MicroATX Motherboards

[Keith Mastin]

Hi Kerry,

> if you had the opportunity to select any microATX motherboard with
> sound/video/LAN onboard what would you recommend to run Linux on- the
> board should produce good graphics, be able to play VOB files flawlessly
> off a hard drive. Also what CPU and memory recommendations would you
> make?

I used to build systems around the hard drive and memory (things people
want to know but cannot understand). After a few problems, I started
building them around the motherboard, but that also has it's share of
snafus. Not all MoBo's can run all CPU's, and not all recommended MoBo's
are available. Here's what I learned give me the least headaches:

Choose the CPU first. iNtel is expensive, great performance on the high
end, a real bottleneck if you use a celeron on a fast board. AMD chips are
a lot less expensive, but require that you plan the box for adequate
ventilation. AMD chips are only warranted if you use the heatsink supplied
by AMD. Dollar for dollar, I go for the AMD as fans are cheaper than
iNtel. :)

Pick the CPU, then go to the CPU manufacturers site and find the
recommended MoBos. Then you have to shop around to find the board you're
looking for. In the best case scenario, your board should be able to
disable the integrated peripherals in case you want to add something like
a higher end sound board, LAN or video card. Most do, some don't. There
are generally manuals posted to give you the specs you'll want to see.

Another spec you might want to look at is the North Bridge and South
Bridge chipsets. I prefer to stay well avay from anything SiS. Cheap and
unreliable in my experience. AMD and (if you use an iNtel CPU) iNtel chips
are your best bet, but generally you'll find VIA chipsets on a lot of
boards. From what I've seen the last year or so, the VIA chipsets have
stabilized quite a bit and are quite stable.

This just gives you the CPU, MoBo and fan/heatsink, but it's a good start.
It's usually a couple hours of homework, but if you want a low maintenance
system, it's best to do the footwork now instead of later looking for
obsolete replacement parts.

HTH
Good luck with it.

-- 
Keith Mastin
BeechTree Information Technology Services Inc.
Toronto, Canada
(416)429 9304
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