I've put together a part list for my first PC build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LMnWCJ
I'll be using Ubuntu Gnome as my OS since all of the games I want to play and apps I need for work either support Linux or come with the distro by default. Also, the GPU was a b-day gift so I can't complain about that. My budget for the remaining parts: $700
I do not wish to OC, but I may change my mind when I upgrade to an i7.
Let me know what you think down below and thank you for your time :)
Looks pretty solid. Unfortunately, that AMD gpu will be your big limiting factor when it comes to gaming on Linux. I'm not sure about the performance of that 280 under Linux, but fglrx seems pretty shoddy on my 7950. Some games run alright, others are slow and laggy. The situation is even worse under open source, even with the latest drivers installed.
TL;DR: Your performance may vary with AMD on Linux.
Thanks for the head's up. If it becomes a major issue for me, would a 750 ti run OK on Linux or should I save up for a 960?
Well I don't have any experience with Nvidia parts on Linux, but everyone claims that most Nvidia cards get almost the same performance on Linux as they do on Windows. My brother has a 260x, which is just a bit more powerful than a 750ti, and he can play most games on medium-high under Windows. If you are going for maxed out everything, then I'd save my money.
Another thing to consider is how long that card will be able to handle new games. There isn't really such a thing as future proofing when it comes to PC gaming, but a 960 is going to last a good bit longer than the 750ti. Personally, I'd wait until the 960 comes out, as it's supposedly right around the corner.
Edit: My laptop can handle most indie games, but you are definitely going to want a beefy card for upcoming big budget games.
I don't plan on playing a lot of the new/upcoming AAA titles on Ultra. Mostly indie titles (Hotline Miami 2) and older AAA games on medium to high settings.
If you are only really planning to play small indie games, then this system is complete overkill haha. The 280 should be able to handle those games just fine. Who knows, maybe your 280 will preform decently under Linux. I'd definitely give it a shot before going out and buying a new GPU. You could also try something like a PCI or VGA passthrough with a Windows virtual machine, but you won't need to in most cases.
-Since you aren't planning on OCing, you could go with a cheaper motherboard unless you like the motherboard's color scheme.
-My thoughts as far as the CPU cooler is that if you think that the stock intel heatsink is too loud, then I would go ahead a pick it up.
-Personally, I think that the 280 would fine for gaming on linux. I can't imagine the drivers being any better on the nvidia side.
-As far as the SSD, you could swap it out for an 240GB OCZ Arc or 256GB ADATA Premier Pro for a little more.
Otherwise, the other parts look fine to me.
I'll give the 280 a chance. I know this system's overkill for indie titles, but I wanted an i5 since I have the budget for one. Also, it's going to take me a few months to get everything so maybe AMD will fix their drivers before then.
I'd like to keep the MB, just in case I change my mind about OCing when I upgrade to an i7 in the future. I also like the color scheme.
Yes, the stock cooler is a bit noisy for my taste.
Thanks for the feedback.
People have been saying that for years haha. I've ran Ubuntu on my laptop with an AMD APU for almost 4 years, and the majority of issues I had initially are gone now (2D). 3D performance is still a lot better under Windows, unfortunately. WIth SteamOS coming out of beta in a few months, and all of these Steam Machines being released, perhaps things will get better. Vulkan specs are soon to be released as well. Hopefully that will be a game changer.
Nvidia cards kick the snot out of AMD cards in the majority of benchmarks I've seen. I doubt Nvidia cards have all the FPS drops and freezing present with many newer AMD cards as well.
Edit: We are talking purely about proprietary drivers here. Radeon is far more advanced that Noveau
modded you OP build slightly - bigger & better ssd, lower tiered mb, no af/mkt cpu cooler, well under budget
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/deejeta/saved/#view=8BHscf
That depends entirely on if you primarily game at 1080p or 1440p. I have a 1440p monitor, so I sprang for the 970. The 960 may also work. The 750 Ti should be perfect for 1080p gaming on Linux (the Nvidia driver is really good).
I've used AMD parts extensively. In fact, Nvidia used to be a royal pain in the posterior in like 2008 which pushed me to AMD (then ATI) on Linux. The open source team probably hasn't caught up yet, though they might be getting better as Linux gaming becomes more of a thing and the people at Valve throw money and programmers at those issues. I highly recommend upgrading as soon as you're able for max performance. If you're going to be playing primarily indie titles with less intensive graphical requirements, it probably will not be a problem.
I'm primarily going to be playing indie games at 1080p, so I should be good to go with the i5 and 280. I might as well give the GPU a chance since I got it for free.
the latest AMD drivers work best with newer AMD cards. the 7950 is ~2011. That is why it is shoddy for you. go back a version or two and you are gravy. You should be fine with the 280X. Im running just fine with the latest beta drivers meant for ubuntu 15.04 and I have a 7970.