Cheap Hardware for Linux

RDM

RDM

RDM

Soldato
Joined
1 Feb 2007
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Any advice on cheap hardware for running Linux?

It is for a school and so needs to be either laptop or notebook format and be ready to go without setting up every lesson (which unfortunately rules out the PI).

The cheaper the better and specs are relatively unimportant as we only need it for some command line stuff.

Thanks.
 
Agree with the above. An old Thinkpad would be ideal. Something like an older T series depending on budget... T410, T420, etc. It's rugged, easy to replace or upgrade parts and everything usually works with Linux.
 
One of the asus eeepc's would seem a reasonable choice, since they come with a variant of Debian already installed. Should be absurdly cheap by this point.
 
Thinkpad T series would be nice as they last forever

The only thing with buying a 2nd hand / old laptop is that batteries don't last forever (even on a thinkpad)

I have a sandybridge chromebook with linux but I had to install a custom coreboot bios image (which involves opening the bottom and shorting the write protect jumper)
 
Thanks for the advice, but I possibly should have been clearer, I am looking to buy a class set for my students to use rather than just one for me. Which means I need to get a bunch of the same spec from a reasonably reputable place and (with school budgets as they are) as cheap as possible!

At the moment we might have to go down the virtual route as the boat seems to have sailed on cheap notebooks and the cheap tablets are all android.
 
If you are OK with older refurbished units then there are several places which sell such items. Thinkpads are a staple of business use so frequently available to such places on bulk. You could try googling for then and give them a call with your requirement.
 
Hades said:
If you are OK with older refurbished units then there are several places which sell such items. Thinkpads are a staple of business use so frequently available to such places on bulk. You could try googling for then and give them a call with your requirement.
Click to expand...

^ This. Business liquidation auctions / companies are great for that sort of thing.
 
mortals said:
Thinkpad T series would be nice as they last forever

The only thing with buying a 2nd hand / old laptop is that batteries don't last forever (even on a thinkpad)

I have a sandybridge chromebook with linux but I had to install a custom coreboot bios image (which involves opening the bottom and shorting the write protect jumper)
Click to expand...

Hades said:
Thinkpad T series battery is about £25 on the bay and clips into the back. Doesn't even need the bottom to be removed.
Click to expand...
Don't think anyone mentioned removing the bottom of a thinkpad :confused:
RDM said:
Thanks for the advice, but I possibly should have been clearer, I am looking to buy a class set for my students to use rather than just one for me. Which means I need to get a bunch of the same spec from a reasonably reputable place and (with school budgets as they are) as cheap as possible!

At the moment we might have to go down the virtual route as the boat seems to have sailed on cheap notebooks and the cheap tablets are all android.
Click to expand...
As it's for a school, I would personally buy new

If someone asked me to buy 10 laptops for a business I wouldn't even look at second hand, mainly because of warranty but also wear/age of the internals.

You could buy 2nd hand and spend a few hours checking them, maybe replace the batteries in a few (£25 for thinkpad apparently) but time is money
 
K.C. Leblanc said:
Have you ruled out VirtualBox?

Or get the RaspPis and then remote into them via SSH then they can be left setup and they don't even need to be in the classroom.
Click to expand...

The request to install VirtualBox is in and that will probably be used by most of the students, however I would like them to get some hands on experience too just to reinforce that what they are working on is different from the standard windows machine.

What I may do is have a lesson or two with Pis and then do the bulk on VirtualBox.
 
I'd suggested a load of live cds for them to boot off from and play with to the tutor whom taught linux. It was only a basic class; just to show them that there was more to the world that windows. She said the class went very well.

It saves messing about with extra machines, setting up dual boot etc but it all depends on how your machines are locked down and what are the students actually wanting to do.

You can customise most live disks so that they won't have the option to install linux and kill the host machine. Also you can have a mix of different flavors of linux.

For a more advance class, I'd setup a linux server and allowed the students to ssh into the server via putty (assuming that they are windows based). Saves you installing and configuring x number of linux machines.
 
slinxy said:
I'd suggested a load of live cds for them to boot off from and play with to the tutor whom taught linux. It was only a basic class; just to show them that there was more to the world that windows. She said the class went very well.
Click to expand...

Just bare in mind it means you've got have your machines configured to boot from CDs. Which in some schools would be a bit of a risk since it's fairly easy to get boot disks that'll change local account passwords or wipe hard drives.
 
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Why is the Pi ruled out?

You can SSH into if you want to make changes, as long as you're on the same network. Can even install xrdp to remote in.

I think Pi could suit you really well. Can even get pre-installed SD/ Micro SD cards so you don't have to do anything. Not sure why you're dismissing the Pi so easily to be honest :/
 
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