[TriLUG] System Upgrade Advice Please

[David Both via TriLUG]

t would be easier to provide a good answer if we knew what you mean by,
"the default graphics settings keep getting notched lower."

How/when do you notice this?

What symptoms do you see?

Does it occur randomly or only when you install updates or do an
upgrade?

What happens when you try to manually alter the graphics resolution?

Have you recently installed a new display?

Do you use one or multiple displays?

How old and what brand/model is the display?

HDMI / VGA / Displayport connection?

Are the SSDs m.2 or SATA?

What do you see in terms of resource usage in top/htop/glances? RAM,
disk space, etc?

Is your system doing a lot of swapping?

Just as a general suggestion, your system is probably OK and you
shouldn't need a complete upgrade like replacing the MB and all that
goes with that.


-- 


*********************************************************
David P. Both, RHCE
He/Him/His
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www.both.org - My personal web site
www.Linux-Databook.info - Home of the DataBook for Linux
DataBook is a Registered Trademark of David Both
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The value of any software lies in its usefulness
not in its price.

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On Sun, 14 May 2023, Scott Chilcote via TriLUG wrote:

> Date: Sun, 14 May 2023 06:58:04
> From: Scott Chilcote via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org>
> Reply-To: Scott Chilcote <scottchi at rocketship.com>,
>     Triangle Linux Users Group General Discussion <trilug at trilug.org>
> To: trilug at trilug.org
> Subject: [TriLUG] System Upgrade Advice Please
>
>   Hello LUGgers,
>
>   I have an Intrex mid tower system that I keep updated with Ubuntu LTS
>   in my home office.  Since I retired, I use it for gaming with proton
>   about half the time.  It has a Core I7 4770, 16 GB of Corsair DDR3, and
>   an ASUS Z87-A motherboard.  All of the drives are SSD.
>   The games have been telling me that it's getting outdated, as the
>   default graphics settings keep getting notched lower. Recent installs
>   are selecting the low-medium range, and that's with a much more recent
>   GTX 1660Ti video card in the box.
>
>   My first thought was to bump the memory up to 32GB, but that ship has
>   sailed.  Every compatible upgrade listing I could find said "out of
>   stock".  I could probably locate one in the sketchier corners of the
>   internet, but it has dawned on me that this whole system is due for an
>   upgrade.  Most of it was bought in 2013.
>
>   I'm very happy with the Thermaltake silent case, it has plenty of space
>   and ventilation.  The 630W "Haswell ready" PSU might be able to to
>   serve a while longer too.  But I'd like to upgrade the mainboard, PSU,
>   and memory up to 32 or 64 GB.
>
>   So is there an easier way to go about purchasing a new mobo/CPU
>   combination for Linux now?  One that will work right out of the
>   box(es)?  I apologize if I seem skittish, but I've had a hit and
>   miss track record for picking compatible hardware over the decades.
>
>   It's been a long time since I dipped a toe in these waters, but the
>   motherboard manufacturers I've had the best luck with are ASUS, MSI,
>   and Gigabyte.  From past experience I've had better luck installing
>   Linux on hardware that is not brand new, as the drivers tended to lag
>   behind the intended OS market (Windows).  But these are just general
>   rules of thumb.
>
>   I'd love it if the answer is not to worry, just buy a new setup from
>   reputable brands and throw on the latest distro release.  But if it's
>   not quite that, I'll be happy to have your thoughts on how to approach
>   this!
>
>   Thanks very much,  Scott C. in Gafanha de Aquem, Ilhavo Portugal
>