Update: System purchased. See the bottom of this post for my final picks. Thanks to everyone who contributed their advice.

I am building a new system and intend to install 64-bit Kubuntu (Hardy or Karmic or both) on it. It has been a long time since I got a new computer, so I want to get the best stuff I can afford.

Will my chosen components work well with 64-bit Kubuntu? Can I expect optimum performance from 64-bit Kubuntu with this hardware?

CPU: Intel Core i7-920 2.66 GHz quad-core processor.

Heatsink: Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C

Memory: 6 Gigs Mushkin cl 6 pc10666 DDR3

Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI Classified (part number 141-BL-E760-A1)

Video card: GeForce GTX 285 1GB part number 01G-P3-1180-AR

Hard disks: Two Western Digital RE 3 enterprise WD1002FBYS drives (1 TB each) in RAID 1 mirroring for 1 TB total storage and 100% redundancy.

Optical drive: LG 8X Blu-ray Burner

Case: SilverStone RV02 with 90 degree motherboard rotation and 3 180mm fans.

Power supply: Thermaltake w0315ru 850 Watt modular PSU (Provides 62 Amps on one 12 Volt rail.)

In case it is important to know, I want to watch Blu-ray movies, play demanding games, and use Flash on the web in Firefox. I can post a list of applications I intend to use heavily if it will help answer my question.

Thank you very much for reading my post.

Edit: I am not so worried that this system may seem too expensive for some people. What I want is a powerful computer that will work well with Kubuntu and perform well for the next several years. If there are more powerful or more reliable components near the price of what I have chosen then I want to know. I also want to know if anyone has experience good or bad with these components on Linux.

I am sorry for seeming to be impatient. In the future I will wait at least twice as long before thinking to bump my post.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...813188048#spec

Without actually owning that motherboard, it's hard to say how it might work out for you.

Usually there are a few newegg members/customers who have tried a Linux on a product and can say how that went, but in this case, I don't see any mention. However, I strongly recommend you carefully read ALL of the reviews at the newegg link I gave here.

I use two eVga nvidia cards myself, and I have no complaint about them at all, but I've never used an eVga motherboard. From what the reviews say, it's overpriced, and unless you really plan on making use of the features that this board offers, it is not worth the $$$ for the "average user" -- it looks like a hardcore gaming board.

It's hard to tell, but I **think** the NICs and sound-card are Realtek devices, which should give you relatively little trouble. You should however do a bunch of Googling to determine exactly what manufacturers' chips & devices are on the board, and subsequently, Google for Linux support for the devices. The mainboard chipset, the X-58 IIRC, especially I would look for Linux info on that.

The rest of your hardware & peripherals, are probably irrelevant in terms of Linux support, but again, as the motherboard is what ties them all together, please read those newegg reviews and decide if you're willing to spend the dough for that.

Sasha

If this is only for linux. you don't need...

I doubt that you need an i7 CPU. If you want a quad-core CPU, you can save the price premium for the latest generation and buy an AMD or Intel of the preceding generation or one of the new i5 models. You may not even need a quad-core, but that depends on what you expect for your needs in the future. Blue-RAY and gaming do not need an i7 in linux, the 6MB RAM and the GT285 should be enough.

For one graphics card, you do not have to have a double-slot SLI motherboard, but you may have other reasons for choosing that board. I assume it overclocks. If you scaled back on the CPU, you could scale back on, but more interestingly, also widen, your choice of a motherboard.

You might also think of buying a better PSU. Antec is good, but a nominal specification of 1000w is not as important as reliable, real voltage delivered at load. In a PSU, price at a given wattage usually reflects quality; more is better.

The interval between your time of first posting and any reply is not overly long. Not every member is on-line in this forum at one time nor willing to answer every thread. This is a topic that comes up frequently, but may only attract a particular set of forum members.

Patience as well as restraint is a virtue here. A little patience and, I suggest, a little restraint in your choice of hardware, should serve you well.

Whatever components you choose, use google to check any chips and devices for their function in linux, looking for problems and difficulties. Time used on finding out what works in the beginning will save you even more time and frustration in getting something difficult to work in the end.

I shall read them all tonight. Thank you for the link.

A hardcore gaming board sounds good to me. I am not so worried about the price. If you can recommend a board that will perform better or be more reliable with Kubuntu, then I will be very interested to read about it.

I have been searching the web for a week already, and have found only a few positive comments from Linux users and zero complaints.


Thank you for your reply Sasha.

Is there a problem with quad core i7 processors in Linux? I think I do want the i7-920, and I think the price performance ratio seems very good. Can I get better performance or more reliability from Kubuntu with an AMD processor?

I am willing to spend more if I can get a better PSU. Do you have one in mind that will work more reliably on this system?

I will update the OP to explain my expectations for the new system better.

I am terribly sorry about that. I do apologize as sincerely as I can for seeming impatient. Please just understand that getting this system together has been quite stressful, and I have a deadline to make the purchase. Again I am sorry.

Thank you very much for your reply thorkelljarl.

I suggest change your hard drive to a Western Digital Raptor. Sure you can go with a Western Digital VelociRaptor instead of a Raptor. I do not suggest a Western Digital VelociRaptor unless it is behind a true hardware RAID controller because it penalizes performance of the computer. Could use Addonics 4-port hardware port multiplier as a substitute for a hardware RAID controller.

Addonics 4-port Hardware Port Multiplier - http://www.addonics.com/products/hos...d4sr5hpmus.asp

I do not recommend LG optical drives or any of their product lines to anybody because of poor quality and reliability is poor. If you want a reliable optical drive ASUS and Plextor are the best. Blu-Ray playback is questionable and hard work in Linux at this time.

Flash requires a powerful processor in Linux because of inefficient code written by Adobe. I suggest at least a 3 GHz processor or faster.

A lot of people always forget that the latency of memory rules more than speed. I suggest pick DDR3 memory with CAS 6 or lower. If you want to be even more picky about memory performance, find timings like 6-6-6-18 for DDR3. Mushkin at this time has such memory modules for DDR3.

I suggest only use one video card. From what I read SLI is not reliable and stable in Linux and this only for two cards. For four cards, reliability and stability will be even worst. Be careful buying a motherboard with a lot of bells and whistles. It is better to buy a motherboard that suits what you are going to use. The following is my wish list at newegg.com to give you an example.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...Number=8984714

I chose the motherboard because it is the only one that includes PS/2 for the mouse or keyboard instead of only one that chooses to be a mouse or keyboard connection. I am wondering about the reliability and stability of Biostar motherboards because my systems uses MSI and Abit which are reliable and stable. I do not mind Gigabyte as motherboard brand.

The wish list just shows the list of components that I will be using in my next computer build, but it does not mean that I will buy every component on my list at newegg.com. I would buy the motherboard, processor, and memory at a local store or computer store that builds custom computer and tests them before giving to their customer. I suggest make sure the processor, motherboard, and memory are working or being powered up before you pay for them or else you will have some problems.

There should be no problems with i7 processors. If you go with AMD Phenom II 945 or AMD Phenom II 965, the performance is equal for a lot less money. Benchmarks do lie. AMD does perform better in real world environments compared to Intel processors.

A Seasonic S12D is better even though the maximum wattage from this model is 850 watts. This is plenty for just about any setup. The reliability of Antec power supplies are not as good as Seasonic.

Electro, thanks very much for all your advice. I am planning to finalize the system tomorrow and make the purchase on Monday.

Just got off the phone with my system builder. I'm having him price CAS 6 DDR3 for comparison against the CAS8 memory which they normally use. Hopefully the improvement in latency will noticeable and not be too costly.

He is also pricing a 1000 watt PC Power and Cooling against the Antec which I would have gotten. I just want to make sure that the power supply will be as reliable as possible against the extreme demands of the video card and CPU I've chosen.

Anything 700W and above should be enough. At my work we have 4 i7 systems with 700W power supplies and they have no issues. Only thing they aren't powering is the size of video card that you have listed as we use lower end cards(9600).

A 1000 watt power supply is over kill for your setup. From what I am seeing the 1000 watt power supplies are not as good as power supplies lower than 1000 watts. Seasonic is a lot better than those power supply brands.

You should read the following to understand what I mean.

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling...oc.aspx?i=3413
http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling...oc.aspx?i=3458

You can price your whole setup at newegg.com to get an idea how much it will cost.

The card I've chosen requires 40 amps on the 12 volt rail. I think I will need the extra power if I decide to add a second card for SLI, sometime in the future.

Just got the price quote back from the system builder:

cpu - intel i7 920 $339.00
MB - evga x58 c lassified 141-bl-e760-a1 $459.00
HD - WD RE3 WD1002fby3 x2 $458.00
CS - Silverstone Raven RV02 $279
OPT - LG Blue ray burner 8x $259
HSF - T hermal Right 120 extreme 1366 RT Rev C $119
MEM - Mushkin 3x2gb ddr3 CL6 kit pc 10666 $209
PSU - Coolermaster 1kw RS-C50-EMBA-D2 $339
VC - Evga 285GT X pc ie $399
lb - 3 hours to assemble $177
total after tax 3679.58

If I understood correctly (haven't read every detail in the thread) we are talking about a video card that uses 480W from just the +12 supply, by itself (not counting anything else in the system).

I wouldn't know how to spec a PSU for that. I don't know how much overhead to factor in when comparing the total watts to a specific load of one device on +12. But I would be quite surprised if a 700W supply were enough.

I expect even a 1000W supply would need to be carefully chosen to be enough.

Do you care how much higher all those prices are vs. buying the same parts at NewEgg?

What does 1kw mean on that PSU? Coolmaster makes 1kw supplies, but RS-C50-EMBA-D2 is a 1250W supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817171029

Which are you buying 1000W or 1250W

I'm not impressed with the idea of 6 rails for +12 for your system. IIUC, that works out as two rails that are barely enough for the video card, one that is enough for the main CPU, one that is overkill for everything else, and two that aren't used at all.

My deadline to make the purchase is tomorrow. I am not worried about price. I am out of time.

The system builder assures me that this supply is more than enough for my system.

I think that two rails for the one card are sufficient.

Why is overkill (as you put it) a bad thing?