Best 2012 Motherboards

[DistroHopper]

Hi all!

I'm going to build a computer and I have one question. What are the best 2012 motherboards for use with Linux? All I'm looking for is a good $80-$180 motherboard that will be linux compatible.

Thanks!

[DistroHopper]

I heard somewhere that ASrock boards were good for linux?

[drmrgd]

I think most motherboards will work with the Linux kernel. Personally, I think the only things that sometimes have compatibility issues that you need to consider are video cards, and even in that venue, things have come a long way. You might check the Phoronix website, as they usually have a lot of reviews and statistics for hardware compatibility with Linux:

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...m=Motherboards

Also, I'll say that I have an ASUS motherboard in my computer, and it works with no problems at all.

[spitetrain]

I am also getting hardware at the moment, and I personally think ASUS can't be beat in terms of motherboards (it is what they're known for, after all)... I haven't installed Linux on one yet, but after having a look around it seems like there aren't really any compatibility issues with them.

Actually I reference the same site drmrgd suggested, and I also agree that the main issues usually come down to graphics cards, from what I have heard. But it seems that nvidia (my personal favorite) has a good track record.

Of course, this is my first time switching to Linux, after only having tried it on friends' machines, so I'll see if I run into trouble after saying all that lol.

[Yellow Pasque]

Things to watch out for on a mobo:

1. Sound codec - VIA sound codecs, Conexant CX20950, and Realtek ALC892 generally need Ubuntu 12.10 and later to work properly
2. Auxiliary storage (USB, SATA) controllers - some chips don't work well with Linux (or need a very recent kernel)
3. Built-in wireless chipsets

I personally use Biostar T-series boards and haven't had a lot of issues. I think Biostar and Asrock offer most bang/$. I avoid Asus low-end/midrange boards after having a bad experience with one.
Some people will tell you to avoid Gigabyte boards because of their official "we don't support Linux" policy, but they make good boards, and if you need to deal with the mobo vendor, you're going to have a rough time regardless of vendor. It's best to buy from a vendor with a friendly return policy.