Please excuse the long post but it is time for some good news on the hardware front for a change. My new AM2 system retains my 4 existing IDE drives simply because I have heard of so many SATA drive problems in Linux.

OS: openSUSE 10.2
Mobo: Abit kn9 nforce4 (2 IDE ports but no parallel or serial ports)
CPU: AMD x2 3800 800 MHz 65w Economy OEM (no fan)
Memory: Corsair Twin2X1024-6400C4 800MHz @2.1volts
PSU: Seasonic 430w
CPU Cooler: Scythe Mine (far superior and quieter to stock AMD cooler/fan)
Case: Akasa Mirage 62
Graphics Card: Asus EN 6200TC512/TD/256 DDR2 PCI-X
Case Fans: 2 Akasa Amber Ultra Quiet 120mm

Do remember to clear the CMOS by putting the jumper on pins 2 and 3 for a few seconds. Then return the jumper to pins 1 and 2.
The next step is vital with high performance memory such as the Corsair 6400C4 (4-4-4-12-2T).
Insert only ONE stick of RAM in either number 1 or number 3 slot. (Twinned pairs should be placed in positions 1 and 2 OR positions 3 and 4).
Start up the pc whilst holding down "Del" in order to access the BIOS. Select "SoftMenu Setup", then go to DDR2 RAM voltage and increase it from the default of 1.8 volts to 2.1 volts (I am told 2.2 volts is also okay but I just followed Corsair's recommendation). Press F10 for Save and Exit then switch off the pc.
Insert the second stick of RAM and start up the pc again. The new memory should now be running stable at 2.1 volts and 800MHz.

The Abit kn9 has no parallel port so those with parallel port printers will need to buy a USB printer cable. However do be aware of Bugzilla bug number 229231 which causes YaST2 to hang in the printer database. Go to RPMfind.net and select the download for
yast2-printer-2.14.17-6.
Install this with zen installer, go to YaST2 and Add your USB printer. It may be a good idea to remove any existing printer unless you are using several printers.