[ubuntu-uk] pre-installed Ubuntu from UK vendor :)

[Rob Beard]

On 21/02/11 18:29, alan c wrote:
> On 21/02/11 18:06, Rob Beard wrote:
>> On 21/02/11 16:45, Ross Mounce wrote:
>>> [It's my first post: Hi all!]
>>>
>>> I often hear that it's rare to find UK vendors selling computers with
>>> Ubuntu pre-installed.
>>>
>>> So I was pleasantly suprised to see this:
>>> http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/NEW-Nanosaur-410-95p966.htm
>>>
>>> ...comes pre-installed with "Linux Ubuntu 10" [sic]
>>>
>>
>> Actually that doesn't seem too bad, it's not that much cheaper at trade
>> price :-)
>>
>>>
>>> On a related note. I'm looking to buy a multi-core desktop, and a
>>> netbook.
>>> Any suggestions as to where I can get these aside from the
>>> aforementioned vendor?
>>>
>>> * I want to avoid having to pay extra for M$ software that I won't use
>>> * I'm on a student budget, so the cheaper the better!
>>>
>>
>> Not sure about a Netbook but for a multi-core desktop, have you
>> considered building one yourself?
>>
>> If you don't fancy that option then you could try eBuyer.com, Aria.co.uk
>> or Novatech, they all sell PCs with or without an OS.
>
> I notice that Novatech have a Linux forum and netbooks(?) like the X10
> have models which change over product time. One recently has been the
> subject of a struggle with certain configuration, later solved.

Ahh I haven't looked at Novatech's site for a while, I'll have a look.

>
> On the subject of self build: bent pins and thermal compound - some
> mainboard bundles are sold with CPU fully assembled and tested. I think
> novatech do this, for example.

Aria do this, I'm sure other suppliers do too.  Saying that, it isn't 
too bad fitting a CPU into a motherboard.  I found it to be more risky 
with the Athlon and Athlon XP CPUs where the die could get crushed under 
a badly fitted heatsink (when I worked at eBuyer it was a common thing 
to happen, customers would fit a heatsink incorrectly and chip the die 
causing a dead CPU which wasn't covered by warranty).

Although with the Socket 775 (and socket 1156/1366) and the AM2/AM3 CPUs 
they have a metal plate over the core which protects them.  As long as 
you're careful you shouldn't have any issues (some CPU coolers also come 
with heatsink compound pre-applied).

Saying that, I have managed to break a pin off of a Phenom X4 once, but 
that was more of a case of my own stupidity :-P (luckily the CPU was 
free, but I still almost cried!).

Rob