Hi all:
I'm in the process of doing a new Linux build and would like to ask which motherboard brand/s are best for Linux.
In the past I've used various brands with various results.

I suppose the question really is, are there any brands to stay away from. I know some aren't particularly Linux friendly.

Thanks for replies

IME, motherboard brands have nothing to do with Linux friendliness. Instead, BIOS, chipsets and networking devices are more important, especially staying away from chipsets and networking devices that are not at least 9-12 months older than the software. My own brand to stay away from, after two unduly short lifetimes, is ASRock.

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My 1st real foray to educate myself on Linux was a 2009 Biostar socket AM3 motherboard (more than a decade old!) and even when it was brand new it was considered a cheapo entry level no frills board and i have to say it did way better than i expected! In the end i did learn some stuff that i would def find useful when i eventually overhaul to a Ryzen/AM4 based rig with a Linux OS from the start haha

Thanks guys for the replies

I haven't any bad luck with motherboards that were patently Linux-unfriendly. (Well, except for the time when I couldn't get Ubuntu to recognize a garden-variety Gigabyte motherboard and an Adaptec SCSI controller -- a combination that all other Linux distributions managed to install onto without a hitch -- but I think that was mostly an Ubuntu problem.)

One brand that I've had good luck with is MSI. The motherboard I have from that vendor has been trouble-free from the get to. I like that they use (or did when I bought it) only ceramic capacitors so no failures from bad, bulging electrolytic caps. (I'm awaiting the replacement board for one that recently failed due to those. I'm not too upset as the failed board was well over ten years old and it led a rich and productive life.)

In addition to the good luck I've had with Gigabyte and MSI: Acer and Supermicro (the first board I ran as a Linux-only system).

I spend a fair amount of time researching the chipsets before purchasing a newer board. That's where I'd expect to see the most trouble when Linux has problems running on a motherboard. I lean toward last year's models for the least amount of trouble getting Linux up and running.

LQ's hardware compatibility list has been helpful in the past. I suggest giving it a look. I'd say that vendors that are well represented on that list with high ratings are the vendors to take the closest look at before making a purchase.

Good luck...

I suggest you to use intelX58/LGA 1366 motherboard.I am using this one form a long time.

The MSI Z170A GAMING PRO motherboard which has been working out well and Linux works from embedded systems to multi terrabyte supercomputers

Another + for MSI: using a z270A (?) pro and it works perfectly with every Linux distro I have tried, plus FreeBSD and OpenBSD. Only thing is on some Linux distros the UEFI implementation on my board requires additional steps to boot.

X58, x170 and x270 chipsets are all out of production, not what anyone looking to build a new system is going to find, unless looking for new old stock for use with an old CPU and older, slower RAM. x270 inventory isn't too close to exhaustion, but CPUs they support are slim pickings.