New Linux PC - Build Advice?

[Klade]

Hello

I've played around with linux a bit before and learned enough to install mythtv on a box and leave it dedicated. Problem is I now want to play some more with linux but I don't have a box to do it on. So I now plan to build a new computer simply for the purpose of putting linux on it so can fool around with it some more.

If I have learned anything from my time with linux though, its that having the right hardware makes a world of difference. My initial intuition is to stay away from mobo's that have onboard support for sound and network but it seems like every mobo out there does this now and it would be a shame to have to buy them individually if there are already good linux support to get these things working. So my question is can you guys who have infinitely more experience then I on such matters evaluate my choice of hardware with special attention to whether it will be compatible under most major linux distros? Oh and keep in mind that I'm trying to go cheap on this box as well


Motherboard - MSI K8T Neo-V Socket 754 VIA K8T800 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Processor - AMD Athlon 64 3000+

Memory - CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

DVD/CDR Drive - SONY Black 16X DVD-ROM 52X CD-R 32X CD-RW 52X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE Combo Drive

Case - Athenatech A601BS.Q350 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply



Like I said I'm trying to keep the price down while also being able to still get the job done so any suggestions on that front would be greatly appreciated. Also I have no special knowledge of this computer case I'm picking it only because it had some positive reviews on newegg and it looks alright to me. If anyone has a suggestion for a case around 55$ or cheaper (70$ shipped) then I'm wide open to them.

Thanks so much in advance for any advice.

 

[Carnival Forces]

that seems fine. only thing i'm worried about is the SATA drive, about 6 months ago when i tried *nix on my main rig it would *not* work b/c i have a SATA HDD.

i hear the new kernels have largely fixed that problem though.

after deciding on a distro, you should go browse their respective web pages looking for a "hardware compatibility list" -- that should answer your questions much better.

and what video card are you getting? generally, *nix playes nicer w/ nVidia (b/c they make RPMs (is that the right acronym) for Redhat, i think).

 

[Martin Cracauer]

I would recommend against NVidia chipsets for Linux and FreeBSD.

I replaced my K8NE-Deluxe with a Via-based Abit something-pro. Much happier now, everything works out of the box, no BWCing about drivers and various interesting lockups I have seen. The only problem is that I lost ECC memory support that way

NVidia Video cards anytime but the chipsets, nah.