Slashdot Mirror

Visual Studio Ultimate 2012, only $16,623.99 with Free Shipping!

There are reasons to use open source.
This is one of them.

Who needs to build it yourself? Last time I needed a new system, sites that allow you to custom configure a new PC were cheaper than buying the parts separately.

3BTech has a new, low-end PC starting at $170 (shipped): http://3btech.net/3btecocospam.html

These guys might be a good choice as well: http://www.ascendtech.us/

You should still expect to have to open the thing up and re-attach the fan that's flopping around, and the like, but even with that, it'll save you a lot of time, and maybe some money.

Motherboard $60: http://www.ascendtech.us/itemdesc.asp?ic=MBTAS2729G2NR
http://www.gearxs.com/gearxs/product_info.php?products_id=11075

2.7Ghz Xeon $12: http://www.starmicro.net/detail.aspx?ID=632 (3GHz+ CPUs went up, stock may be low right now)

512MB ECC PC2100 $7: http://www.trustprice.com/651566/hp-genuine-512mb-ddr-266.html

Note: All from a 5 minute quick search. A little effort would find better prices and alternate equipment.

here is one it has way more features than a XBox. I can build one cheaper here.

It's a matter of definition. When a capacitor "goes out", you don't grab aluminum foil and cellophane and start rolling a new cap, you buy new ones as little units premanufactured.

Computers actually also follow the same model. Parts come in simple, prepackaged pieces that are interchangable, within certain design limitations.

For example, my teen daughter is using a franken-system comprising a 10-year-old AMD K6-2 motherboard running Windows 98, with memory chips purchased at circuit city 6 months ago, assembled with a ATX power supply scrounged years ago in a tower case that originally housed an 80286/12 about 1985 or so. Seriously, who remembers a 12 Mhz processor first-hand? (I do!) It's got a USB 1.x port on the back for the flash drive she uses for her homework, and since all she really wants is some word processing and some youtube, it does the job quite nicely.

We have other, far faster/nicer computers available, but this is the one she has in her room.

My point? We have a longevity of design that is already over 20 years old in a perfectly working system. Parts are widely available: I could replace that Motherboard with a P4 mobo and not have to buy a single part to get equal or better performance, for just $59. All this in a case that dates its design to about 1985 or so.

Built to last 30 years? We're at 22 and counting...

That's true, but you can get an Ubuntu PC from Dell (with monitor) for $500. Or if you can install Linux, you can probably handle building your own. Or you could go somewhere like here and get a dual-core AMD machine for under $200.

Here is one of your cheapest alternatives on the market

My point is you can buy a computer with the same if not better hardware specs for the same price as the xbox

Where? I looked on NewEgg and Pricewatch and I was unable to find a computer that retails for as little as the XBox. The cheapest computer I could find on Pricewatch that had somewhat comparable specs was $208.99 (plus $65 for the cheapest vid card with TV out, plus $20 more if you want a DVD drive [like the XBox]) and the case doesn't look nearly as nice in an AV rack. If you want a nice low profile case you will probably spend $50-$100 more. Then you will need to buy at least 1 game controller/joystick and a remote/IR receiver, probably the bare minimum for those items is $30 each. That's getting pretty spendy for "the same price as the xbox".

and then you aren't limited to one os.

Since when is the XBox limited to one OS? I run Linux with MythTV on the 3 XBoxes in my home, but there is also the option to run XBMC or the standard MS Xbox OS. In addition to being a decent computer for multimedia playback, it also plays XBox games! Can your fictional $100 computer do that?

The XBox makes a serviceable multimedia playback machine that integrates well with existing AV components. Prior to using XBoxes for my MythTV frontends I used computers and the setup pains (and price) were greater with the PCs. Granted, it has been more than a year since I purchased an XBox, but when I was pricing components for my MythTV system the XBox was by far the most cost-effective frontend.