Recommendation for ~$500 PC to run ubuntu, VMs and some very light games?

[CrucifiedEgo]

Hi all,

Been a couple of years since i've used ubuntu but with archlinux forcing systemd down its users throats i got a bit disgusted and decided to go back to ubuntu. In the process I'm also building a new machine. Looking to spend about 500, plus another 200 for a 1080p monitor and keyboard/mouse. I'm a bit out of the loop on modern hardware though, so I'm not sure what's good for linux compatability these days. Mostly it needs to be fast under heavy multitasking -- a dozen or more browser tabs, a few text editor processes, music player, and a couple of VMs running in the background (windows, headless linux VM). Additionally I'd like to be able to play minecraft and maybe a couple of games like tf2 once steam for linux is released. I'm completely brand/vendor agnostic. From what I've raid AMD's A10 might be a good fit here? Any help appreciated.

EDIT: Here's a build I've been tinkering with on pcpartpicker that seems like it might do the job? I worry that the cpu side of the A10 might not be fast enough, though.

PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mX8U) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mX8U/by_merchant/) / Benchmarks (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mX8U/benchmarks/)

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad580kwohjbox) ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master GeminII S524 77.7 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrg52418pkr1) ($32.92 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-fm2a75pro4m) ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f314900cl9d8gbsr) ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-internal-hard-drive-mknssdcr120gb) ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezrx) ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1000bl) ($39.74 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu430cxv2) ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vh236h) ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Microsoft Natural 4000 Wired Ergonomic Keyboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-keyboard-b2m00012) ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech M500 Wired Laser Mouse (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/logitech-mouse-910002810) ($25.99 @ B&H)
Total: $704.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-08 17:22 EST-0500)

[mamamia88]

Invest in a bunch of ram if you plan on doing vms and get the best gpu you can afford. cpu isn't as important with how powerful they've become.

[CrucifiedEgo]

Invest in a bunch of ram if you plan on doing vms and get the best gpu you can afford. cpu isn't as important with how powerful they've become.


Hm, okay, maybe then I can trade off the aftermarket cooler for more ram, if I don't really need to overclock?

PCPartPicker part list (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mYyj) / Price breakdown by merchant (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mYyj/by_merchant/) / Benchmarks (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mYyj/benchmarks/)

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-ad580kwohjbox) ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-fm2a75pro4m) ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f314900cl10d16gbxl) ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-internal-hard-drive-mknssdcr120gb) ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezrx) ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcacore1000bl) ($39.74 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu430cxv2) ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vh236h) ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Keyboard: Microsoft Natural 4000 Wired Ergonomic Keyboard (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-keyboard-b2m00012) ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech M500 Wired Laser Mouse (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/logitech-mouse-910002810) ($25.99 @ B&H)
Total: $681.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-08 17:28 EST-0500)

[pqwoerituytrueiwoq]

An A10 trinity will definably do the job, if the drivers behave ;) at stock speeds it matches a phenom II and you can overclock it quite a bit
if you go that route use ddr3 1866 ram, however much you plan to use with your VMs and dont forget the ram is shared with the gpu (up to 2gb i think)

that 5200rpm hdd better be just for data storage, get a 7200 one for your Virtual HDDs

[CrucifiedEgo]

An A10 trinity will definably do the job, if the drivers behave ;) at stock speeds it matches a phenom II and you can overclock it quite a bit
if you go that route use ddr3 1866 ram, however much you plan to use with your VMs and dont forget the ram is shared with the gpu (up to 2gb i think)

that 5200rpm hdd better be just for data storage, get a 7200 one for your Virtual HDDs

Thanks. That was, indeed, exactly the plan. Slow mechanical disk for music, videos, pictures, etc, and ubuntu, the VMs, and things like firefox profiles and the like on the SSD.

How are AMD/ATI's drivers these days? As I recall, at one time, they were not so great.

[pqwoerituytrueiwoq]

http://tinyurl.com/bshmlvb - suggestion (sorry, only 8gb ram)
they are better, i just went through a lot of crap with the drivers yesterday on a a4 trinity on 12.10, it worked on 12.04...
the display screen was the main issue, the open-source drives do work
nvidia is doing a lot of work on there linux drivers, motivated by steam, look in the cafe forum here

[CrucifiedEgo]

http://tinyurl.com/bshmlvb - suggestion (sorry, only 8gb ram)
they are better, i just went through a lot of crap with the drivers yesterday on a a4 trinity on 12.10, it worked on 12.04...
the display screen was the main issue, the open-source drives do work
nvidia is doing a lot of work on there linux drivers, motivated by steam, look in the cafe forum here

That's really not a bad deal. Thanks!

[pqwoerituytrueiwoq]

just be aware of the ram heat-syncs you may have to use the HSF's fan as a pull fan, normally i would suggest a hyper 212+/evo, but they are never in any good combos
and i really like my hyper 212 evo

[CrucifiedEgo]

One more question,

Trying to recreate the newegg cart you posted but the headphones don't come up with the discount you showed? Am I missing a combo deal? I don't really *need* them, but hey, free stuff...

[pqwoerituytrueiwoq]

free with purchase, just add the case to the cart, it will show up
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1095206 - different dvd burner ($9 less after shipping)

[CharlesA]

just be aware of the ram heat-syncs you may have to use the HSF's fan as a pull fan, normally i would suggest a hyper 212+/evo, but they are never in any good combos
and i really like my hyper 212 evo

+1. I have a hyper 212+ on my server (even tho it barely fit in the case), and it works wonders. I've been tempted to get another to replace the aftermarket HSF I have on my desktop.

[pqwoerituytrueiwoq]

+1. I have a hyper 212+ on my server (even tho it barely fit in the case), and it works wonders. I've been tempted to get another to replace the aftermarket HSF I have on my desktop.
mine also barley fits 2mm to spare in my Rosewill Challenger case
fans (using push/pull config) never go over 45% and my max temp is 44C on my Phenom II 965 st stock speeds
bet i could over-clock to 4.5Ghz+ and keep safe temps, if the voltage would not fry it
i dont intend to over-clock till the cpu cant do what i need at stock speeds

[CharlesA]

mine also barley fits 2mm to spare in my Rosewill Challenger case
fans (using push/pull config) never go over 45% and my max temp is 44C on my Phenom II 965 st stock speeds
bet i could over-clock to 4.5Ghz+ and keep safe temps, if the voltage would not fry it
i dont intend to over-clock till the cpu cant do what i need at stock speeds

Sounds like how it was in the Lian Li case I used for my server. I was almost scared to put the side panel on because the heat pipes were so close to it. I haven't had any problems and it keeps the CPU super cool, compared to the stock cooler, even tho I had to mount the fan on the side facing the back of the case/exhaust fan because the heatsinks on the memory were too tall for the fan to fit on the heatsink. :(