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Thread ID: 63436	2005-11-09 20:18:00	Assembling a PC	jcr1 (893)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
402955	2005-11-09 20:18:00	I've had this thought for quite a while now, that I'd like to put together my own PC (dedicated to Linux - most likely Gentoo). I've looked at bits & pieces on PriceSpy etc. and the sort of machine I envisage would not be too expensive (don't need high end gamers' etc. and Linux runs real well on more conservative specs anyway but loves lots of ram - or so I've been told). There are many fishhooks :confused: - what's best compatibility with Linux? Mother Board, CPU and case must be compatible. Athlon 64 gets good reports? etc. etc. I feel like I would be flying blind getting parts on-line, those who have attempted this, what would be your advice?	jcr1 (893)
402956	2005-11-09 21:45:00	An AMD 64 would be my recommendation because Linux can utilise the 64 bit processor better than Windows can. Other than that the latest distros should be able to handle all the other hardware without any problems. Just decide on what components you want, throw them into Google with "Linux" to check whether anyone has had any negative experiences with them and go for it. As far as the buying is concerned, check out Pricespy by all means to get a feel for the prices but I would stick to one well-known/reputable dealer as far as possible and buy all you can from them. If they are in your town/city, all the better. Remember, cheapest is not always best.	FoxyMX (5)
402957	2005-11-09 21:55:00	Yeah, avoid SuperCheapPC. many people have had bad experiences with them. Then again many have had good ones too.	bob_doe_nz (92)
402958	2005-11-10 03:55:00	um.. you can always get a piece of hardware which doesn't seem to work too well.. then try to get it work~ just for extra time wasting and enjoyment of the satisfaction when it finally works~	heni72847 (1166)
402959	2005-11-10 04:47:00	um.. you can always get a piece of hardware which doesn't seem to work too well.. then try to get it work~ just for extra time wasting and enjoyment of the satisfaction when it finally works~ Don't quite get your drift; should I be cautious when buying hardware or am I going to be totally wasting my time on an exercise like this? As regards the former, thankyou, one of the reasons I made the post, was just to get a bit of a handle on compatibility etc. For the latter, well it could be considered that people waste time with all sorts of things associated with computers for all sorts of reasons; games, for example, not everyone's cup of tea, but I say, good on them, if that's what they want to do for an interest. Mucking around with graphics, same, but could even be called creative, fair enough. Tweaking for performance same again, is it necessary? I don't know, but it's interesting. And so it goes on. I've been involved with farming for nigh on 30 years now. There's not much that could be as practical or as productive in a tangible way as that. So, hey, at the latter end of my career I don't have too many problems with an indulgence.	jcr1 (893)
402960	2005-11-10 05:16:00	Actually Xwindows needs more ram and if you want to run lots of applications as well, more ram. Linux itself running without Xwindows needs alot less although you can run the minimal window managers if you are short on ram. I'd get as much as you can afford balanced with the speed of the processor. If you buy more common hardware, chances are it will work with Linux but not the latest and greatest and the Linux guys take a bit of time to get the new hardware working.	dolby digital (5073)
402961	2005-11-10 05:26:00	The only hardware I would recommmend you to avoid is a winmodem, and ATi graphics cards (personally I dislike there driver setup - tried it on laptop). Have nVidia on this comp and it works a breeze :) As an idea (in addition to the above idea of googling to see what issues certain types of hardware have with Linux) I would have a look through the kernel and have a lookie at what devices are supported by it ... most will be Linux isnt RAM happy lol, I have full working desktop with only 128 meg (shared). Stage 2 would make it even quicker :) (did one on laptop; although it had a similar sized Celeron to my desktop P4, it was slightly quicker)	Myth (110)
402962	2005-11-10 05:28:00	I am sure you will enjoy building a PC. It gives you the same buzz that compiling your own OS does. :) As for compatibility, as already mentioned most motherboards should be fine. Go for a brand with a history of producing good boards (such as ASUS, Gigabyte etc). You might wish to check out local computer shops and get most of your components from the same shop as it saves having to deal with a variety of people. I would favour nVidia graphic cards as they generally support Linux very well with drivers and updates. Any CPU flavour would be fine, however AMD 64-bit is well supported under Linux including with Gentoo (please check out Chill's signature for an important message with this :p). One thing I would watch out for is s-ATA controllers. Check what controller the motherboard uses and google for Linux issues. Can't remember off the top of my head which one, but one type can be problematic. Stuff 1024 MB's of whatever flavour RAM in the machine, as Linux utilises RAM very well and will shows its appreciation. If you will be compiling Gentoo on the machine first off, then I would fire it up using a LiveCD initially to make sure everything feels happy before starting on the long compilation. You can even use the LiveCD to generate a text report of all your hardware and what modules it has loaded for it (eg NIC, Audio, other controllers). Might come in handy during installation and kernel building. Remember, read all instructions twice and have fun while assembling it. :D	Jen (38)
402963	2005-11-10 05:30:00	just to give some more ..er..helpful comment.. i use enlightenment e16 on my gentoo box and i have to say that it doesn't use up that much ram even if i do run serveral programs just to give an example right now it's running the usual rss reader liferea, firefox, gaim, and torsmo got two desktops with 2 virtual desktops each and ram usage not even up to 175mb yet i got 384mb ram and never ran out yet..not during compiling stuff too	heni72847 (1166)
402964	2005-11-10 07:51:00	Build your own by oll means. My greatest thrill was putting one together, then switching on and IT WORKED!!!!! Amazing. It made me want to build another. But be prepared. I stuffed up two CPU's and three mother boards before I succeeded.	JJJJJ (528)
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