[CentOS] OT: workstation recommends: Thinkmate?

[Barry Olddog]

----- Original Message ----

> From: Rainer Duffner <rainer at ultra-secure.de>
> To: CentOS mailing list <centos at centos.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 4, 2008 4:49:02 PM
> Subject: Re: [CentOS] OT: workstation recommends: Thinkmate?
> 
> 
> Am 04.09.2008 um 21:36 schrieb Lanny Marcus:
> 
> > Barry Olddog wrote:
> >> I'm looking to buy a new workstation, and it looks like Thinkmate  
> >> makes what I need -- their vsx "virtually silent" variety. I  
> >> hestitate because I  wasn't happy with a laptop I bought a few  
> >> years ago from a small outfit that sold Linux boxes exclusively.  
> >> Does anyone have experience with Thinkmate, and in particular, the  
> >> VSX line? If the later, is it really quiet. I run Centos on four  
> >> machines now, three of which are Dells, and I'm hoping to do  
> >> better. The Dell T5400 is close to what I want, but I get more for  
> >> less from Thinkpad -- at least on paper.
> >
> > No experience with Thinkmate, or, knowledge of them, but 4 of the 5  
> > computers in this room are Dell's. If Thinkmate is a long  
> > established company, with an excellent reputation, buy from them. If  
> > not, Dell will be around, to support your T5400, for a long time.
> >
> 
> 
> Indeed.
> But before I spent that much money on a PC, I'd want to *see* it and  
> hear it. In reality.
> Anybody can claim to manufacture a "virtually silent" workstation.
> 
> Too bad, Apple is the only vendor that has stores and all models on  
> display (at least, for desktops - but for a server, noise isn't  
> relevant anyway).
> 
> How much is the price difference actually?
> 
> 
> Rainer

The difference is about $1,000 -- 25% more for the Dell -- but the machines are not exactly the same.

Thinkmate is opteron, and the Dell, xeon -- which some would say is a factor in Dell's favor;
Dell includes a RH subscription whether you want it or not;
Dell has three hard drives (the max), Thinkmate four.
With the Dell, the memory comes from Crucial, which means there's a waste of two small modules; Thinkmate sells memory at a reasonable price (I'm figuring 32 gigs).

The HP xw9400 is closer to the Thinkmate, but an extra $200 to $300, with memory from Crucial.

I'm just leery of a maker that I don't know; I searched for reviews and comments, but found almost nothing. Maybe that's telling me something.

Barry