[SWLUG] Self-built Linux Computer

[Hugh Morris]

Hi everyone

I posted a message to the list earlier this year asking for advice about 
getting a custom Linux PC built. I've done the rounds of the mom-and-pop 
computer stores of Cardiff and I have to say I was very surprised at the 
lack of knowledge of and interest in Linux. They are happy to build 
something but are reluctant to commit to getting Linux to run on it, and 
as it was a bit of knowledge and support I was looking for I decided I 
might as well do it myself.

I'm not particularly hardware conscious and have never built a computer 
before but I want a high-quality, powerful, flexible system. It will be 
used for web-development, audio-editing, graphics etc and serving audio 
to an amplifier. It will be in the living area so it must be quiet! It 
will be a linux-only box, I intend to put 64bit Ubuntu on it.

I've done some research and the results are below. I haven't bought 
anything yet. I would be grateful if you would take a look at what I've 
chosen and let me know of any mistakes I've made and any problems that 
might be lurking for me.

Thanks in advance

Hugh

Case
Lian Li PC-7B plus
High-quality case, should stay cool and be easy to work in
http://lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/M_C_PS_PC-7.htm

Power supply
Tagan Easycon 430
Robust power-supply with modular wiring
http://www.tagan.com/pages/products/easyconS/e_tg430_u15.html

Processor
AMD Athlon 64
http://www.amdcompare.com/us-en/desktop/details.aspx?opn=ADA3200DAA4BW

Processor cooler
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro
This computer must be quiet!
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/cpu2.php?idx=80

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-K8NF9 Ultra
http://www.giga-byte.com/Motherboard/Products/Products_Spec_GA-K8NF9%20Ultra.htm

Memory
1 gig (2 x Crucial DDR PC3200, CL=3, UNBUFFERED, NON-ECC, DDR400, 2.6V, 
64Meg x 64)
http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/MPartspecs.Asp?mtbpoid=64F53D8CA5CA7304&WSMD=GA%2DK8NF%2D9&WSPN=CT2KIT6464Z40B

Graphics card
Gigabyte GV-NX62TC256D8 (NVIDIA GeForce 6200)
I don't need a super-powered graphics card. It's more important that it 
be quiet
http://www.giga-byte.com/VGA/Products/Products_GV-NX62TC256D8.htm

Sound card
M-Audio Revolution 5.1
Need high-quality audio that onboard audio might not be able to deliver
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Revolution51-main.html

Hard drive
Seagate Barracuda 250GB SATA
http://www.seagate.com/cda/products/discsales/marketing/detail/1,1081,632,00.html

DVD drive
LG Super Multi DVD Rewriter
An IDE optical drive because I understand Ubuntu doesn't suport SATA 
optical drives yet
http://uk.lge.com/prodmodeldetail.do?actType=search&page=1&modelCategoryId=050204&categoryId=050204&parentId=05&modelCodeDisplay=GSA-4167B&model=2

Modem/router
Linksys ADSL2 Gateway
http://www-uk.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?childpagename=UK%2FLayout&packedargs=c%3DL_Product_C2%26cid%3D1122994880925&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper