Best Computer for Linux desktop
 

Hello everyone,

I'd like to know what is an excellent computer (model,make)to use for Linux. It will be a desktop machine for me and I want speed and reliability. I will be using a GUI now and then.

Thanks in advance.

Any modern Desktop with an ATI/AMD or Nvidia 3d card
Any i5 or i7 CPU

or as i type this on my old "internet/office" computer
a 12 year old p4 running ScientificLinux 6.4

Hello

If you have the time and inclination for it, I'd recommend buying the components and assembling the computer that you want, making sure that the components are Linux compatible. I generally get components from NewEgg but there are plenty of other sources.

Good luck to you!

If you want to buy a machine with linux pre-installed by the vendor, you might check out http://www.pogolinux.com. I have purchased two machines from them, one in 2003 and a second in 2011. I have received excellent (and free) technical support from them, including one inquiry 8 years after the initial purchase. My most recent purchase was an Altura M3; I am very happy with the machine.

Your question is somewhat like: I need a car that is fast and reliable, which one should I buy?
It is a question that is impossible to answer without knowing things like:
- How much do you want to spend for it?
- What is the exact purpose of the machine?
- Do you want something prebuilt or do you want to build yourself?

I'd suggest getting a machine that's built for Linux. I'm typing this on a Pangolin Performance, built by System76:

https://www.system76.com/

They have quite a number of different types and configurations of machines to choose from, and mine at least works well. They come with Ubuntu, but it's easy enough to replace that with a distro of your own preference. Mine currently dual boots Linux Mint and Slackware.

Useful. Thank you!

Almost every newer computer might run linux. Almost no computer is factory tested with your version of linux or your future version. If you use RH then many business class systems are available with RH installed.

I might suggest a more simple box. I'd have to agree that the core i processors have an Intel video (unless you add in a card) and usually Intel is fully supported.

Most other issues could be fixed.

The only way to guarantee that linux will work is to buy a box that is sold and warrantied by the vendor and some version of linux. The quality tends to be better on business class computers for a few more dollars.

Not sure buying parts is any cheaper anymore. I bought a few boxes a couple of months ago and they were cheaper and had full warranty than I could have put the parts on. They came with windows 7, so it I want to sell it or donate it, back goes windows and maybe dual boot to linux.

I second that, as a machine meant for a server would have different requirements than a machine meant to be a gaming rig or a video editing workstation. Saying i want a machine that is good at running Linux is too broad a question, ANY contemporary machine can run linux, intel machines i386 or higher, arm, mips, powerpc, 68040 or higher m68k and so on, but some of those older machines would be only suitable for specialized tasks whereas for games and graphics/video processing you need a lot more ram and horsepower and for games, a decent video card.

Hello

Yeah, I'd have to agree that not much if any money can be saved by building your own computer these days, but I prefer building my own so that I have more control over what goes into it, and I end up with fewer proprietary components. Knowing exactly what my machines consist of and being able to easily replace any defective components down the line is worth a few extra dollars for me. On the other hand, I can't blame anyone for wanting to skip on the manual build and simply going with something they can start using as soon as it's set up and plugged in.

Actually that's not entirely true about saving money on building computers. Yes it might be a similar if not even a slightly larger UP FRONT expense, but a well shopped out custom built computer will outlive an off the self store bought unit by a mile, and that is where the savings come in, buying an occasional upgrade comparing to replacing the entire unit.

Most of my linux machines are off the shelf walmart desktops or hand me down laptops. There's always a few chipsets that don't play well, but most of the core and important elements work just fine. Unless you have specific needs just get a computer. It would be nice to have a few more internal sata ports in my case. Or 4x's the RAM. But I don't "need" it for my usual uses. An extra PCI port would be nice too, but I can cat5e to my laptop (and do) to avoid getting a wireless card that would use that pci slot that I don't have available.

rpowellr, note that assembling your own can become expensive quickly if you have to pay for component shipping too many times, such as having to pay for return shipping after picking the wrong component(s), so it's wise to take your time and be sure you are purchasing the correct components from the beginning. Even so, I'll be continuing to build my own machines for the reasons outlined in my earlier posts.

If cost and time is the consideration then look at that. Buying your own parts is more than simple money/time. It is a hobby that many people enjoy. I totally agree that fun is a cost. It may end up costing you to build your own computer. It will however provide you with a way to select your hardware, build it yourself and have some satisfaction that you enjoyed the time spent. It may also allow you to determine how well linux might run. It may allow you to add in some parts that you already have.

As for speed, one might consider the web pages devoted to cpu benchmarks and board reviews. Windows tests generally compare to linux for cpu and ram. Video issues are more complex.

From what you say, you have very minimal requirements other than reliability. From what I have seen, only business class computers/workstations and servers do better.

I don't think I've run into an computer that won't run Linux. Some may run it faster than others (buy one with a faster CPU and possibly more memory if this is a concern). Some may hold more data than others (buy one with a bigger hard disk if this is a concern). Some may play games better than others (buy one with a good video card if this is a concern).

So pretty much it's like choosing what computer to buy for any operating system.