[Sentrinox]

Hi,

I'm considering moving from Windows to Linux for my day to day computer usage. Instead of dual booting i'll build a second computer to serve as my Linux toy. By doing this i'll still be able to revert back to my Windows machine when i get stuck or want to play some computer games. I've decided to start with Ubuntu as it has a large community and seems rather newbie friendly. What would people recommend in general for a Linux computer as far as specifications go? I'll only use Ubuntu as long as i have to, then once i am experienced enough i'll become a Debian/Gentoo power user.

Thanks!

Regards, Sentrinox

[bigtomrodney]

Go with Intel chipsets as far as you can as they have fully supported open source drivers included with pretty much every distro. With regards to 3D performance, if you need it then to date nVidia has had the best supported hardware with their proprietary driver though open ATI drivers are currently in development.

If you plan on using a wireless card try sticking to Atheros or Intel based cards. Aside from that the spec would be the usual one - as much HDD as you need, the more RAM the better though upwards of 512MB is recommended to make the most of your system. You can of course use less and there are a lot of distros out there that specialise in that, but a modern computer with modern tasks should be given as much resources as you can justify or require regardless of operating system.

What do you intend doing on it on a daily basis? Just surfing generally or will you be getting into graphics/audio/video/gaming etc?

[khafa]

for the sound card avoid Creative SoundBlaster PCI-E cards(specially extreme audio). i made the mistake of buying PCI-E extreme audio without checking. then i came home plugged in and guess what there is no driver around.

as a rule of thumb try as much as possible to stick to Linux-supported hardware.

[Sentrinox]

Ok so i'm aiming for an Intel chipset motherboard with a nvidia card for better driver support with 3d, an atheros wireless adapter, and a creative standard pci soundcard instead of pci-e ?

What would you recommend as for geforce card if i want those snazzy compiz effects on my 1280x1024 monitor?

I'll get some sort of Multicore cpu so that compiz and general multi-tasking goes smoother.

I'll be using it for chat, music, movies, surfing, and maybe some GIMPing... just the normal stuff. Gaming? i'm keeping a Windows machine for that... i wish Linux could replace it so then i could go linux only but meh... one day!

Sentrinox

[khafa]

Creatative PCI sound cards are mostly supported by ALSA and OSS while some PCI-E are very troublesome.


Edit - dont forget to check the ALSA matrix before buying ALSA-MATRIX

[bigtomrodney]

I wouldn't bother with a Soundblaster to be honest...so many of the onboard Intel soundchips are so good now that you won't feel the difference. A lot of onboard chips even offer 5.1/7.1 at HiDef levels. It's a matter of preference of course but I believe the one to avoid is the Audigy.

Any GeForce will run Compiz to some degree; I previously ran it on a 6200 without a glitch. You could buy a base level 8xxx series and have great performance if you aren't gaming much. Don't forget though that ID release their games for Linux and there are great games like Tremulous and Urban Terror that are native and free.

My own rig was a beast when I got it though it could be had for a few hundred euro now. It's a Q6600, nVidia 8600GT and an ASUS board with on board nVidia sound. I have 2GB of RAM and it's never had a stutter. Well maybe once but that's another story

[Sentrinox]

You forgot Nexuiz!

Is there a place where i can view a list of games available for Linux? This is getting tempting to do a total migration lol

Thanks!

Regards, Sentrinox

[i92guboj]

Originally Posted by Sentrinox

You forgot Nexuiz!

Is there a place where i can view a list of games available for Linux? This is getting tempting to do a total migration lol

Thanks!

Regards, Sentrinox

The Linux Game Tome
linuX-gamers.net - ENJOY Linux Games
Linux gaming - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I hope it helps

[Elbow12]

Also, don't forget programs like Wine. There are more, but Wine is the most notable. It lets you run nearly all Windows programs under Linux. Check it out.

P.S. I know for certain that there is support for Steam and Team Fortress 2, and I will be taking advantage of that shortly.

[jayd512]

Also, here's a list of the 42 Best Games for Linux.