[SATLUG] buying a motherboard with cpu

[Travis H.]

On Wed, Nov 22, 2006 at 03:26:05PM -0600, Chris Lemire wrote:
> I am doing research on motherboards. Maybe there is a new
> technology or something I do not know about or something I should wait for.
> Do I need to know about the different socket
> numbers?

Not really.  I get by without knowing...

> How well does Linux support dual core, quad core, and other new
> technologies?

Just fine, they're SMP basically, so it shouldn't be a problem.

>   1. Linux compatibility, it must run well and supported under Linux.

ASUS, Foxconn, Gigabyte

>   2. 4 or more sata2 connectors would be good. 2 does not seem like
>   much. I already have a sata2 hard drive with cables and converter for the
>   power wire.

I haven't found one with native SATA that has a chipset supported by Linux.

My fileserver has this:
http://www.usb-ware.com/4-port-sata-ii-raid-controller.htm

Works great and cheap.

>   3. 64 bit and dual core or quad core

I don't think Intel has a viable 64-bit... there's one that _emulates_
a 64-bit, but I think you should go with AMD.

>   6. A built on video card is not required, but if it does have one, it
>   should be 16x PCI-e, Nvidia, and a big improvement from the card I have 
>   now

On-board always sucks, to my knowledge.  You can pick up a good nVidia-based
card for pretty cheap, at least for AGP...  PCI-e I don't know about.

>   8. It should have support for plenty of memory. Right now 2 gigabytes
>   is enough, but I probably will not be buying another one for a while, and 
>   I
>   want it to last me when programs and operating systems require more. Even
>   though I won't be using Microsoft, I need support for a lot of memory.

Well on 32-bit you're limited to 4GB.  The Asus 64-bit board I saw at Fry's
over Turkey day supported up to 6GB.

>   9. Reverse compatibility with DDR1 and also taking DDR2 is needed. I
>   probably will not have enough money left over to buy a lot of DDR2 memory
>   right away, and I have 768 mb of DDR right now.

Sell it, get DDR2... if performance is such a factor... memory is the bottleneck.

>   10. It should include a Gigabit LAN card to have when everyone goes to
>   it or something I can plug in a Gigabit LAN card to in the future.

I got some Rosewill gig NICs from newegg for like < $25, and they work great,
as long as the system isn't too old.  I put one in my Dual Xeon P3 550MHz box,
and it wouldn't boot.
-- 
"Cryptography is nothing more than a mathematical framework for
discussing various paranoid delusions." -- Don Alvarez
<URL:http://www.subspacefield.org/~travis/> -><-