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Old 06-23-2021, 10:22 AM   #1
newlinuxmint20user
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new machine build for linux mint 20.1


Looking to try out Linux Mint 20.1 on a new build machine but have never used any version of linux before.
The people selling the machine only install windows so if I buy it, I will be installing OS at home.

Does anyone know of any compatibility issues with this spec, please?
Code:
Motherboard: 
ASUS PRIME A520M-A Micro-ATX AM4 Motherboard

Processor: 
3.6GHz AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G 8C/16T 65W AM4 APU with Radeon Graphics 8 

RAM: 
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3200MHz Memory

Graphics: 
Onboard graphics (have been told the graphics on the 4750G processor are equivalent to a GT 1030)

Power supply: 
Silverstone Nightjar 450W Fanless Modular SFX PSU, with ATX adapter

Boot drive: 
250GB Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 NVMe SSD (3500/2300)

Data drive 1: 
1Tb Samsung 870 EVO SSD Solid State Drive 

Data drive 2:
1Tb Samsung 870 EVO SSD Solid State Drive

External DVD: 
ASUS ZenDrive SDRW-08U7M-U Black External USB DVD Re-Writer

PCI Express slot
SupaGeek PCIe to 4x Type A and 1x Type C USB Card

Microsoft Desktop 600 Wired Keyboard and Mouse

Monitor:
BenQ GW2470HL 23.8-Inch Full HD 1080p LED Eye-Care Monitor 
OR
ASUS BE24AQLBH 24in Monitor, IPS, 60Hz, 5ms, 1920x1080, HDMI/DP/DVI/USB

Webcam:
Logitech C920S HD Pro Webcam
Thanks.
 
Old 06-23-2021, 12:09 PM   #2
DavidMcCann
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This reviewer recommends Mint for that: Mint for Ryzen 7 The only qualification I'd make is to suggest the Mate version rather than the Cinnamon, since Clem (Mint proprietor) himself says that's the best choice for a beginner. Don't forget to read the documentation befor installing — it saves a lot of potential problems!
 
Old 06-23-2021, 01:20 PM   #3
newlinuxmint20user
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Thank you - with all the different flavours and moving from windows7 I was looking for the simplest path to a usable machine.
It'll probably come down to taking the gamble and having a go to see what happens, but reckoned it might be asking if anyone had tried and had issues with getting things up and running with any of those components.

I came across:
I went to AMD Download page for your Ryzen 7 Pro 4750g and there are no Linux Drivers to download. Only Windows 10 which seems to indicate that Linux is not compatible with drivers for that processor yet
https://community.amd.com/t5/process...rs/td-p/469176

Sadly I do not know enough to understand what they are going on about!
 
Old 06-24-2021, 11:53 AM   #4
DavidMcCann
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You don't need to download drivers with Linux — they will be supplied by the installation media.
 
Old 06-24-2021, 12:06 PM   #5
Bonzoo
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Surprised a lil by Clem saying Mate ?
Listen to the man. He's one of the ol Debian masters. One of the best there has been.
The MX/antiX crew and, most recently, a Polish fellow(Sparky Linux) called Pavaru ?oo who who ? Is right up there.Super quality and, like the others, a 24 hour addiction to their projects.
 
Old 06-24-2021, 12:31 PM   #6
obobskivich
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I doubt there will be any significant compatibility issues with that - the Ryzen should use amdgpu for the graphics, which as noted will come with the distro (if you use(d) an nVidia card you would likely need to manually install the proprietary driver post-install). The one concern I'd have is the motherboard looks to be pretty cheapo, compared to the rest of the parts.
 
Old 06-24-2021, 01:53 PM   #7
Bonzoo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obobskivich View Post
I doubt there will be any significant compatibility issues with that - the Ryzen should use amdgpu for the graphics, which as noted will come with the distro (if you use(d) an nVidia card you would likely need to manually install the proprietary driver post-install). The one concern I'd have is the motherboard looks to be pretty cheapo, compared to the rest of the parts.
Used dozens of those MB's here.Kinda shockproof(power surges) but not for Gameboiz. I generally install the liquorix kernel when using them in a build
 
Old 06-25-2021, 04:50 AM   #8
newlinuxmint20user
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Thanks all.

Machine is just for general office work with a bit of video processing - no games whatsoever.

Motherboard is UEFI BIOS and I was wondering if I should disable Secure Boot before testing from USB drive and installing?
(after reading: https://www.zdnet.com/article/instal...e-a-refresher/ )

LAN is Realtek RTL8111H 1Gb Ethernet

Audio is Realtek ALC887 7.1

I did read (can't find link at moment) that SSD might be better using EXT2 rather than 4 to avoid journaling and number of writes to M2 SSD, but as this is my first go with linux I don't know.

Machine is a new build (they only install windows) so I'll be getting it with no OS and am trying to work out what I need to do.

First thought was to check BIOS to ensure usb drive is up the HDD boot list
Then disable Secure Boot as I'd read that can cause issues
Then run linux from usb before installing.

Next I'm trying to work out what file system to use and how and what to partition.
Machine will be single linux installation (at this point - but I may want to try out other linuxversions once I get a handle on the basics).

It is interesting what you say about cinnamon vs mate - I am coming from a 10 yr old windows 7 machine and had read that the easiest transition was via cinnamon - even though mate is more 'reliable' - again I do not know having never worked with linux and things are a bit subjective.

On graphics I was intending to use onboard graphics to reduce introducing more heat into the box - the build is intended to be totally silent and as I only do a bit of video processing, thought I could get away with that.

At this point I am waiting from the build people to confirm that I can actually disable secure boot before going ahead with the build - since they do not do linux, I am gambling that the system will run - contacted AMD and ASUS on linux support but just got corporate drone responses.
People doing build have said that if I get stuck they will accept the machine back but subject to a restock charge of 15% - so not a complete disaster if it goes pear-shaped.
 
Old 06-25-2021, 05:27 AM   #9
obobskivich
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bonzoo View Post
Used dozens of those MB's here.Kinda shockproof(power surges) but not for Gameboiz. I generally install the liquorix kernel when using them in a build
I barely understand what is written here.

My issue with this board is the combination of the very entry level/low-end PCH, the A520, coupled with a total lack of VRM cooling paired with a higher spec CPU. There's saving money and there's cutting corners...

Quote:
Originally Posted by newlinuxmint20user View Post
Thanks all.

Machine is just for general office work with a bit of video processing - no games whatsoever.
Can we get past the myth that 'games' are the apex of demanding workloads for a PC? 'A bit of video processing' may very well see higher CPU duty cycle than any typical game.

Quote:
Motherboard is UEFI BIOS and I was wondering if I should disable Secure Boot before testing from USB drive and installing?
(after reading: https://www.zdnet.com/article/instal...e-a-refresher/ )
I'm not sure if 'SecureBoot' works outside of Windows 8/10 - it shouldn't be enabled by default (at least it hasn't been on any boards I've worked with). So yes, I would disable it if it is enabled.

Quote:
LAN is Realtek RTL8111H 1Gb Ethernet
Should be compatible with everything under the sun.

Quote:
Audio is Realtek ALC887 7.1
Should be compatible with everything under the sun, but output quality will be heavily dependent on the specific implementation (what I mean here is, if you get interference/ground noise/etc that's down to the specific board you have, not a feature of the codec overall).

Quote:
I did read (can't find link at moment) that SSD might be better using EXT2 rather than 4 to avoid journaling and number of writes to M2 SSD, but as this is my first go with linux I don't know.
Sounds very outdated - go with ext4.

Quote:
Machine is a new build (they only install windows) so I'll be getting it with no OS and am trying to work out what I need to do.
I think you're bordering on over-thinking this.

Quote:
First thought was to check BIOS to ensure usb drive is up the HDD boot list
Then disable Secure Boot as I'd read that can cause issues
Then run linux from usb before installing.

Next I'm trying to work out what file system to use and how and what to partition.
Machine will be single linux installation (at this point - but I may want to try out other linuxversions once I get a handle on the basics).
Overall it should be pretty 'plug'n'play' with a big distro like Mint or Ubuntu - as long as it sees the USB drive as bootable (some motherboards have secondary USB controllers that won't show up for this purpose, so you may have to move the device around to different ports to see what works).

Quote:

It is interesting what you say about cinnamon vs mate - I am coming from a 10 yr old windows 7 machine and had read that the easiest transition was via cinnamon - even though mate is more 'reliable' - again I do not know having never worked with linux and things are a bit subjective.
I'm not sure 'trying to emulate Windows' is the end-all be-all - it assumes that Windows' UI is somehow the high watermark. Personally I like XFCE and GNOME (yes, modern GNOME) - XFCE is probably the most 'windows like' in its default configuration using whiskermenu as a 'start menu' but you can tailor it to whatever suits you (want a macOS style dock? it can do that too). Ultimately there isn't a 'bad' option here though - and it isn't usually a big deal to try different DEs out (you aren't locked in to one by a given distro). You will not get a complete 1:1 Windows-style experience, and that shouldn't be a realistic goal, but if you want something 'much closer' you might look at PC Linux OS as well (it has some extra 'control panel' type apps to try and mimic the Windows experience).

Quote:
On graphics I was intending to use onboard graphics to reduce introducing more heat into the box - the build is intended to be totally silent and as I only do a bit of video processing, thought I could get away with that.
'A bit of video processing' is nebulous, and as I said could very well be heavier duty cycle than 'gaming.' What kind of cooler is the CPU coming with? How is the case setup, what fans does it have, etc? All of that will impact how quiet it runs - generally 'silent' is not hard with newer CPUs though, as long as the case/fans/etc are setup right (this may require you doing things after receiving the box too (like staying on top of cleaning it, and setting up fan profiles to suit your tastes), or making other requests to the build before-hand).

Quote:
At this point I am waiting from the build people to confirm that I can actually disable secure boot before going ahead with the build - since they do not do linux, I am gambling that the system will run - contacted AMD and ASUS on linux support but just got corporate drone responses.
People doing build have said that if I get stuck they will accept the machine back but subject to a restock charge of 15% - so not a complete disaster if it goes pear-shaped.
Honestly it should work just fine, assuming it isn't setup for TPM/Secureboot to run Windows 8/10 out of the box, but I'm still curious about 'a bit of video processing' and how the CPU is cooled - the lack of VRM cooling on the board also speaks to a more disposable product, especially if you're going to run it hard, and depending on the CPU's cooling (which is the closest thing the VRM gets to cooling). Given that none of the other parts in this build are corner-cut, why not select a more robust motherboard?
 
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Old 06-25-2021, 05:46 AM   #10
newlinuxmint20user
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Many thanks obobskivich.

I will pass this to the build people.

"I think you're bordering on over-thinking this."
Quite possibly - but if I can avoid messing up I would like to.

"I'm not sure 'trying to emulate Windows' is the end-all be-all "
That is not the point at all - the point of having something with a similar interface is to make shifting to a diferent OS less of a learning curve - I have zero interest in what is under the hood and am interested in productivity.

"'A bit of video processing' is nebulous, and as I said could very well be heavier duty cycle than 'gaming.'"
Indeed, I will run that by the people who suggested the spec.

They did best guess on the spec based on someone who bought from them to install linux.

The BIOS does not seem to have a specific option to disable Secure Boot, but there is an option to select 'Other OS' so one might hope that would do the trick.

"Sounds very outdated - go with ext4."
Thank you.

If it all goes wrong I can just reformat and start again - mainly I want to minimise time waving my arms around trying to get a workable system.

The company specialise in low noise machines: quietpc.co.uk
 
Old 06-25-2021, 06:26 AM   #11
obobskivich
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newlinuxmint20user View Post
Many thanks obobskivich.

I will pass this to the build people.

"I think you're bordering on over-thinking this."
Quite possibly - but if I can avoid messing up I would like to.

"I'm not sure 'trying to emulate Windows' is the end-all be-all "
That is not the point at all - the point of having something with a similar interface is to make shifting to a diferent OS less of a learning curve - I have zero interest in what is under the hood and am interested in productivity.

"'A bit of video processing' is nebulous, and as I said could very well be heavier duty cycle than 'gaming.'"
Indeed, I will run that by the people who suggested the spec.

They did best guess on the spec based on someone who bought from them to install linux.

The BIOS does not seem to have a specific option to disable Secure Boot, but there is an option to select 'Other OS' so one might hope that would do the trick.

"Sounds very outdated - go with ext4."
Thank you.

If it all goes wrong I can just reformat and start again - mainly I want to minimise time waving my arms around trying to get a workable system.

The company specialise in low noise machines: quietpc.co.uk
It isn't surprising that the BIOS on that board is limited either - another function of it being a cost-down'd product.

As far as 'I just want things to work' - any reason you aren't just using Ubuntu LTS?
 
Old 06-25-2021, 06:40 AM   #12
newlinuxmint20user
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"As far as 'I just want things to work' - any reason you aren't just using Ubuntu LTS?"

Ignorance on my part.

I did some searching for people shifting from windows to linux and came across a shed load of people saying 'mint'
 
Old 06-25-2021, 06:50 AM   #13
obobskivich
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newlinuxmint20user View Post
"As far as 'I just want things to work' - any reason you aren't just using Ubuntu LTS?"

Ignorance on my part.

I did some searching for people shifting from windows to linux and came across a shed load of people saying 'mint'
Mint is popular, I don't understand why this is so, but it is. It is based on Ubuntu LTS, but trails it somewhat (like many other derivatives); unless you really want their DE (Cinnamon) I don't understand the fascination (and you can install Cinnamon on Ubuntu). Ubuntu is very well documented, supported, and has a massive software repo. I'm not trying to incite a 'holy war' here, I just don't understand the fascination with Ubuntu-alikes when Ubuntu is available and well documented, well supported, and so forth (and you aren't locked into the LTS version). There are other distros I'd consider 'alongside' Ubuntu, but for an 'out of the box it just works' system I've honestly yet to have Ubuntu cause problems. There will be a learning curve no matter what you do, but that'd be true even if you were upgrading to Windows 10 (or 11) from Windows 7. On the note of the learning curve, there will be a lot of similarities regardless of which distro you pick, so it's really just a matter of setting up a system and going on with it.
 
Old 06-25-2021, 07:13 AM   #14
newlinuxmint20user
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I will look into Ubuntu LTS

I am not tied to any particular build and have scope to go for a better motherboard if that is advisable.

Do not need cutting edge or workstation level kit. Just something that will comfortably run Lightworks for video editing (usually sub 10 minute very basic productions) and possibly some 3D modelling based on drone surveying software.

If you were going to choose a motherboard and processor what would you choose?
They say that ignorance is bliss - I am finding it a PITA

I am willing to sacrifice 'ooomph' for silent running machine - hence a machine with no moving parts. As we are running ancient machines, I'm guessing anything relatively new will seem like going from a wheelbarrow to a SUV whatever we end up with.
 
Old 06-25-2021, 08:45 AM   #15
obobskivich
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newlinuxmint20user View Post
I will look into Ubuntu LTS

I am not tied to any particular build and have scope to go for a better motherboard if that is advisable.

Do not need cutting edge or workstation level kit. Just something that will comfortably run Lightworks for video editing (usually sub 10 minute very basic productions) and possibly some 3D modelling based on drone surveying software.

If you were going to choose a motherboard and processor what would you choose?
They say that ignorance is bliss - I am finding it a PITA

I am willing to sacrifice 'ooomph' for silent running machine - hence a machine with no moving parts. As we are running ancient machines, I'm guessing anything relatively new will seem like going from a wheelbarrow to a SUV whatever we end up with.
I think the Ryzen G is a fine choice as long as the GPU is compatible with whatever you need, but there is a 'newer' generation of 5000 series offerings that are faster, but may not yet be available to buy. On the motherboard, can you pick something with VRM cooling? I'm not saying going nuts with a $500 X570 competition overclocking board, but there's gotta be a middle ground between the absolute cheapest option and the absolute top of the line, right?

For the rest: you didn't say what enclosure/fans/CPU cooler/etc you're using, but I'd consider all of that seriously if the goal is silent computing. I'd also probably pass on the SFX PSU unless there's a good reason for it, because they generally cost more per-watt (because they're so small) and can be louder (because they usually rely on smaller fans). Silverstone is a fine PSU brand but can't you get a 'full size' ATX power supply in there? Some of those will run fanless/passively at lower loads, and there are fully fanless models as well (but you'll pay for it).

In general the best way to achieve a quiet/silent computer is to have large, slow-moving fans supporting large heatsinks, as opposed to a lot of high RPM fans compensating for a lack of overall radiator area on a small heatsink or in a cramped case. With modern gear it isn't very hard to have a system that's very quiet (if not fully silent, as in no fans running) when it is idle, the bigger trick is keeping it quiet when it loads up - ditching the dGPU will go a long way towards that goal though.
 
  


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