Small Linux computers anyone?

S

Sid Post

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Oct 14, 1998
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I'm looking to build or buy a small CentOS Linux box. Anyone around here playing or working with one? Any recommendations on the hardware side?

I'm thinking a basic desktop computer is good enough and pretty safe in terms of compatibility but, I don't see a lot of helpful information in the various forums on the internet. I'm pretty stuck on CentOS and need more horsepower than a Raspberry Pi 2 has. ;)
 
Intel NUC or Asus VivoPC should fit what you want. Lots of different configurations and price ranges to choose from.
 
I was looking at the Intel NUC with a 6th Gen Core I5 but, various reviews online were unfavorable. How do the 'little" PC's work with Linux? Is their hardware compatible with the normal Linux drivers?
 
I've got three NUCs running at work with Lubuntu, very happy with them. No problems with getting Linux going on them. One has been going strong over three years.
 
As long as it's a pretty standard chipset, Linux should have no problem. Especially these mini-PCs. Linux people love them and use them for everything from servers to digital signage. I've got a couple of Acer Revos running Debian. The Asus is running Win8.1 at the moment. 24/7 for 6 months no issues.
 
Small computers are looking interesting with the little Mini ITX motherboards.

You don't need a video card these days because a GPU is built into the CPU.

Fast USB thumbdrives have more storage than the average BluRay disc, so optical drives aren't a necessity.

With the new M.2 slot, you don't need SATA hard drives if you pick up something like this:

http://techreport.com/review/29221/samsung-950-pro-512gb-ssd-reviewed

All you need is a case, CPU cooler, a power supply, and some memory sticks now.

You might want to check out this article though.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/skylake-cpus-damaged-by-coolers,30690.html
 
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