I will start with a little background info. I am a web developer and I have an up-to-date laptop, so I am not looking for a high-tech desktop PC as well. I am looking to get myself something that I can use for work only, leaving the laptop for entertainment and on-the-road stuff. That's why I decided to get a (cheap) desktop PC for home. I found a pretty good offer for an affordable one with the following configuration and since I am not very knowledged when it comes to hardware, I'd like to consult with you guys. I will only install Ubuntu (or another linux distribution) and use Netbeans (a web development IDE). Some SVN and web surfing activities as well will be done, but no heavy multimedia stuff like watching movies or playing games or Photoshop (thees will be done on the laptop). The configuration itself: Intel Pentium 4 1.7GHz (256KB L2 Cache) RAM: 1024MB 266MHz DDR SDRAM HD: 20GB 5400 rpm SMART III Ultra ATA/100 CD Rom drive Video: Intel Extreme Graphics 845G Connection: Integrated Intel PRO/100 VM Other: Integrated Intel Audio, 2+2xUSB 2.0 Box/case type: SFF I know this is pretty old, but it's dead cheap and I think it will do the job for my needs. What do you think? Will this configuration suffice or should I spend a few bucks more for a better PC?
Yes, I think they're fine. 700 MHz processor (about Intel Celeron or better) 512 MiB RAM (system memory) 5 GB of hard-drive space (or USB stick, memory card or external drive but see LiveCD for an alternative approach) VGA capable of 1024x768 screen resolution Either a CD/DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media Internet access is helpful -Source: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements