Under $300, reliable system for Linux is possible?

[k2.mountain]

I have a nine-year old Linux system which has been sleeping at least 2
years.
It has two Celerons on BP6 motherboard with CD-ROM drive, 256MB memory.
I'm thinking of building a new system for Linux only.
Can I build reliable system under $300 (monitor exclusive)?
or
better buy a used computer?

 

[Rod Speed]

I have a nine-year old Linux system which has been sleeping at least
2 years. It has two Celerons on BP6 motherboard with CD-ROM drive,
256MB memory. I'm thinking of building a new system for Linux only.
Can I build reliable system under $300 (monitor exclusive)?

Yes, particularly if you watch for decent motherboard/cpu

bundles that are attractively priced.

or better buy a used computer?

Its harder to be selective with that approach.

You dont say what you plan to do with the system,
it may be that almost anything will be reliable with
some uses like basic web browsing and wp etc.

 

[k2.mountain]

Plan to use as a bigger version of scientific calculator.
A study tool of mathmatics and physics, mostly number crunching with
basic visual representation.
No internet connection nor game.