Wed Jun 26 2019 06:10:25 MST from New User

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+
The third-generation single-board computer
1.4GHz 64-bit quad-core processor, dual-band wireless LAN, Bluetooth 4.2/BLE, faster Ethernet, and Power-over-Ethernet support (with separate PoE HAT)

https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-3-model-b-plus/

Although - ta-dum... the Raspberry 4 just came out... 

https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-4-model-b/
With more power, dual display ports, at the same base price as the B+... but you can get the loaded version with 4MB for about $55. I'll probably replace the one I am using as a Linux box with a 4. 

You can bet your ass I'll be in here asking for advice on hardware once I get the money to buy my new rig.  To start off, do you think brand matters for RAM?

Welp. You convinced me. It's only a matter of time until I buy one of these. And then only a matter of time before I have a tiny army of them. 

They have directions on making Pi clusters.

https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/cluster-computer-raspberry-pi-3/

Mon Jul 08 2019 06:28:34 MST from New User

They have directions on making Pi clusters.

https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/cluster-computer-raspberry-pi-3/

 

That is pretty awesome! 

Does the new Pi have accelerated video when you run a Linux desktop on it?  My biggest problem when I tried to run an older Pi as a desktop was that the video was unaccelerated, so rendering was very slow, and video was unwatchable.  I ended up getting a NUC to substitute for it.  Would love to hear that the newest Pis don't have that problem.

Tue Jul 09 2019 07:29:16 MST from IGnatius T Foobar

Does the new Pi have accelerated video when you run a Linux desktop on it?  

Rendering, like Blender? I think it is basically useful as something like a ChromeOS laptop. Lightweight web-browsing and e-mail. Even the 4 is still a low power ARM based processor. It does have dual HDMI out now - but I don't think it is really suitable to high end 3D graphics. 

A NUC sounds more reasonable for that - but for rendering, I use a gaming desktop with two Nvidia GPUs - a 1080 and a 1070 with 8GB each.

What I meant by 'rendering' is simply that the Pi has a hardware video decoder and can run at least as fast as a smartphone, but the X11 server doesn't have a driver that uses it.

I just wanted to be able to play in-browser videos.

Wed Jul 10 2019 06:29:06 MST from IGnatius T Foobar

 

I just wanted to be able to play in-browser videos.

I'm not sure. I don't know that I've tried in browser videos on my Pi3+. 

If I'm reading it correctly, the new one has rendering suitable for general desktop computing, so I reckon it would work well for streaming YouTube but maybe not streaming HD netflix for hours.

The Pi 4 allows for dual HD monitors, but with two it loses resolution. 

There is evidently rumor of an 8GB Pi4 coming out, too... which makes sense. 

With the right cooling - I don't think streaming for hours at a time should be a problem. 

From the little research I did two years ago involving getting a new gaming PC, it wasn't that much more to get one pre-assembled from Dell with some kick ass gear in it. It saved me hours of research into individual components and the new gaming PC kicks ass. If you have the time you could save a couple of bucks but time is money so pick your poison lol

I'll probably spend some time on Tom's Hardware comparing options, but I'm most likely to end up at https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/category/gaming-pcs/

Recycled previous-generation hardware is almost always the best-value option, unless you're the type of person who wants to play brand new AAA game titles all the time.

Mon Jul 15 2019 15:07:28 MST from IGnatius T Foobar

Recycled previous-generation hardware is almost always the best-value option, unless you're the type of person who wants to play brand new AAA game titles all the time.

I needed a PC that would work for 3D rendering. I wasn't going to get a high end workstation with Quadra Graphics cards - I wanted something pro-sumer grade. So... I spent a lot of time shopping around for components - and realized, by the time I got done, not including my time, building my own DIY desktop was going to cost more than just getting one that was very close pre-built. I ended up going with a CyberPowerPC with a 1070 GT 8GB card in it. Later I added a second 1080GT 8 GB card. They don't need to be DSLI/Crossfire/ whatever for 3D Nvidia Iray rendering. 

But, as it sits, it is 4K VR ready. It could use more system memory. i7 CPU, 16GB memory, SSD and 1TB magnetic drive, liquid cooled in a nice case that is accessible and with great cable management and plenty of space. I think it was about $1200 - then another $600 for the 1080 card. 

It would have cost me a lot more - and I don't know that I feel like assembling PCs anymore. It takes a lot of time and is a little stressful. Plus - I had a single warranty from one location for the whole thing. Not... "The motherboard died, I have to figure out that is what is dead, and send that back to ASUS..." 

Apparently the PI4 is having problems, it may not be a wise investment until revisions are released.

Well they got me.  The promise of the summer sale plus the easy credit tempted me beyond my ability to resist and I bought a computer last night.  It should arrive by Friday.

Code: BLKPEARLZ                               $2,427.00 x 1       $2,427.00
CyberPower Black Pearl (NO MONITOR)
https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/CyberPower-Black-Pearl

*BASE_PRICE: [+1995]
CAS: CYBERPOWERPC X-Saber 620 RGB Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, Full-Size Tempered Glass Window [-41] (Black Color)
CASUPGRADE: CORSAIR Lighting Node PRO individually addressable RGB lighting with software control Kit [+49]
CPU: Intel(R) Core™ Processor i9-9900KF 3.60GHZ 16MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1151 [w/o Integrated Graphic] (Coffee Lake) [-50]
CS_FAN: 3X 120mm Color Case Cooling Fans for your selected case [+15] (Red Color)
FAN: CyberPowerPC MasterLiquid Lite 120mm ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler with Dual Chamber Pump & Copper Cold Plate
FREEBIE_VC1: NVIDIA Super Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Control [+0]
HDD: 512GB Intel(R) 660P SERIES PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD - Seq R/W: Up to 1500/1000 MB/s, Rnd R/W up to 90/220k (Single Drive)
HDD2: 3TB (3TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [-24] (Single Drive)
IUSB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
MEMORY: 32GB (8GBx4) DDR4/3000MHz Dual Channel Memory (ADATA XPG Z1)
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS Prime Z390-P ATX w/ WiFi 802.11AC RGB, USB 3.1, 2 PCIe x16, 4 PCIe x1, 4 SATA3, 2 M.2 SATA/PCIe
MOUSE: CyberPowerPC Standard 4000 DPI with Weight System Optical Gaming Mouse
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)
POWERSUPPLY: 1200 Watts - Rosewill PHOTON Series 1200W 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Power Supply [-14]
PROMOSALE1: CyberPowerPC FPS Gaming Mouse Pad [+0]
RUSH: Standard processing time: ship within 5 to 10 Business Days
SERVICE: 3 Years FREE Service Plan (INCLUDES LABOR AND LIFETIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT)
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: GeForce(R) RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6 (Turing) [VR Ready] [-48] (Dual Card (NO SLI Support) [+550])
WARRANTY: STANDARD WARRANTY: 1 Year Parts WARRANTY

Evern got 5% off with a promo code found by Honey, my chrome shopping plugin.  So I'm pretty happy.

Man... that is a monster. Congrats. Hope you like it. I love mine, by the way. 

Thanks, I had to make a few compromises but between the video and the ram and the hard drives I'm pretty happy, plus I still get the shiny happy RGB lighting for inside my box.  I'm hoping that the motherboard can support more ram because I'd love to get 64GB ram, but 32 is still a lot better than the 8 on my current model.