Mini-ITX linux workstation ~$775 CAD

ducis

Active Member
Hey guys,
I'm building a mini-ITX linux workstation for scientific programming.

Listed in order of importance are:
  • linux compatibility
  • performance
  • silent operation
  • semi-portability

my budget is loosely around $775 CAD. I want to see how much performance I can get out of a mini-ITX box for half the price of the cheapest macbook pro :).

Here's what I'm thinking:
Code:
| component   | name                     | price | link                                                                                                |
|-------------+--------------------------+-------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| motherboard | MSI H110I Pro AC         |   115 | http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130929&_ga=1.12049335.287217500.1464431855  |
| case/psu    | Antec ISK 300-150        |   110 | http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129080&_ga=1.50232229.287217500.1464431855  |
| cpu         | Intel Core i5-6500       |   265 | http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117563&_ga=1.20477755.287217500.1464431855  |
| m.2 ssd     | Samsung 950 Pro 256gb    |   240 | http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147466&_ga=1.20477755.287217500.1464431855  |
| ram         | Crucial 2x16gb DDR4 2133 |    75 | http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148859&_ga=1.218480410.287217500.1464431855 |
|-------------+--------------------------+-------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|             | Total:                   |   805 |                                                                                                     |
concerns I have:
  • linux compatibility of the onboad wifi on the motherboard. not sure where I could find out about this or if I could find a more compatible setup for around the same price.
  • getting the most out of the 950 pro ssd with only PCI-e x4 2.0. Is there anyway I could get a PCI-e x4 3.0 m.2 slot in a motherboard at this price and form-factor
  • booting off the m.2 drive. Is this still an issue?
  • silly mistakes. It has been a while since I built a PC.

Other than that, any thoughts and reccomendations are very welcome.
Pretty excited about this build.
Thanks.
 

Intel_man

VIP Member
I wouldn't grab that case... bundled PSU's are bad.

Grab a CM Elite 110 or 130 and a Corsair CX psu. You'll be much better off than that Antec. But seriously, avoid that Antec like the plague.

As for your onboard wifi, see the following site for linux drivers. http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000005511.html

If you want to get a gen 3 m.2 slot, you'll have to fork out an extra $30 for the Gigabyte one. http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11831120961
 

TrainTrackHack

VIP Member
The wifi chip is supported by the iwlwifi driver according to Intel's website, but depending on the distro you may have to install the firmware manually/from a nonfree repo.
 

ducis

Active Member
Haha, I just figure since I'll never put a GPU into this box that I might as well go for a smaller form-factor. I'll be moving this computer between different workspaces quite a bit so it makes a difference for me.

Do you know anything about linux compatibility for that Gigabyte board?
 
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