Motherboard for Linux/AMD build ?

[dougrb]

I posted earlier in the PSU section, and decided upon getting a decent http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129042]Antec PSU/Case deal[/url].

The rest of my selection is as such:

Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-115DBK - OEM
Item #: N82E16827129018
$32.99
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Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148136
$79.99
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This is not set in stone. I don't necessarily need 1066 . 800 might suffice.

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145197
-$40.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$176.00
$136.00
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AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Brisbane 2.2GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO42000IAA5DO - OEM
Item #: N82E16819103214
$47.99
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ZOTAC ZT-85TEH2P-FSR GeForce 8500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814500017
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$56.99
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I'm not totally sold on the video card, though it seems a good deal. I think I'd just as soon get a MoBo w/on board video if it was good enough to let me play the occasional game of Urban Terror without locking up. I definitely want a good audio section, but don't care too much about multi channel, since I'll be using a Macbook Pro for audio production. This will be for casual audio editing and listening.

I just want a stable board that plays nicely with the CPU I have listed and has decent bios features, as well as enough SATA connections. I doubt I'll need much, but extra don't hurt.. Wouldn't mind having an SPDIF connection because I have some optical outputs on a couple of Mp3 players (iRiver) which I can utilize.

But most of all, I need a MoBo that will get along very well with Linux. Ubuntu to be precise.

Any and all suggestions welcomed and appreciated !

Doug

 

[21]

Well I would recommend a 780G motherboard possibly this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128335

It has ATI HD 3200 onboard graphics and I don't know how demanding Urban Terror is because I've never heard of it but apparently the onboard graphics on the 780G chipset are pretty good. It should run well with Ubuntu and I think it has all the features you're looking for.

 

[Sylvanas]

Well arguably the best IGP mobo atm is the 780g, I'd recommend this Biostar which is a great board and will be fine for you're CPU. You can use the IGP or perhaps buy a 3450 for $25 MIR which you could use as a stand alone card or Hybrid Crossfire. ATI/AMD intend to bring Crossfire to Linux very soon so you could link the GPU and IGP for Hybrid Crossfire but in the mean time it will be more than enough to handle Ubuntu. Another good thing is AMD's recent Open source approach to Linux, so support is growing very rapidly- comparatively Nvidia is not open source so you have to rely on their proprietary releases (still pretty good though).

 

[dougrb]

Thanks guys, I'll check that option and see what pops up, but interestingly enough, ATI cards in general have been the most troublesome to get to work on Ubuntu. Nvidia cards OTOH, seem to be supported by either proprietary drivers which are ported to Ubuntu, or those drivers which have been coded by devs and work really well for some reason.

Whether or not the recent developments between AMD and the open source community will change this, is something we'll have to wait for and see I guess. Any suggestions for Geforce NorthBridge sets or similar ? I don't actually mind buying a video card, I just thought I'd save a bit of cash, but it's not detrimental overall, since I just spent $2500 on a Macbook Pro, and am planning on putting this thing together. And then there's that pesky little thing called "rent"..

Doug


Edit: That board does indeed look really good, and should the video not work, I can just get a cheap card, or the one suggested in the article linked above. (great news on that) And the mid sized case I just bought should leave tons of room for this micro ATX Mobo, which also means a cooler system. Nach ! Thanks again. Now for some memory approval ....