Linux Mint Forums

G'day all

I think I like Mint, and I would want to install it on a dedicated computer. Which I need to buy. I prefer building something myself as opposed to buy cheap throw away plastic right from the shelf.

I will use this computer to accompany me with music while I am drumming (I am a drummer ), it will send music I stream from my NAS to my electronic drum set.

I was wondering, what hardware best to buy? I have Italian blood, meaning I get irritated very fast ( ) by slow computers. On the other hand, an I7 is the other extreme (I have a i3570k for my main desktop, and I am really impressed by how fast it is, even 'though I do my very best to torture it 24/7 ).

The RAM and SSD (Crucial M4 preferred) won't be an issue, but I was wondering more about CPU, mobo, NIC and graphics. Which play best (taking into account drivers and stuff, I have have to spend hours to get something working) with Mint? Intel or AMD? Nvidia or ATI? Mobo brand?

I would really appreciate some hints and am thanking you in advance for that

Bye,

Nobody (peep?)

Hi, Wulf. You know, I'm not really sure what you are looking for. When I read you want something to accompany you I thought you wanted a portable system like a laptop. Or, do you want to build a second desktop? I don't know. You already have an i5 3570k, same as me. My system works fine with Mint. I don't torture it, I don't play games. I do play with 3d stuff like Mandelbulber. Just a couple thoughts. I really like my mobo. I compared several in its price range and one of the reasons I chose the ASRock was it has a Realtek ALC 898 sound chip. It's a little better than most of the others. Unless you plan on some hardcore gaming the Intel HD 4000 graphics is more than adequate and works perfectly. My on mobo NIC is just fine.

Why build a second system? How about a second hdd to run Mint exclusively on with your i5?

Intel built-in graphics of the 3570k is fine for most uses. A cheaper CPU with the same HD 4000 graphics built-in is the Core i3 3225. Most socket 1155 motherboards are fine, though I'd avoid motherboards with Gigabyte Hybrid EFI. MSI motherboards usually work very well, as well as ASRock and ASUS which also have many motherboards that just work without any issues. Gigabyte has some working boards but also boards with Linux problems, and their support people have a bad reputation for dismissing Linux problems with fallacies (such as blaming chipset manufacturers' Linux support conditions for everything).

For ethernet, Atheros AR8161 is a chip which does not yet work right away but other ethernet hardware should be OK. Motherboard vendors usually show the ethernet chip model in the detailed specifications of the board; Gigabyte often only mentions "Atheros GbE LAN" without telling the model (it might well be an older chip than the AR8161).

Also, slow computers are most often caused by lack of RAM and/or a slow harddisk. If you have an SSD and put 4GB or more RAM in it then it certainly won't feel slow like old computers may do.