Workstations

[Smaug's Smokey Hole]

For cpus specifically, I think what they normally do is just produce one model and then turn on and off features based on silicone quality/binning. It's probably a lot less expensive than producting two distinct models since I think ECC would require an architecture change and (just guessing) might not be subject to silicon quality variations like core count is.

Getting ECC onto a motherboard might be a different story.

Intel used to support(meaning they didn't bother with disabling it) ECC and even SMP on consumer motherboards because they assumed no one would use it and no one would build a consumer motherboard that could take two CPUs.

 

[Anonymus Fluhre]

I was using a Thermaltake Core W200 for awhile until I decided to split my systems. It was great for storage which is something I always need. I'm currently waiting to upgrade everything until 2022.

 

[Erika Furudo]

How good are old thinkpads? I like the idea of the easy repair, modification, lasting components, etc. I have doubts about how viable some of them actually are in 2021 with how shitty and bloated everything seems to be now, even web browsers. Specifically I'm thinking of either an x200 because it sounds great for privacy, or t420 for letting me cram more stuff in, making it more viable long term. I just want a basic web browser and something I can use to learn about linux and python. Given how old think pads are, I am curious if it's not just a meme or some hipster device before I look into parting with any money.

 

[Kosher Dill]

Specifically I'm thinking of either an x200 because it sounds great for privacy

Unless you're a hardcore Stallmanite who demands a completely libre GNU-plus-Linux system down to the firmware, X200's are mostly obsolete at this point. Core 2 Duo, SATA-2, and only 4GB of RAM are going to mean you'll have a bad time running anything modern. Linux might be fine.

The xx20 and xx30 series are still fine machines, and if you want to go further you can get some of the modern custom builds that are updated versions of the X200 and X230.

 

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Unless you're a hardcore Stallmanite who demands a completely libre GNU-plus-Linux system down to the firmware, X200's are mostly obsolete at this point. Core 2 Duo, SATA-2, and only 4GB of RAM are going to mean you'll have a bad time running anything modern. Linux might be fine.

The xx20 and xx30 series are still fine machines, and if you want to go further you can get some of the modern custom builds that are updated versions of the X200 and X230.

An x230 still does fine in the current year with 8gb+ and an SSD. Though I haven't gone down the route of finding the right tranny BIOS to run for MAXIMUM FREEDOM.