Want to construct a fresh Linux-based PC? Any guidance is appreciated.
Want to construct a fresh Linux-based PC? Any guidance is appreciated.
Hey there. It's been a while since I've had a proper desktop computer, last one I had was one a friend built for me, and it didn't go so smoothly. So this time I want to try doing it myself, but using Linux as the OS. Mainly I want to use Linux because of the privacy concerns I have with other operating systems, but I would like to be able use Linux for gaming, and probably video editing in the future. Since I don't have much experience with building a rig, or any type of Linux OS, I'll take any advice you throw at me. Here's a list of components I found from PC part picker that were recommended to me from the monitor I picked out. I mainly picked AMD components as people say that AMD is more compatible with Linux, also AMD parts are cheaper, and it helps fit my budget of £1500 - £2000...
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor
(£154.99 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler:
Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler
(£99.95 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Motherboard:
MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard
(£134.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory
(£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:
Kingston KC600 1.024 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
(£95.45 @ Amazon UK)
Storage:
Seagate ST4000DX001 4 TB 3.5" 5900 RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive
(£195.52 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card:
AMD 100-300000082 Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card
(£479.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply:
MSI MAG A750GL PCIE5 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
(£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive:
Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
(£88.03 @ Amazon UK)
Case Fan:
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan
(£29.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case Fan:
Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax.black.swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan
(£29.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Monitor:
Acer Acer Nitro XV272U W2bmiiprx 27.0" 2560 x 1440 240 Hz Monitor
(£238.00 @ Amazon UK)
Keyboard:
Logitech G PRO RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard
(£83.50 @ Amazon UK)
Mouse:
Logitech G403 HERO Wired Optical Mouse
(£49.99 @ Amazon UK)
Headphones:
Logitech G PRO Headset
(£59.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total:
£1,913.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2025-09-13 12:51 BST+0100
Main problem I have right now is picking out the case. I couldn't find one I liked from PC part picker, so I searched around for one and found this...
CiT Classic Micro ATX PC Case and 500w PSU, Budget Friendly Office PC case | Black
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07B...M2UF&psc=1
It has USB and optical drive slots at the front which I wanted for my case, but unfortunately, I don't think it will be able to fit all the components I found. I wouldn't mind downgrading so it can all fit in, as long it can run games at the monitors specs on medium settings, or just changing the PC case completely. But the maximum dimensions I can take for a PC case are 25cm w, 48cm l, 52cm h.
Thanks for reading.
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
This build requires a case with poor ventilation—it'll heat things up inside.
Given the PCPartPicker listing doesn't display all your component prices, how much remains from your ~£2,000 budget for the case? You might want to check this one:
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/QnD7...c-poa1a-02
and then add the USB-C cable;
USB-C 10Gbps Cable – Model D
Enhance your Meshify Lite case with this USB-C cable.
For more details, visit: www.fractal-design.com
You can also find it on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractal-Design-...B0B12TL4H5
to add USB Type-C connectivity to your build.
The Pop Series comes in various colors if you want a stylish look for your desk.
Note that there are two 5.25" drive bays at the bottom, but you may need to adjust or replace the HDD with a 2.5" drive depending on your setup.
For peripherals, I've avoided Logitech products as they tend to be expensive and made of plastic.
Lian Li O11 uses atx boards and found this to be a good option for my htpc. The case is 27,33 cm wide, which makes it suitable since 25 cm is the maximum width allowed. Fractal designs are great for cases and offer solid support; they even sent me a new power button for a very old case without any questions when it broke. For a compact PC case, you should consider mATX or ITX mainboards and confirm the case fits your 7800xt or chosen GPU. Not every smaller case supports all PSUs, which is why I chose the Lian Li model because it can accommodate standard ATX power supplies.
I agree with most except the Logitech peripherals part—my experience differs. Their mice aren’t more plastic than others, and even if they’re not the best value, they feel fine in my hand. I’ve owned a Logitech mechanical keyboard before; it wasn’t as comfortable as the one I currently use, but it functioned well and was half the price of premium models. Again: if it feels good to use, don’t let the brand stop you from getting it.
Here are the additional costs you mentioned.
Storage:
Seagate ST4000DX001 4 TB 3.5" 5900 RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive (£195.52 on Amazon UK)
Video Card:
AMD 100-300000082 Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card (£479.99 on Overclockers.co.uk)
Monitor:
Acer Acer Nitro XV272U W2bmiiprx 27.0" 2560 x 1440 240 Hz Monitor (£238.00 on Amazon UK)
Keyboard:
Logitech G PRO RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard (£83.50 on Amazon UK)
Mouse:
Logitech G403 HERO Wired Optical Mouse (£49.99 on Amazon UK)
Headphones:
Logitech G PRO Headset (£59.99 on Amazon UK)
Total with original prices: £1,913.73
Remaining budget for case: approximately £85
I’d prefer a case under £2000, but I’m open to spending a bit more if it offers better features. For the monitor, a cheaper model with 144Hz would be ideal, though premium free-sync isn’t essential. The case you showed looks good, but it lacks an optical drive slot—maybe an external player could work, though I had past issues. I’m not set on Logitech or Razer products; I’d rather choose a mechanical RGB keyboard and headset without unnecessary software.
Recalculating the required space, it should fit. However, the case you suggested doesn’t include an optical drive port, so I might need to consider an external solution. It would be nice if the case had front USB ports, but that’s not crucial. Overall, I’m leaning toward exploring alternatives from Logitech or ASUS without overspending.
Most essential parts should function properly. Linux offers solid compatibility with various CPUs, motherboards, and memory types. Certain peripherals, such as particular Wi-Fi adapters or custom hardware, might still encounter problems. I used a Linksys USB Wi-Fi adapter that only worked on Windows, so I switched to a PCIe model supporting both platforms.
Driver updates for Nvidia GPUs have significantly improved, though they remain closed-source and may need extra effort to install correctly, depending on the card and operating system. My GTX 1070 experienced persistent stuttering, which led me to try multiple fixes until I upgraded to an RX 6700—no driver installation was required, but I removed the original Nvidia drivers.
AMD drivers are open-source and built directly into the Linux kernel, offering a seamless plug-in experience. The only limitation is using any OEM RGB lighting software, such as Corsair iCUE or Razer Synapse. In that case, you’d need to rely on alternatives like OpenRGB unless you accept the default color settings of your components.
I use a TP link homeplug to connect to the internet, shouldn't encounter any problems on Linux, correct? I've decided to rearrange some parts. Swapped the CPU, cooler, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, power supply, case fans, and monitor.
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/yJ9ZMC
I picked this case because it fits the right size, has an optical drive slot, and USB ports.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N7PGIPS
It should be spacious enough for all my components. The peripherals I've used before with Logitech have worked fine, but if you know of a better brand for mice, keyboards, or headphones, please let me know.
There are numerous overspending issues affecting performance. I managed to incorporate a case while maintaining a reasonable price and significantly improving speed.
PC Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 4.5 GHz 8-Core Processor (£219.99 @ Box Limited)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Royal Pretor 130 81.88 CFM CPU Cooler (£39.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650 GAMING X AX V2 ATX AM5 Motherboard (£133.95 @ AWD-IT)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 (£94.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital WD Blue SN5000 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD (£54.99 @ AWD-IT)
Storage: Western Digital WD Blue SN5000 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD (£219.99 @ AWD-IT)
Video Card: PowerColor Reaper Radeon RX 9070 16 GB Video Card (£488.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case: Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case (£77.06 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Montech CENTURY II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX (£85.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer (£88.03 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: Acer Acer Nitro XV272U W2bmiiprx 27.0" 2560 x 1440 240 Hz (£238.00)
Keyboard: Logitech G PRO RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard (£83.50)
Mouse: Logitech G403 HERO Wired Optical Mouse (£49.99)
Headphones: Logitech G PRO Headset (£59.99)
Overall Cost: £1933.47
Includes shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts
Generated by PCPartPicker
2025-09-16 16:42 BST+0100
Hey thanks for this man, I'll give this components list a look. I think I'm just going to stick with the be quiet! pure base 600 case though. I know I'm paying a lot, £500 more than what I originally wanted to spend (£1500), but pc part picker recommended me those components to match the monitor specs, that and I want to use my computer for video editing in the future. Still, I don't mind gaming on medium settings, as long it matches the monitor specs. Maybe I can go cheaper on components then?