Awesome, well the Q8400 is a much newer processor and from what I've seen on newegg and google I can probably overclock it to 3.16 GHz safely anyway (plus it's 5 bucks cheaper :shrug

So, one last question and then I promise I'll shut up until I've actually assembled the hardware:

I've downloaded:
- Arch linux (core x86_64)
- Ubuntu 9.04 (i386, I assume it's the 64 bit version because I checked the 64 bit box on their download site)
- Zenwalk 6.0 (I realize it's 32 bit only but I really want to try it)

I want to download:
- Debian
- Gentoo

but both of their sites have the cd's separated by sparc64, ia64, ect ect and I have no clue which one of these categories my Q8400 or E8500 CPU will be under.

Thanks in advance, you've been very helpful!

(p.s. I hope to one day be a hardware nerd, I mean that's why I'm taking CS and spending my free time building a box)

wait... the Q8400 uses almost double the wattage, should I buy a more powerful PSU or will the 650 corsair work?

Well, I think I'll answer your questions since Student04 is not here.

Any AMD64 or x86_64 will do the same. Sparc64 and IA64 (Itanium) are different architectures.

IMO, you might one to install Slackware instead, there is unofficial Slam64.

Since you are using several devices that need more power you might want to use dual PSU. CMIIW.

Does that mean I want to go for either AMD64 or x86_64, and does that then mean my Ubuntu i386 CD won't work? It'd be really helpful if you could give me or point me to a list of these titles that work with an intel core 2.

I'm in no position to correct you if you're wrong. I have no idea how to calculate PSU, I know it has something to do with rails but after that I am totally lost. I picked the Corsair 650 because general concensus was that they were the best brand, and all of the web based PSU calculators were telling me to go with around 400, so I wanted to buy extra space just in case and with the hopes that maybe I could upgrade. If I really need 2 PSU to run the quad it might be a deal breaker, as I've already picked out the case and everything else (not to mention the fact that PSU's a bloody expensive for a plug into the wall >.<)

For Ubuntu you need to use AMD64 for your architecture, if x86_64 is not available. i386 version (generic kernel version) will work but not optimally. I think that some distro use x86_64 and other use AMD64. For list of distro compatibility you might check www.distrowatch.com .

As for dual PSU, I had done this sometime ago, when I need a lot of game to try and various devices. Yes, at that time my PSU was on top of the case. Lol.

Haha, that's epic. Ugh, I can spring for another/more powerful PSU but that means I need more money, which means I won't get to start playing with linux until my may paycheck comes in on june 15th :/

My being "not here" means i'm doing other things like homework and relaxing :P

AMD64 is for AMD, IA64 is for Intel. They are not interchangeable, since the binaries are compiled specifically for each architecture individually. Lookup i386, i486, i686 on wikipedia. i686 is pentium4 and newer, but not restricted to just Intel chips. "IA" means intel itanium (which is dead) and "AMD" is intuitive.

Read up on these:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86-64
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...oarchitectures

If you have an intel chip you do not want anything that says sparc, amd, alpha

Dual powersupply is unnecessary for consumer machines. They are usually dual for redundant purposes in servers, where if one fails, the other kicks in without the server going down. Just use a larger-output supply. Mine is rated at 600 Watts and I only use 200 of them when maxing out, with three hard drives, GeForce 8600GT (overclocked), AMD Athlon64 5000+ (overclocked), and 5x120mm fans. Then again i chose a power-efficient power supply rated at 80% (OCZ has reliable, efficient supplies). Newegg actually has a power-consumption calculator on its website:

http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html

My 600-watt PSU was really way more than I needed, so I'd stay around that area, unless your video card is hungry (how many extra powered plugs does it need to have from the PSU?), lots of hard drives, an inefficient PSU, a wasteful CPU, and lots of RAM. Faster/inefficient parts means hot parts, which require more cooling, which need more airflow, which means more or faster fans, which means more power consumption, and a bigger PSU, etc etc...

If your budget is cost, and not extreme performance, build your system with expandability/upgradability in mind (choose a socket that will support new CPUs in the future, motherboard with high ram limit, lots of slots and a good/efficient PSU), where none of the components are the top-of-the-line where costs begin to *not* justify performance benefits.

-AM

I mean I tried to keep upgradeability in mind, My mobo can take 8 GB of DDR3 or 16 GB of DDR2, a quad core CPU seems pretty power hungry compared to the E8500's 45W, but I think I can get away with it. I just want to know what to make of the 12V rail things. The internet seems to house this debate over whether they should be high amperage or split into separate rails. Newgrounds didn't have my videocard so I went with an Nvidea 8800GTX instead and was told I need a 604W PSU, so, should I stick with 650 knowing my case will have 2 fans + fans on the videocard and CPU, a bunch of LCD lights, front temp display, and a fan controller?

Yea sounds good. I'd go with an OCZ powersupply, they're reliable and have good customer support should yours fail:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ology%2c%20Inc.

A 600 or 700 Watt should be okay. In terms of the rails, more is good, as it means the PSU can sustain higher demand across the power lines coming out of it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_supply_rail
http://compreviews.about.com/od/cases/a/PSUWattage.htm

The only 64 bit version of Ubuntu I can get is amd64, not that it's really a big loss if I can't use Ubuntu, but is there a different site where I can pick out the version manually instead of just clicking their 64 bit button? (or will amd64 work?)

also, the PC power supply link was very helpful, I think I have at least an inkling of what I'm looking for now

Honestly I'm not sure if AMD64 will work on your Intel64 chip... And you're welcome for the PSU link

AMD64 should work as AMD_64 and EMT64 both have the same instruction sets. Another bit of patent sharing from the big guys.

You should definitely consider installing at least two distros; one that is an end-user-focussed ("easy") distro and one that is more techie/geek/diy focussed. I say 'at least two' because you will need to get on with work while at the same time fiddling, but you should keep in mind the fact that if you 'focus on two dozen distros' that is the same as not focussing at all. So, try out more by all means (Live CDs?), but try to stick to a handful for serious use.

For the techie distro, I'd be choosing one from
LFS (and blfs)
Gentoo/Sabayon
Slackware and derivatives
Arch

And for the easy one
Ubuntu and variants
OpenSuSE
Fedora
Mepis
Mint

(Debian itself is in a bit of an odd situation here; its probably as good or better than anything else at straddling the two categories, but it doesn't really fit neatly into either the diy or the easy category)

I'd agree with that, but, provided that you don't break your 'easy' distro, it may not be the biggest of problems.

Not vital. Even with a simple 32 bit system, everything will work well, but ignoring memory beyond 4G. For a desktop, this is an irritant, rather than a show stopper. There is also a pae/big memory kernel, which is 32 bit, but uses a bit of a hack to utilise more memory (the OS sees more, but each process still sees a max of 4G). For most people, there is still a question about whether the extra hassle of 64 bits is worth it for negligible gain, but as your attitude to the intellectual effort of solving problems seems best characterised as 'bring it on', I think you should go for it.

A few years ago, with all of these different distros, I'd have had to have said 'and be sure to get a big disk', but these days, even entry level disks are so big, is not really an issue anymore (although backing up is, of course).

archshade wrote:
For the purposes of the immediate discussion, that's near enough, but it isn't really absolutely correct. The 64 bit addition is compatible, but the streaming extensions aren't the same across architectures. When it really comes down to detail, even all of the Intel 64 bit parts aren't all exactly the same (Nehalem fixes some 'oversights'/'dumb marketing' of the earlier Core2 arch, but most people will never notice). Something to check out in your CS course?

I agree with Slackware 12.2 and Ubuntu-8.04
Both are to me the pinnacle of Linux, Slack-super stable and requires you to actually learn beyond "point and click", and backs this up with great support-especially from members here.

Ubuntu is not as stable, but is a go-between for new linux users migrating from Windows. Also, great software and support.

What is the advantage to having two distros installed at once? I'll still have my mac laptop handy to search the web for fixes, would it really make my life waaay easier? (keep in mind while I'm tinkering with this machine no important Data will be stored on it, I'm not risking it until I've become a bit more familiar with linux). Or will two distros be good later when I am more comfortable and wanting to fiddle with the DIY distro? I'll have the safe one to access my files if I break the other one.