For the love of god, my computer has started to become so glitchy. I'm only realizing now how unupgradable I made it when I originally built it. A 747 socket motherboard (socket discontinued), a single core processor, and DDR1 ram. GAH!

I have a pretty big budget (~2000 USD) but I'd rather spend as little as I can (good deals are good basically). If anyone here knows linux, I plan on putting Kubuntu w/KDE 4.1 on it, so compatibility is a must.

A do a bit of gaming, but mostly I'm a media whore. I want to be able to surf the net whilst watching a high quality MKV video without my computer taking a shit in its own mouth. Being able to run MythTV well is a must as well. I'm also considering turning my now shitty computer into a Mythbuntu back-end storage box.

Help? I know my way well enough around processors, ram and hard drives but I'm lost when it comes to cooling, mobos, power supplies and all that jazz.

I don't need a full parts list, but a few pointers or links to particularly good parts for my situation would be very much appreciated.

 

Best place to buy parts: www.newegg.com

My suggestions for mobo are either Asus or Gigabyte. (I KNOW there's another one I'm forgetting, but my ISP is acting all gay and denying me access to 95% of the internet...Fucking ComCock.)

For cooling, I'd have to say Antec or Coolermaster (again, there's another one I can't think of right now).

PSU: Antec or Asus...

GPU: I'd say go with the same brand as your mobo, and Nvidia has the best support in Linux right now.

If you have questions about compatibility, I think the Ubuntu/Kubuntu forums have a pretty good list (somewhere...). I'd Google search "linux hardware compatibility" if I were you.

Have fun!

 

First off, I second the Newegg recommendation.

Cooling: Your CPU will probably come with a heat sink that's as loud as a train. As a rule, after-market heat sinks all do a pretty excellent job (better than the included cooler) at stock voltages and speeds... if you're not planning to OC your system, pick a cooler that's nice and quiet.

(I have one of these and one of these, they both keep the CPU under 30C and they're both whisper quiet).

Motherboards: You can pretty much use Linux on any motherboard ever created (so select a motherboard chipset based on your choice of CPU).

Power Supplies: You're going to want to look not just at wattage, but also for things like multiple 12V rails and modular cabling.

Also, I tend to replace stock case fans for quiet ones since replacement fans only cost a couple bucks each and I don't like listening to my computer when it runs.

 

Question: Is the noise created by a machine all about the fans, or does the case play a big role? I've found a few cases I like (I want to be able to expand) but most of them have complaints of loudness. I was wondering if replacing the fans would stop that, or if it was a case based thing (something to do with the size, for example).

EDIT:

I'm thinking that this: htthisp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041
Processor is my best bet right now for cheap(er) quality. Good choice, or would it be worth it to move up to the next level (which I believe is 200 bucks more expensive for a pretty small clock speed increase.) And can anyone suggest a mobo for this CPU? I've been browsing newegg but I'm totally lost .

 

Is this still the case? I know that ATI has been making huge strides in Linux driver development recently, and they've opened up their drivers far more than nVidia ever has. I don't run Linux tho, so I haven't paid very close attention.

OP: nVidia and ATI support on Linux is constantly improving. Even just this month there have been significant advances made with both brands. For the latest 3D hardware on Linux news, go to Phoronix.

 

Yak, so far Nvidia has the best support. But I will concede that ATI is making great advances into the opensource (read: Linux) market. Here's to hoping they kick ass sooner rather than later.

OP: May I suggest either this, this, or this? It depends on what brand you want, really. I've built all my computers with Asus boards, and have had no problems (even 7-9 years later).

 

My personal setup at the moment is a Gigabyte Mobo, an Intel Core 2 Quad Yorkfield Q9450, 2x 2Gb OCZ Platinum DDR2 ram. And two shitty old Nvidia cards I need to upgrade. >_>

I suggest something similar. My shit is teh pimpz. D:

As for heatsink, I suggest a Cool Master Hyper +6 (Pic below, mine is on the left.). Its what I have. That, or a liquid cool system like Mids. He is the sex.

 

Teh pimpz, you say? I do like yorkfield... sounds yummy.

Mids is the sex? Hmmm, I do like sex... I suppose I'll have to check out liquid cooling after all... (but seriously, do you think a PC amateur like myself could put together a liquid cooled system?).

Another question: should any case work? Or do I need to find a case made to house the mobo I choose?

EDIT (again): So far, this is what I'm thinkin' (feel free to correct me/smack me upside the head) ~
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811166004 [Case]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131284 [Mobo 1] Recc'd by a friend.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131335 [Mobo 2]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041 [CPU]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218 [HDD X2 in Raid0]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134 [couple of these for cooling]

No idea whatsoever what to do about GPU. I'll probably also add a few 20/30$ CD/DVD burners/dombo drives. No idea what to do about power.

(Err... the 2 mobos indicating I'm trying to choose one, not that I think I need 2 mobos -_-)

 

Don't do it. Liquid cooling scores you mad points for the high geek factor, but it's expensive and it's aggravating...

Yes, any normal ATX case (like the one you link) should work great.

Danger, Will Robinson! This is a fine configuration, but you need to be aware that your data will be striped across both disks with no redundancy--lose one and you get to start over (so make sure you do regular backups of things like pictures and documents).

Since that's a CPU Heat Sink, you only need one. The case you selected comes with 3 80mm case fans and 1 120 mm rear fan, some of the reviews have indicated that the case runs a bit loud--and to answer your previous question about noise, the only things that are going to make noise are the moving parts: fans, hard drives (a little), optical drives (a little), etc.

If you want to cut the noise a bit, choose three of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110573 1372726528&name=80mm

and one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110573 1372726538&name=120mm

and replace the stock fans. They give the noise level in the listing. For reference on "loudness",

Normal Breathing 10dB
Soft whisper (at 5m) 30dB
Normal Conversation 60dB
Busy Traffic 70dB
Average Factory 80dB
Niagra Falls 90dB

A 3 dB increase in the level of continuous noise doubles the sound power, but the response of the human ear results in a perceived doubling of loudness for approximately every 10 dB increase--so 20dB sounds twice as loud as 10 dB, 30dB is four times louder than 10dB, etc...

 

Ahh, about the raid0, I was aware, I plan on ripping my 500GB primary HDD out of my current pc (after fixing its fucked up ubuntu OS... which randomly decided [and I mean randomly, was working fine for 2 years] to stop booting) and putting it in the new one to back up my media. However, would you reccommend just leaving it at two HDDs? As in, is raid0 really worth it if it's that dangerous?

Thanks for the fan advice . Could anyone tell me about what Db range is considered a "loud" fan as opposed to a "quiet" fan?

 

It comes down to your needs. You're probably not going to be doing much that requires the full transfer capacity of one of those SATA drives, much less both at once. If you need the capacity but not the bandwidth, just buy a bigger drive (RAID 0 with 2 drives will be slightly less reliable than a single drive).

As for fan noise, I have a couple of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999199 and you can only hear them if you put your ear right next to them.

A fan rated at 25dB you'll definitely be able to hear, but it won't be loud. The only reason to use a fan louder than that would be if you have extreme cooling needs and need the extra airflow.

 

Nice selection. Personally, I prefer Gigabyte, over Asus. You may check this out if you're willing to toss an extra $40 or $50 on mobo, since the Asus was $250 I think...

And if you're willing to splurge, you can probably eliminate the cooling system and add it in with the case. I suggest this one, since its got the system with it. Otherwise, go for the Antec 1200