Does anyone know of any P4 motherboards with built in coaxial SPDIF output that is Linux friendly?

I've found some basic information (like a list of Linux compatible sound cards), but I thought I'd ask and maybe save myself the time of figuring out what sound chipsets are on a given board and if they 'just work' or if they need proprietary drivers.

thanks in advance

I recently built a box using the Intel D975XBX2. I found it to be fully Linux friendly with no need for any proprietary drivers.

Thanks! I'm pretty sure I need socket 478. Sorry, I should have been more specific than just that they're P4s.

I looked into it, and there do not appear to be any socket 478 mobos with S/PDIF by way of Sigmatel 9274D which is what is used on the D975XBX2 mobo.

The ADI AD1985 on the (pricy) Asus P4C800-E Deluxe (and other boards with the AD198X series) seems to be a good choice, but all talk about it is related to the analog outputs.

thanks again...

EDIT: The ASUS P4S800 with the AD1980 audio chipset seems like the choice for me. Currently rolls in at around $70 and, according to Linux Tested (this is not an endorsement as the site is a new one on me), it appears to work swimmingly.

Most motherboards that employ a SPDIF interface come in variants of Coax only, Optical only or both so I'm sure that if you ask for your model to have Coaxial SPDIF output connector you could get one. If you're thinking about Linux compatibility, form my experience, anything from MSI, Gigabyte, Asus that is based on Intel chipsets work perfectly under Linux. Take the Gigabyte GA-8I848P-G, works flawlessly though mine doesn't have Coax SPDIF on board, but pin- outs to connect to a bracket with a Coax connector. If you find a motherboard just download its user manual, it will surely help you. HTH.

Ah, that's good to know. To date, my experience with S/PDIF on motherboards under Linux is the SoundStorm setup on my Asus A7N8X Deluxe which requires extra drivers from nVidia.

Now that I think about it, Asus choices aught to be pretty safe considering they're recent decision to embed linux on the majority of their boards.

So your ASUS must be based on nVidia chips. I've had one experience with nVidia chipsets and it wasn't that pleasant and most drivers were reverse-engineered, like the integrated nVidia Network Interface Card, which uses the forcedeth module, a reverse engineered driver for nVidia NICs. I don't know much else because since then I've kept away from nVidia chipsets, except when they're on my video card!

I just remembered, stay away from VIA and SiS mobos and chipsets. Nasty!

Back to square-one...

The only place I found that sells the P4S800 that I could feel confident was trustworthy got back to me to let me know that the P4S800 is a discontinued item that they don't have in stock. Lovely.

So, the quest of finding a Socket 478 motherboard with linux-friendly S/PDIF is right back where I started.

You can always try e-bay.

That's what I'm resorting to at this very moment. The trick is that most people want to dump their CPU with the mobo when I've already got 4 CPUs collecting dust.

...I wonder if I still remember my login ... assuming it still exists.

Indeed the socket 478 boards are getting less common. Maybe upgrading the processor would be worth considering?

Anyhow, I agree with a previous poster about the MSI boards; my old one and new one were/are both MSI, and I had zero issues with Linux compatibility. For the record, I am now using an MSI P6N SLI nVidia based board (socket 775), and I love it. Linux loves it too. The Realtek NIC works great, audio works fine, SATA works fine.. It does have a SPDIF coax, and (I think...) a pin connector for some other audio connector panel.
Without researching, I cannot suggest any board in particular that is both 478 AND has a SPDIF, so you will just have to research. There are lots to choose from, and lots of board+CPU combos out there!

Have you checked the HCL here on LQ?

Best of luck
Sasha

Yea, I actually checked into that and very quickly got up to $200 just going with the bare minimum. While that's not a terrible price, it defeats the purpose of making use of some hardware that's otherwise just taking up space.

I actually found a "tested an working" P4C800-E Deluxe for a decent price even after the shipping from china ... it wouldn't surprise me if it's a Chinese knock-off, but hell, if it works, who cares.

And I've got one P4 2.4 GHz with no mainboard. Want it?

I talked to someone and they said they can get 478 mobos easily from Bucharest/Romania.