[ubuntu-us-mn] Building a Linux machine

Tue Jul 14 13:20:53 BST 2009

All,

Here's a doc I have with my notes regarding various hardware that I am considering purchasing for my own Ubuntu box. For the specifics, read onward, but here is a rough overview first.....

Dual Core 64-bit hardware with 8GB of RAM and 8 SATA slots for 4 x 750 SATA HDs setup RAID 0+1, 2 x DVD/RW (SATA), great video card (with ?? amount of VRAM) so I can run all the Compiz-Beryl stuff and have the resolution as well, excellent audio card, 10/100-based T NIC. I'm going to run the 32-bit version of Ubuntu 8.0.4LTS on it (then once 10.4LTS is out and stable, ala 10.4.1 etc, then I'll go up to that version) until the 64-bit versions have some better support/stability. I'll also get a single 24" monitor as well. DVI most likely.

What are your thoughts/advice on things to buy, not buy, avoid, look for, do, not do, etc? Right now I'm saving up the cash so I can just walk into Micro-Center and purchase whatever I need right then and there. I figure I'd also check out www.ubuntuhcl.org at the store for compatibility of the hardware. So, what are your thoughts on all of this please. Let me hear it.

Motherboard – ATX motherboard that supports a Dual-Core 64-bit Intel CPU(s)

Requirements:

It must have a minimum of 8 SATA plug-ins with support for
RAID on 4 of those SATA plug-ins. 4 of them are for the hard drives, 2 are for
the DVD-RW/CD-RWs and 2 more would be extra.

Must have Intel CPUs
Must support 8GBs of RAM
NO ATI Chipsets
NO Celeron CPUs

RAM - I
originally thought 8GB, but that's probably overkill so I am now thinking about
going with 4GBs instead. If it’s not too costly, I may still go with 8, but
that really depends on price since Linux isn’t Windows and doesn’t require as
many system resources and hardware just to boot up let alone DO anything worth
a damn.

The type of RAM will be dependant upon the type of
motherboard, but I'd like Dual Channel DDR2 with the fastest speed possible
based on the motherboard specification limits. I'm also learning towards Kingston as the
manufacturer, but I’m open to suggestions and reasons why to use another vs.
them.

CPU – I’m
thinking of going with a Dual-Core PC that's 64-bit vs. the Quad-Core that is
64-bit since Quad-Core is probably overkill for my needs and uses. Must be
Intel.

Drives - 4
x 750GB SATA hard drives which will be setup with a software RAID 0+1. I’m
using software vs. hardware because if the motherboard dies with a hardware
array setup, then I need to find that specific motherboard again in order to be
able to use those drives. If I use the software setup, I won’t have that issue.

I’m using RAID 0+1, which is where you take 2 drives and stripe
them, take another set of 2 drives and stripe them, then mirror one set to the
other. The striping will give the speed performance while the mirroring will
help with redundancy.

I've been told to use Seagate for reliability and Samsung
for speed. Since I'll be doing a software RAID 0+1 setup, I'm leaning towards
reliability vs. speed since I'm not going to be professionally editing audio
and/or video or gaming etc and reliability means more to me than speed if I
must sacrifice one for the other, speed goes.

Video – I
want a NVIDIA video card with a lot of VRAM and dual monitor support, thus I’ll
need 2 DVI outputs. I’m thinking NVIDIA 8800GTX as my first choice or NVIDIA
8800GT as my second choice. PCI Express.

DVD-RW/CD-RW - 2x DVD-RW/CD-RW SATA drives (Lite-On)

Audio –
Non-Onboard audio. I want a separate sound card, which is more than likely
going to be needed with a higher-end motherboard. Realtek network and audio
chipsets are always supported, as the company is over 90% Linux desktops

Network Card – Fast network card. PCI.
2 x 22" flat screen monitors for me, and my old one for
Vicki
Realtek network and audio chipsets are always supported, as
the company is over 90% Linux desktops

Dual Monitors – 2 x 22” (or larger) monitors with DVI inputs on them.

Power Supply – I’m open to them. The case I bought is a CoolMaster Stacker which has support
for 5 fans and 2 power supplies. It’s a monster. I plan on having as many fans
as possible and maybe 2 power supplies since one is a backup. Since I’ll be
running all of these goodies, I’m figuring I’ll need at least one 500-750 watt
power supply.

Pretty much anything Intel is supported in Ubuntu 8.0.4LTS,
which is the version I’ll be installing since 8.10 doesn’t have the support yet
and still has some bugs to work out in it.

Fans

8 fans that are all fans are -15db or -17db

===============================================================
Possible Hardware Purchases
===============================================================

RAID Controller
Card (IDE/SATA)

SYBA SY-VIA-150R PCI SATA / IDE Combo RAID Controller Card
RAID 0, 1, 0+1 JBOD

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124023

$14.99

Model Brand SYBA
Model SY-VIA-150R
Specifications Type SATA / IDE Internal
Connectors 2 x SATA 150 + 1 x ATA 133
Interface PCI
RAID RAID 0,1,0+1 JBOD
Operating Systems
Supported MS Windows 98SE / ME / 2000 / XP Features – No Linux Support?
Features Only SATA supports RAID
2/1/0, and PIO mode 4/3/2/1/0
Supports PCI Plug and Play
PCI interrupt sharing and coexists with main board IDE controller
4 KB to 64 KB striping block size support
Supports ATA 133 high performance hard disk drives. 
Supports IDE bus master operation 
Supports hard disk drive larger than 137 GB (48-bits LBA) 
Supports Ultra DMA mode 6/5/4/3/2/1/0, DMA mode
Package Contents
SY-VIA-150R
SATA Raid Driver & Manual 
Serial-ATA cable

RAM

OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2
800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL123008&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL123008-_-Memory-_-LB1C-_-20227267

$52.99

Model OCZ
Brand OCZ Series Reaper HPC Edition
Model OCZ2RPR800C44GK
Type 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
Tech Spec Capacity 4GB (2 x 2GB)
Speed DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Cas Latency 4
Timing 4-4-4-15
Voltage 2.1V
Heat Spreader Yes
Features
Patent-pending Reaper HPC Heatsink
2.2V EVP
EPP-Ready Manufacturer
Warranty Parts
Lifetime limited
Labor Lifetime limited

===============================================================
Actual Purchases
===============================================================

QTY    ITEM                                       PRICE             WITH TAX

1          CoolMaster
Stacker Case        $189.00           $202.81

Specifications         Cooler
Master STC-T01

Available Color                        Silver/Black/Blue
Dimension (W / H / D)  W227 x H536 x D584 mm
Aluminum
alloy motherboard tray frame 
Strengthened with 1.00mm steel plates 
Superior mechanical design for greater
stability

Weight                                     14.7kg
Material                                    Aluminum Bezel ,SECC Chassis
Motherboard                            Compatible with E-ATX, ATX, m-ATX, BTX, m-BTX

5.25" Drive Bay 7 (Exposed) (CM
Stacker Support 11 unit 5.25 bays which includes 1 for 3.5

3.5" Drive Bay              1 (Exposed), 3 (Hidden)

I/O Panel                                  USB 2.0 x 6
IEEE 1394 (FireWire) x 1
Earphone jack x 1
MIC x 1(Support HD Audio)

Cooling System                        One
120 x 120 x 25 mm Front Fan (Exhaust) 1200RPM 16.4 dBA and the front mess
supports up to 3 – 12cm fans.

One 120 x 120 x 25 mm Rear Fan (Exhaust) 1200RPM 16.4
dBA

One 80 x 80 x 25 mm Top Fan (Intake) 1800RPM 23.8dBA

                                                Supports
up to 8 fans

Top - Ultra silent 8cm Fan * 1
(exhaust) 
Rear – Ultra Silent 12cm Fan * 1 + 8 cm Fan * 2 (exhaust) 
Motherboard – 300mm cross flow fan; provides superior air flow for key PC
components (CPU, VGA etc.)

Expansion Slots                        7

BTX Upgrade
Kits                   BTX Thermal Module

Optional
Component                Cross Flow Fan for CM Stacker
4-in-3 Device Module,
Side Window

Power Supply Standard            ATX
PS2 (Option) EPS 12V Compatible (optional)

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-us-mn/attachments/20090714/a188f1a7/attachment-0001.htm 