Hello everyone-

I recently switched from Mac OS X to Linux, but the spare PC I'm working on is nowhere good enough to serve as a primary machine. I'm planning on building a new computer later on this month and I want to make sure I can run all the distros anyone could every want to use.

The iMac which I was previously using (and recently sold) was a late 2009 model with an ATI graphics card. Some of you may be familiar with the issues, but let's just say it was almost impossible to install Linux on it. Since I'm still very new to Linux and have not had solid time to research hardware compatibility, I was looking for some advice so that I can nail down a solid component list for my new box.

Listed below are the details and hardware components that I currently plan on buying. If anyone has suggestions or just comments I'd be interested to hear them. Basically, I don't want to run into driver nightmares and the like.

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CPU: AMD FX-8150
Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair V Formula 990fx
Memory: 16 GB G.Skill Sniper 1866Mhz
Hard Drive: OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD
Graphics Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870
Case: Antec P280
Power Supply: FSP Aurum Gold 1200W

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Does anyone know if there are any issues with installing Linux using the 7870? Or any driver issues?

Thanks in advance,
Lynx

Did you check the HCL list above

linuxquestions.org/hcl

I'm posting from work, so I'm multitasking. Totally didn't see the HCL. Checking now.

At first, before giving any advice about hardware it would be nice to know what you actually plan to do with the hardware. If you are not into gaming the Radeon HD7870 would be way overkill, for example.

Now some words on the components:
Nice one. I am not really a fan of the FX series, but they offer good performance for a reasonable price.
Nice board if you want to do a massive overclock. Otherwise simply overkill, if you want to run on stock settings (or slightly above) you can go for a much cheaper board. i use the ASUS M5A99X EVO and it performs well (and even allows me to do a decent overclock on my Phenom II).
Assuming that these are 4x 4GB modules, the chip will automatically downclock the RAM to 1600MHz, so only needed if overclocking is intended.
As stated above, nice choice if you are into gaming. If not then it would be a bad choice. Keep in mind that with the current driver version 12.3 the driver has to be patched to get it working on kernel-versions 3.2.8 or higher. That should be fixed with the release of 12.4, I think.
Good case.
Way overkill, even if you plan a massive overclock. Those PSUs are normally used for systems with 2-3 high-end video cards. If you don't want to overclock then you should be fine (and have a little room for expansions) with 650-750W, if you plan to overclock you should choose 800-850W.

EDIT: Forgot the SSD:
Seems to be a nice one, but I would also add a large mechanical drive for storage purposes on that system.

Pretty small in terms of storage unless you just plan on using this machine for web browsing, office tools, print serving, etc. Removable storage or NAT is also an option. What do you use your main rig for?

Great performance wise though!

Indeed. Forgot to include that-
I definitely plan on gaming, and I want to be able to turn the settings way up. Since I'm using 100% of the money I got from selling the iMac, my goal with this system is to build something that will last really long time (and still be a good gaming system years down the line).

The overclocking features that the Crosshair V has are what really draws me to it. I could certainly do with the Sabertooth 990fx, which has no special overclocking feature and is still a high quality board. Crosshair supports faster RAM and I've read so many good reviews.

Yep - 4 x 4GB modules. I want 16 GB so I'm sure never to run out of RAM, but also because I need to run a Windows VM to work from home (which I do 3 days per week). That's also where the 8 core processor is awesome. 4 cores to each OS.

Got it.

I really love this one. Spent hours looking for something better I liked better and gave up.

I also forgot to mention that I want a lot of room to expand, hence the huge PSU. I have 3 7200 RPM HDDs to throw in there for long term storage. I also plan on maxing out the fans (use all available slots in case) and I even want to leave room to OC the CPU and graphics card. I looked at benchmarks and OC FX-8150 can use over 400. Also, I'm installing Corsair H100 liquid cooling system.

Got that covered.

Thanks for the advice! Hope this clears up my intentions.

First a sidenote, please don't add your comments into a quote, that makes your posts really hard to read (took me some time to even realize that there are comments).

This is quite contradictory. If you plan to overclock your system your goal can't be longevity. Even the best overclocker eventually fries his hardware. If you want longevity don't overclock. Also keep in mind tah (unlike Intels K-CPUs) overclocking AMD CPUs will void your warranty, even if you have a Black Edition CPU.

The RAM has to be supported by the CPU, not the mainboard. On modern CPUs the memory controller is inbuilt into the CPU.

WARNING, purely my opinion and stuff to start a flamewar: The FX8150 is not an eight-core processor. It is a 4-module CPU and one module does not contain two fully loaded cores. The "cores" share several units among them.

My main rig (this new build) will be for both work and play. I need Windows installed for gaming (which I do frequently). Also, I need to be able run Windows VM with at least 4 GB RAM and 2 cores (hopefully 4 since I will have 8). When I had Mac OS X I also used it as a media hub with programs like Air Video and Stream2Me (and Nicecast). That does conversion on the fly while streaming. Hopefully I find something similar for Linux.

I fixed it after I hit submit the first time. It obviously was not my intention to put comments in the quotes. Just a mistake. I work at a Help Desk so I'm typing and talking and doing RDP (and the like). I think you must have read the post without refreshing. I tried to correct as fast as I could after posting.

Well, keep in mind that the only reason to overclock, for me, is gaming or fits of video conversion. That kind of thing. You can store profiles in the BIOS and switch very easily. Also, if the processor craps out and I have to replace it that's fine - I overclocked it. But the system can still be a long term system.

Right - I know that. After reading benchmarks on 8150 performance with all of the different specifications of RAM it was 1866 and 2000 which performed the best. AMD says the fasted supported RAM for the 8150 is 1866, so I figured I would buy RAM that runs at 1866 and not overclock.

Really!? Interesting. I would really like to read more about this. You won't get any flames from me. I seek the truth, and don't let emotions or bias get in the way.

Partially true. They support 1866 when you have only one module per channel, if you have two modules per channel they support "only" 1600. Not that anyone would notice that in the real world (outside of benchmarks).

Quote from the Wikipedia page about the Bulldozer architecture:

Ahhhhhh. I just re-read the AMD specs for the 8150 and in fine print at the bottom it does say it supports 1866 if only one module per channel. Oh well. 16 GB of 1600 is quite a bit cheaper than 16 GB 1833 anyway.

Just found this on Tom's Hardware which explains everything: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ance,3119.html

While it may not actually be a true 8 core processor (sad face...) the architecture is still pretty neat.

Well, it is performant, but I don't like that architecture (and if it is only for the marketing lies around it). I prefer my true six core Phenom II. But may be that is just me.
Other than that, while I still think that your PSU is way to big, nice machine that you are planning, have fun with it.

Phenom II is still a nice processor - Not sure if it uses socket AM2+ or AM3 though. Part of the reason I'm going with the FX8150 is the AM3+ socket. I hope that AMD's next line of processors (after the Trinity APUs) still uses socket AM3+ so I can just upgrade.

Oh - And I got a great deal on the PSU. $199 for an 80 Plus Gold Certified fully modular PSU. Can't beat that

It works on AM2+ (if the BIOS allows it), AM3 and AM3+. Switched my mainboard from AM2+ to AM3+ early this year.

Cool. Anyway- Thanks a lot for the info. Your comments have already led me to a few interesting articles.