Building a PC just for linux?

[bingvnn]

So, I'm thinking about building a computer and mainly just running Linux on it. It would be my main computer. I was thinking of building a mid-level PC so I could install (or emulate) Windows 7 at some point down the line since there will probably be some PC game I will eventually want to run on it. I'd probably also purchase a nice 23" Samsung monitor (XL237 probably) to go with it since nice monitors are great for movie watching.

So the two questions I pose to the community are:

-Is this idea silly? Am I going overboard?

-I have used Linux on and off again for about two years now, but never with something like this. What obstacles, if any at all, might I run into building a new PC for Linux use?

-Anyone have (or heard) any experience with ibuypower.com? For the components themselves, are the prices reasonable? They seem pretty close to newegg but I can't tell.

Thanks

[xenopeek]

Why would this be going overboard? Most people here build a PC just for Linux As for games, over a third of the games on Steam also run on Linux—well over a thousand titles now. Along with open source games and other gaming stores (e.g., GOG) supporting Linux there isn't a reason to run Windows for games unless you are dead set on a specific Windows game. In most if not all genres of gaming there is plenty to choose from that runs on Linux.

Kickstarter and Indiegogo almost weekly do crowdfunding for major new titles to arrive on Linux. For example right now the creators of Castlevania, Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country, and Wasteland 2 and Torment are all three running a kickstarter campaign for major new titles (Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a Castlevania kind of game; Yooka-Laylee, a 3D platformer; and the Bards Tale IV, an immersive RPG). Just to show that Linux gaming is growing by the day.

If you build your own PC there are generally 3 areas that require some investigation beforehand:
- Compatibility with Linux for your motherboard. Like is its audio chip supported well on Linux. Also take note whether you can install BIOS/UEFI upgrades without Windows.
- Same questions but for your intended graphics card.
- And if you will use wireless network, same questions for the card you intend for that.
Everything else (CPU, RAM, hard disks/SSDs, disc drives, PSU) should generally all work with Linux without problems.

You can try checking also in http://community.linuxmint.com/hardware/welcome if other Linux Mint users have reviewed hardware compatibility for what you intend to buy.

[shengchieh]

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/
http://www.freegeek.org

Freegeek has some stuffs about building computer - don't know about LFS. May be worth checking into.

Sheng-Chieh

[Jeepty]

I think this is a great idea! I've done it myself and I love my linux box. Most of the time I have found that games do run on debian based linux systems (ubuntu and mint). I always use Play on Linux to for installing games. it is just so much easier for me. I run old games like baldur's gate, and Neverwinter and they run wonderfully. I've also run the Witcher 2 without any problems. I built my wife an identical computer, but with windows 7. My daughter and I play Neverwinter online together, side by side, and my machine plays at max settings, smoother and faster then the windows machine. I don't know why that is, but it is.

I bought everything from newegg. At the time their prices were the best, and I bet they still are. I don't have experience with ibuypower. But I have found that when building a machine for linux, you can get some nice hardware in there. Every dollar you spend will be going towards the hardware, and NOT the OS. I like that.

[English Invader]

I built my PC from cheap/used parts. It was my first build and I decided that if I was going to make mistakes it was better to make them with cheap parts rather than expensive ones. The only expensive part I bought was the power supply (£60 Corsair) because cheap PSUs have a high failure rate and can damage other components.

The only part I gave any consideration to for Linux compatibility was the graphics card. I went for the Radeon HD 5450 which has successfully run both Mint and Ubuntu (although it didn't like Debian very much) and given that it has both VGA and HDMI output and still runs a fair chunk of contemporary games it's a pretty good deal at £20.

[mike acker]

Before I started my first build I studied Building the Perfect PC from Amazon

one of the keys I had to learn was the little format codes that let you match things up. For example: are you going to use an ATX format case? You'll need a power supply that fits an ATX case and your motherboard needs to fit as well

what CPU do you want? what socket does it require? make sure you get a cpu that fits the socket on the motherboard you want to use

what all are you planning on hooking up to your new baby? 6 hard drives? you need to be sure your power supply has 6 of the right type of power connectors and your mother board will need 6 SATA ports

be sure to put in a multi-media R|W DVD drive and a wireless card . how many USB ports do you want? do you want USB(3) ? how many ? DVI ? HDMI ? *make that list of what you want to hook up and what connectors you will be using* !

be sure to address the UEFI question. Most motherboards today do UEFI but so far I think you can set them to legacy boot if you like

I use the New Egg supply company.

[exploder]

I went the same route as English Invader! I have no budget for computer parts and there are plenty of used parts that I can get for free or a very small price.