Hi everyone, I am looking into buying a new computer, and I am considering 64-bit AMD. One of the things I am getting a bit uncertain about is the level of support for AMD motherboards commonly available in neighbourhood computer shops. It is going to be my main home station, and it is important to me that things will work out of the box more or less OK with modern distros (e.g. Fedora 4), and that I don't spend too much time and effort downloading different drivers from assorted manufacturers that will provide partial functionality with particular kernel versions etc. In other words, I put a premium on minimizing the hassle. I also don't want to buy new HW every year or two - I want a box that will serve me for the next few years. It will not be greatly stressed, but stability and longevity is very important.
The more I read the more concerned I become. For instance, the latest AMD mobo I've been offered is ASUS A8N-VM CSM. I tried to look through 2.6 kernel configuration options and also read some reviews, especially Linux-related ones. Here is a typical (and recent) one: http://episteme.arstechnica.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/77909774/m/924000436731/p/1 - I certainly don't want any of the hassle and instabilities and cooling problems listed there. Rather than reading more reviews of different mobos and getting more and more worried, I would love to hear about experiences and suggestions. * Have you got a mobo that worked out of the box and without a major driver hassle? * Have you got a mobo that you would advise staying away from? * Will I be better off with Intel-based systems given my requirements? CPU performance is not really critical for me, 64-bit Intel systems seem to sell cheaper than low-end Athlon64's, possibly at the expense of some performance, the mobos I've been offered have Intel GPUs and Realtek NICs that seem to be better supported - is this impression an illusion? Any relevant advice will be appreciated. -- Oleg Goldshmidt | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | http://www.goldshmidt.org ================================================================= To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
