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Hardware Selection for AMD64 + Linux?

Posted by Cliff on from the getting-it-working dept.

MrClever asks: "After a disaster involving my cat, a pot of coffee and my workstation, I am now in the market for a new machine. I thought I'd jump on the AMD64 wagon and keep running Linux. After some initial investigation, it became clear that ATi, Promise and other manufacturers don't have 64bit drivers for Linux, which rules out most motherboards with onboard P/SATA RAID, thus limiting my available choices. I know you can run 32bit on AMD64, but if I wanted that I'd get an AthlonXP. So, what AMD64 hardware is the best supported in 64bit mode under Linux? Seems NVidia have 64bit drivers, does anyone else?"

5 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. don't buy an Athlon 64 until new socket comes out! by Tumbleweed · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wait for Socket 939 boards & CPUs - the current Socket 754 has a very limited lifespan. Socket 939 processors are due VERY soon now (just saw the first leaked report on one yesterday). FYI.

    Of course, this doesn't apply if you're thinking about the Opteron, with its Socket 940.

  2. Hardware RAID on the motherboard by jmauro · · Score: 4, Informative

    Most of the RAID on the motherboards are really software RAID that runs in a Windows driver or Linux driver. Since each slot usually shows up as a normal PATA or SATA device, one could then just use Software RAID under linux and get the same effect as the "on board" RAID under 64-bit x86.

  3. Promise works fine by OrenWolf · · Score: 4, Informative

    The Promise controller on the Tyan Opteron motherboards works perfectly in both Red Hat Enterprise Linux (with Update 2), and Fedora Core 1/2 for AMD64.. That same chipset (PDC20378) is available on Athlon64/AthlonFX motherboards as well.

  4. Re:Software selection by Paladin128 · · Score: 5, Informative
    • I'm guessing that you are planning on running very large memory applications (> 2 Gig per process), otherwise 64bit support is useless.

    Not at all true! AMD64 has twice the number of general-purpose registers available in 64-bit mode. Some apps also just run faster in 64-bit, like POVray.
    --
    Lex orandi, lex credendi.
  5. My amd64 linux system by riprjak · · Score: 5, Informative

    is simple
    MSI k8t neo FSIR2 motherboard (some issues with slow bios upgrades)
    MSI Geforce FX5950ultra 256MB
    Soundblaster Audigy
    2 x 120GB ATA4 HDD
    1 x 36GB SATA 10k drive
    1 x dvd+/-rw CDrw combo
    amd64 3200+
    1 GB (2 x 512MB) kingston ddr333

    This system runs gentoo 2004.1 64bit linux fine. SATA and PATA work fine, but there is not now nor, hopefully, will there ever be support for Software RAID as you find on motherboards (it is pointless feature creep IMHO).

    Whilst I would say that ASUS appear to be on the ball with bios updates compared to MSI, my system runs fine (even manages wine using 32bit compatibility libraries and runs windows progs...).

    I wholeheartedly recommend 64bit linux and would say that EVERYTHING works except high end ATI radeons (ATI couldn'f find their arsehole with two hands and a roadmap in 64bit terms) and many 802.11g cards (mostly due to the atheros binary driver crap, but support is slowly improving). Couple this with *no* support for software RAID (which is no real use anyway) and you nicely encapsulate most of the problems with 64bit linux. Sure, grub and lilo dont play well at 64 bit, so you will need a liveCD or a chrooted 32bit environment to build them (and some other apps); but 32bit apps execute fine as long as you have a set of 32bit libraries for them to play with.

    Go for it, join us, we tools who double as early adopters... then you too can whine at manufacturers for their tardiness in supporting "production ready" 64bit OS'... lol

    hope this helps...

    err!
    jak.