Hardware clarification please...

[Jatismara 0]

I'm preparing to have PC done at custom-build shop (I'll supply most of the components). PC is to have three hard disk drives (one for PC-BSD 8, one for Linux Mint 7, and one for XP Pro),each with separate bootloaders. I've been told what seems to be two different things on different forums, and guess I'm seeking 'tie-breaker'! One said "its crucial" that I choose "motherboard/chipset, CPU, and graphics card that supports all three operating systems." Another said to "instead of looking for hardware support you should look for drivers on Linux & BSD sites that support your chosen hardware." Frankly, many Google searches have failed on both methods. This is what little I do know. I'm wanting either Phenom II (x2, x3, or x4) or Athlon II (x2, x3, or x4) CPU, as I'm nearly certain XP Pro will run on any of these, so all I need now is to determine which ones PC-BSD and Linux Mint will accept. As for motherboard, I'd like to have one with 'Dual-BIOS' (Gigabyte? Asus?),onboard thermal sensor to monitor temperature, SATA or SATA2, eSATA, USB 2.0, FireWire, and gigabit Ethernet...but all is optional. I've no idea about chipset, and no preference for graphic card or sound card. Anyone have any advice on how I go about picking optimal hardware that all three OSs (PC-BSD, Linux Mint, & XP Pro)will definitely run on?

[Myke 0]

To be honest, I think it's strange that other forums and searches have lead you to question whether an OS can use Intel but not AMD or vice versa. I would have assumed that it didn't matter which manufacturer you went with, but rather the performance stats on the CPU being used. A quick search of system requirements for Linux Mint and PC-BSD proved me correct on this.

 

The real thing to consider and look for isn't with which CPU manufacturer is supported, but rather with what components you would prefer to have the most. You need to make sure that all parts are going to be compatible with each other. This isn't always the case, but I've had problems with Nvidia GPUs and AMD-based mobo chipsets; the latter use ATI, which explains a lot.

 

Everything you have mentioned that you would like is completely doable; it's just a matter of how much you want to spend. I prefer the cheaper route and go with AMD CPUs, Biostar mobos, and HIS graphics cards. All of these will work on all 3 operating systems you mentioned. Here are my suggestions for minimal specs:

 

CPU: AMD x4 (at least 2.5 GHz; I like Phenom II), x64 compatible

mobo: 6x6GB/s SATA, 4 RAM slots (supports at least 8 GB of RAM), full ATX, no onboard graphics card (you're getting one, right?), 2xPCIe 2.0 slots

GPU: 256-bit 1GB GDDR5

PSU: 650W (hopefully higher to support future upgrades)

OS: 64-bit, for RAM increase

RAM: 4 GB (2x2048) to start; can always add 2x2048 later without having to replace sticks

 

 

That's just my thoughts.