desktop

[Bob]

Hi J.D.,

On 2020-07-28 4:06 p.m., DJ-Pfulio via Ale wrote:
> What's your budget??? What's the goal?

My desktop seems to be mostly fine.  Sometimes, things get slow when 
memory runs low---usually, too many tabs open on firefox.  I was 
thinking of some modest upgrades, e.g., memory and ssd.

If I were to spend more, I might be more interested in something small 
and fanless.

> 
> Is the Lenovo using standard PSU and case? 

The dimensions are 6.89" W X 16.10" D X 14.17" H; 175mm W X 409mm D X 
360mm H.  A standard ATX psu is supposed to fit in the chassis.  Here's 
a picture that someone else posted of the same machine:

https://i.imgur.com/lF6S4Jm.jpg

Here's that same machine after they made a few changes:

https://i.imgur.com/6rWnuaR.jpg

If it doesn't have a standard
> case, most major "upgrades" are risky. Need all the screws and 
> clearances to be right.?? OTOH, a $30 case for someone who doesn't open 
> it more than once a year to clean out the dust is just fine.
> 
> The easy way to provide info about your current box, is to run:?? inxi 
> -Fz and post that.

System:
   Host: bob-IdeaCentre-K410 Kernel: 4.15.0-112-generic x86_64 bits: 64
   Desktop: Cinnamon 4.0.10 Distro: Linux Mint 19.1 Tessa
Machine:
   Type: Desktop System: LENOVO product: 10089 v: IdeaCentre K410
   serial: <filter>
   Mobo: LENOVO model: MAHOBAY v: Win8 STD MM DPK IPG serial: <filter>
   UEFI: LENOVO v: ESKT20A date: 10/22/2012
CPU:
   Topology: Quad Core model: Intel Core i5-3330 bits: 64 type: MCP
   L2 cache: 6144 KiB
   Speed: 1717 MHz min/max: 1600/3200 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1657 2: 1806
   3: 1990 4: 2245
Graphics:
   Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v2/3rd Gen Core processor Graphics
   driver: i915 v: kernel
   Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.19.6 driver: modesetting unloaded: 
fbdev,vesa
   resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz, 1920x1080~60Hz
   OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics 2500 (IVB GT1)
   v: 4.2 Mesa 20.0.8
Audio:
   Device-1: Intel 6 Series/C200 Series Family High Definition Audio
   driver: snd_hda_intel
   Sound Server: ALSA v: k4.15.0-112-generic
Network:
   Device-1: Realtek RTL8188CE 802.11b/g/n WiFi Adapter driver: rtl8192ce
   IF: wlp3s0 state: down mac: <filter>
   Device-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet
   driver: r8169
   IF: enp4s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives:
   Local Storage: total: 2.73 TiB used: 86.87 GiB (3.1%)
   ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Seagate model: ST1000DM003-9YN162 size: 931.51 GiB
   ID-2: /dev/sdb vendor: Western Digital model: WD1003FZEX-00MK2A0
   size: 931.51 GiB
   ID-3: /dev/sde type: USB vendor: Western Digital model: WD Elements 10B8
   size: 931.48 GiB
Partition:
   ID-1: / size: 908.38 GiB used: 86.81 GiB (9.6%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sdb2
   ID-2: swap-1 size: 8.31 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda9
   ID-3: swap-2 size: 7.63 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sdb1
Sensors:
   System Temperatures: cpu: 29.8 C mobo: 27.8 C
   Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A
Info:
   Processes: 234 Uptime: 11h 19m Memory: 7.68 GiB used: 3.67 GiB (47.7%)
   Shell: bash inxi: 3.0.27


> 
> $214 for MB+CPU combo:
> https://www.microcenter.com/product/5003878/-amd-ryzen-5-3600-with-wraith-stealth-cooler,-asus-b450m-a-csm-prime,-cpu---motherboard-bundle 
> The only negative I see with this is a crappy Realtek NIC, so I'd need 
> to spend $25 on a quality NIC.?? The forums are full of people with 
> Realtek NIC issues. I have a G3258 with a flakey Realtek NIC. Ended up 
> disabling it and throwing in an old cheap Marvell.

I've heard realtek nic's are lousy.  So far, the realtek nic in my 
desktop has been fine.

> 
> I need to check a few other MB+CPU combos to see what's available.  
> Microcenter almost always has some
> 
> With a standard case, that MB+CPU combo just needs some DDR4 RAM and a 
> GPU.?? That's almost 18K passmarks in 65W.?? 5 yrs ago, that was Xeon 
> server performance.?? My Ryzen 2600 is just 13K passmarks.?? Reuse 
> everything else you already have.
> 
> There's little purpose in doing a little upgrade to an 8 yr old CPU 
> unless it is only a CPU swap and the newer one is 2x faster - minimal. 

Wouldn't going from 8GB to 16GB of ram be a worthwhile improvement?

> However, an SSD would make a difference for pretty much any system.?? I'm 
> a fan of the Samsung 8xx and 9xx lines. Just be sure to check the 
> warranty TBW numbers so you know what you are getting. I have a
> model: Samsung_SSD_860 size: 500.1GB in a laptop. It is a SATA interface 
> with a 2.5inch form factor standard for laptops.?? I've never seen a 
> 3.5inch form in any SATA.?? I have seen m.2 for both SATA and NVMe, but 
> you don't have any m.2 slots, so that won't work.?? My rule for SSDs is 
> pretty simple.?? If they don't have a warranty based on TBW (endurance) 
> or they refuse to publish that data, then I won't buy.?? Their are a 
> number of SSD "brands" which do that.?? I've had a few SSDs fail over the 
> years. They were much cheaper than the Samsung.
> I also have a model: Micron_1100_MTFD size: 512.1GB.?? Micron is who I 
> think WD and Crucial buy their SSDs from.?? I would have preferred to get 
> a Samsung, but needed the storage for a build and was already over the 
> budget. The Samsung was $30 more at the time.
> 
> When I was researching SSD lifespans and linux information, so things 
> jumped out.?? I'm a simple person and only recall when I make a decision 
> to avoid certain types, not the details. Those decisions are based on my 
> needs which probably don't meet anyone else's needs.?? Do your own 
> research.?? Plus, it has been 18+ months since my last SSD purchase. The 
> SSD world could have changed in that time.
> 
> How big should an SSD be??? How can we say? For some systems, 16G is too 
> much. For others 2TB isn't enough.
> 
> Because you didn't say what CPU is currently used, we can't tell whether 
> any upgrade is worth it.

Quad Core model: Intel Core i5-3330

> 
> 280W is probably fine for anyone not dropping in a $130 GPU that needs 
> extra power, but it completely depends on the current CPU draw and how 
> much storage there is.
> 
--Bob