# Computer Upgrades - Host: [petersens.ws](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/hosts/petersens.ws/) - Saved: March 9, 2008 (2008-03-10T03:44:33Z) - Record: https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/79de48ce8379/ - JSON: https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/79de48ce8379.json ## From the page (probably an excerpt, not Jamie's words) Ive been busy the past few weeks upgrading the PC in the house. My PC was a 900MHz dinosaur and MJs PC was a 300MHz dust ball. Yes - Im a technologist running the equivalent of the Ford Model-T. Looking around at what is available and the cost, I decided to continue the Petersen tradition of building my own machines. I ended up buying the motherboards, CPU and memory off eBay. I went with a 2-CPU Xeon 2.8GHz with 6GB of ram for my machine. For the other machine I went with a 2-CPU 2.2GHz Xeon with 3GB of ram. Of course with the Xeon class chips, If I can get a faster chipset, I can always swap them out for more speed. Each machine ended up costing me around $200 to get a server class machine. With me running the different software packages and trying to max out the machine, the most I have been able to do is to get the CPUs up to about 40% utilization. Most of the machines in the house are running Linux. Im forced to keep a few Windows machines around. Cathy prefers Windows and MJ needs it to be compatible with school. If I had my way, Windows would be all but taken out of this house. I find that Linux has come a long way. It is faster, cleaner and very convenient upgrading the packages. After an hour or two everyone in the household is able to move around on a Linux box getting email and browsing the Internet. Plus the software that is available for Linux is mind boggling. In fact I find myself installing three or four variants of software that fits a particular function and playing around deciding which one I like. For the moment, Im stuck with some Windows. But at least with the server class Xeon processors, they function reasonably well. ## Facts - Kind: [Page](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/kinds/page/) ## Same host - [Wii](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/2c7402573fea/) (petersens.ws, December 26, 2007) ## Saved the same week - [Fire the workaholics](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/29562c181e53/) (37signals.com, March 7, 2008) - [Information Wants to be Elite](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/5e6c8ffdec39/) (grouplens.org, March 8, 2008) - [Shaking It Off - Migraine - Opinion Blog](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/8a12bac94dbe/) (migraine.blogs.nytimes.com, March 8, 2008) - [MacFamilyTree - Alzeimers Cure?](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/6fc2ce2920cb/) (macapper.com, March 9, 2008) - [The sleeper has awakened](https://links.thingelstad.xyz/links/9f2fb8eb1bdd/) (paulolstad.blogspot.com, March 9, 2008) ## Elsewhere - Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.petersens.ws/2008/03/computer-upgrades