I purchased a HP thin client T430 for about S$84 ( free shipping ). The specification is as follows:
- Processor: Intel Celeron N4020 (Dual-core, 1.1 GHz to 2.6 GHz)
- RAM: 4 GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Storage: 32 GB eMMC flash memory
- Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 600
- Weight: ~0.74 kg
- Video Outputs: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI, and 1x DisplayPort over USB-C
- USB Ports: 2x USB-A 3.1 Gen 1, 1x USB-C
- Networking: RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, and Bluetooth 5.0
- Audio: 3.5 mm headset jack
- Power: 4W Idle, 10W Running
The USB C port can also be used to power the system. A 45w AC power adaptor was provided.
This system is cheaper than the current Raspberry Pi 4Gb model and it makes a good replacement as it is fanless and low powered.
After disabling secure boot, tried installing a few linux distributions. The only one I had problems with was AlmaLinux 9. It lockedup during boot with no error messages. I carried on trying other distributions which ran nicely. These are the ones I tried
Peppermint OS looked nice and was interesting as it was the only one that defaulted to the Brave browser. It also provided a tool that make websites into apps. It uses librewolf browser to render the websites.
I wanted to resolve the lockup issue with Almalinux, so I tried running RockyLinux 9 to see if it will make a difference. The same lockup happened but this time there was a kernel error on the screen. From the error message apparently the kernel module snd_soc_skl_hda_dsp was the cause of the lockup. Proceeded to blacklist this module and the system bootup normally. however there was no sound.
With the help of Google, the addition of this kernel parameter snd_intel_dspcfg.dsp_driver=1, the problematic module was avoided and the sound feature became available. This kernel parameter forces the use of the older snd_hda_intel driver. This T430 can serve as home PC for basic web browsing and document work. It can also be used as a small server.