One more thing....
If you plan to run Linux - make sure the hardware you buy has Linux drivers available. Stick with popular widely-used brands and you'll be OK.
It's amazing what's supported in Linux...and it's even more amazing when you find out what isn't.
As a rule of thumb, whatever hardware really kicked ass last year will enjoy current (and thorough) Linux support today.
In my "suggested system" in the post above I placed 'upgradeability' at the top of the list, then 'cost', and finally 'performance'.
'Upgradeability' is a crapshoot, really. The next Athlon may not even fit the ZIF socket your 'Barton' does. Same is true of Intel's Pentium4. Still, there's room to upgrade within the current offerings unless you start with the fastest available CPU.
If you plan to run Linux - make sure the hardware you buy has Linux drivers available. Stick with popular widely-used brands and you'll be OK.
It's amazing what's supported in Linux...and it's even more amazing when you find out what isn't.
As a rule of thumb, whatever hardware really kicked ass last year will enjoy current (and thorough) Linux support today.
In my "suggested system" in the post above I placed 'upgradeability' at the top of the list, then 'cost', and finally 'performance'.
'Upgradeability' is a crapshoot, really. The next Athlon may not even fit the ZIF socket your 'Barton' does. Same is true of Intel's Pentium4. Still, there's room to upgrade within the current offerings unless you start with the fastest available CPU.