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Should I buy an Alienware X51 r2 for 100$? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works to c/linux_gaming@lemmy.world
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Hi everyone!

I have the opportunity to buy an Alienware x51 R2 from the early 2010’s for around 100$.

It would be used as a first Linux gaming pc for my 8 year old son.

I can’t know the exact specifications as the friend selling it doesn’t know them and uninstalled Windows on it so he can’t check the specs. I only know it has an i7 and was able to run some recent Call of Duty and Flught Simulator games.

I don’t know how much RAM it has (from 2 to 16gb apparently) and I know it has an Nvidia gpu but I don’t know which one. According to a website, it could be between a GTX660 and a GTX970.

What do you think? Should I give it a try or are these components not gonna be great for any Linux gaming for my son (Beam NG, Sonic All Stars Racing, games from the 2010’s, …)?

I also know old Nvdia cards have a bad reputation on Linux.

Thanks for your help

Edit: After some research and thanks to your answers, I won’t make the mistake of buying it

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[-] DABDA@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago

If nothing else, you should easily be able to determine the amount of RAM by watching during POST (might need to press esc/tab/etc. if there's just a fullscreen logo or something) or by entering the BIOS/UEFI (check mfg site for specific button, but usually delete or an F-key).

Depending on the friend's willingness and aptitude there's also the option of booting a live linux environment with a flash drive (or disc) and using its tools to profile all the detected hardware.

this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2025
28 points (100.0% liked)

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