Athlon 64 stability issues?

[Mike Payson]

I installed Ubuntu about a week or so ago. After frequent lockups while
trying to install the incorrect version (x86 on an Athlon 64), I finally got
it installed when I switched to the correct version. For the first few days
it ran stably, then it crashed. Since then, I have been plagued with
frequent lockups. Whenever I leave the computer unattended for a while, it
locks up completely. My first thought was overheating, but my temps are well
within reason (30-45c) and the lockups are happening when there is no (or
minimal) system activity. That tends to suggest either a driver issue or a
hardware issue. It's also started to fail to boot from the live CD, so my
assumption is hardware. This system isn't that old (18 months?) but I'm
almost frustrated enough to go out and by something new. Before I do that, I
want to see if there's anything else that I'm missing.

I'm running an Athlon 64 socket 754. Not sure what the MB is, but it was a
fairly expensive one at the time, and most of the onboard components are
from nVidia.  I've pilled out all but one stick of memory (512MB), and ran
memtest without problems. I didn't run memtest on the system before I pulled
the second stick, The two sticks were not matched, though this system
theoretically doesn't require paired upgrades. I've got an nVidia 6600gt AGP
video card, and I'm running the nVidia proptietary drivers. The whole thing
is running off of an SATA hard drive. The 500w power supply was replaced at
the same time I upgraded the MB, and is a fairly premium unit.

So with that info, here are my questions:
1) Are there any known stability issues with Ubuntu on the Athlon 64? I've
never had these sorts of issues with Linux, but I've never ran it on a 64
bit processor.
2) Same question with the nVidia card/drivers.
3) I know that Linux can be more demanding on memory, so could the unmatched
memory be the source of my troubles? I haven't left the system running since
I pulled the second stick, though it is still failing to boot to the live
CD, so I doubt that this is the problem.
4) Any other suggestions on what to try before I start buying new stuff that
I can't afford?

5) If I do need to buy a new system, should I go with an Athlon, or Intel.
No flame wars, please. I'm primarily concerned with stability and price, so
answer the question in that context only.
6) Same question with video cards: ATI or nVidia (or other?), again
concerned with Linux compatibility only. HIstorically, I've had nothing but
problems with ATI on any platform, but have things changed?

Thanks for all of your help. Other then these frustrating crashes, my Ubuntu
experience has been quite favorable, so I'm very anxious to get back to the
point where it can be used rleiably.

Mike
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