Non x86 based PC for everyday usage

[Bregalad]

A reguar on this forum uses the following signature :

Quote:

x86? We ain't got no x86. We don't NEED no stinking x86!

This makes me wonder: How feasible it is to use a non-x86 based computer on a daily basis for daily work? Now that Linux becomes widely available, and most distributions supports non x86 based CPUs. However the problem is the hardware - how can I get a PC which do not use a x86-derived processor ?

The closest I can think off is the Rasberry Pi, it's very nice and all, but it's really not powerful enough. Getting something a little bit bigger would be nice.

[BigEd]

There are ARM-based Chromebooks, which I keep an eye on. But I haven't yet got one.

[Bregalad]

This looks like a horrible idea. Basically Google owns your computer and you have absolutely no freedom to do whatehver you want with it.

[BigEd]

It's not quite like that. There's a developer mode which allows you to run a Linux distribution, if you prefer. (Edit: or indeed ChromiumOS which is a free software build of Chrome OS.)

As to the question of whether a given machine is powerful enough: it does of course depend on what you like to run. If you use a text based editor and command line tools, you need a lot less than if you run, say, Eclipse.

Note that the Raspberry Pi 3 is a lot faster than the Pi 2, which is faster than the original Pi.

[BigEd]

(Note also there are several ARM-based single board computers which are more powerful than the Pi, but generally at a higher price. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compariso ... _computers for example. I've seen mention of beaglebone, pine64, odroid. I see a few ARM boards with 4G RAM there, compared to the Pi 3 with just 1G.)

[BigEd]

(And we remind the jury that the Pi can emulate a 6502 at more than 200MHz equivalent, which should be enough for anyone!)

[cbmeeks]

If your daily usages are light-weight, you only surf, email, text edit, etc....then another option would be one of the last G3 or G4 based Macs that run on PPC.

I think they can still be bought on eBay for not too much money. Again, it really comes down to what you want to do.

[Martin A]

I still do all my 8 bit cross compiling on a mid 1990's Vintage Acorn Strong ARM RiscPC running Riscos 4.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RiscPC

While the RiscPc might night be mainstream any more, A raspberry Pi running RiscOs 5 makes a surprisingly nippy system.

[BigEd]

These are good points! I have a PPC Mac, but it doesn't really have enough RAM to run a modern browser, and it's maxxed out. I've run RISC OS Pico on a Pi - it would be even better on a Pi 3, but I think that would take a little expertise. And a Pi 3, which I don't yet have.

[whartung]

The game is finding a system to run. Linux and some of the BSDs work on several architectures.

The ARM market is most certainly heating up, as mentioned with the Chromebooks plus things like the Raspberry Pi. But there are a plethora of ARM boards available now. That's likely your best bet to get a non-x86 system running.

PPC comes and goes, MIPS comes and goes. Neither are for the faint hearted.

[Steve]

Depends on what you want to do. I know lots of people who use their smart phone for every thing they need to do and others who use an arm based tablet. They don't use it to get away from an x86, it's just the tool that does the job for them. My newest CNCs use an Arduino and any thing that can drip feed on a usb port. I'm using a few old laptops (got for free), but any thing would work.

[fastgear]

Just today I read about a Android TV box. You can hookup an HDMI TV , keyboard and mouse. So you can basically use it as a PC.

The only thing with these ARM devices with fancy enclosures is that for most you cannot install your own OS. You could perhaps try rooting.

What is interesting is that the pc market is shrinking, so much that Intel wants to get out of the pc market.

[Bregalad]

Let's be serious, none of those suggetions are serious enough.

I was actually expecting an answer by the person who wrote that signature but...

[whartung]

Bregalad wrote:

Let's be serious, none of those suggetions are serious enough.

I was actually expecting an answer by the person who wrote that signature but...

Serious enough for what? ARM Chromebooks are perfectly viable for the task at hand: surfing the web, running Google apps (their web based spreadsheet and word processors, and GMail, etc.), etc. They tend to be more hampered by RAM than most anything else.

You can install Linux on these things and run all sorts of stuff.

Are they cutting edge weather modeling, winter garage heating monsters? No. But they're comparable to top of the line notebooks of, say, 8 years ago. And those were completely capable machines for doing all sorts of things.

The modern iPhone 6S (which I carry in my pocket) benchmarks at about 70% of my then "OMG" quad processor xeon 2006 Mac Pro.

Modern notebooks got "fast enough" a long time ago.

There is great interest in the server space for ARM as well as they strive to get power down.

[BigEd]

Bregalad wrote:

Let's be serious, none of those suggetions are serious enough.

I was actually expecting an answer by the person who wrote that signature but...

I'm pretty sure BDD runs Linux on x86 but of course is building and has built computers on 6502 and 65816.

Pi or Chromebook are your best bets. Just like android, you don't have to run the captive OS if you don't want to.

If your definition of a sensible computer is something with 16Gb at 3GHz then you have little choice. If you want to do things which were practical in the 70s you have lots more choice.