Which distro do you recommend?

Klamz86

Hi,

For a very powerful PC/SERVER with best CPU (x64 or better) and lots of ram (well over 4GB ) which distro is most suitable for intense processing?

I need it to be interfaced (i.e. mouse, windows, etc.) since I'm terrible at command line things and I need graphics.

I've never used Linux ever, so I really got no clue.

Must be fast and reliable also.

Thanks.

mfillpot

Any distro will be able to handle that system, what you need to focus on is what you intend to use it for. Please share that with us and we can guide to to the best fit.

Klamz86

I don't need it to look fancy, and I don't need it to come with any special applications. I just need it to have the basic tools that you'd expect from any OS (file management, calculator, etc.).

Something that is easy for a newbie to navigate around. And something that I can comfortably use to program in.

I don't need to use internet access or anything like that on it. I just need to be able to program in it, easily find and manage files, and must be graphical.

Performance is absolutely critical. I don't want a distro that is so fancy that it slows my work down, and I really need all the performance I can get. And need to be able to customize the OS for the best performance.

saqman2060

All linux distros will allow you to customize it for best performance and to contain only the programs that you need. As a newbie, try out ubuntu and fedora. Both are designed with the programmer in mind. You can try the 64bit ubuntu version to take advantage of your 64bit processor.

mfillpot

The item that is grabbing my attention is the "I don't need to use internet access". to me that means that you do not intend to hook it up to the net, so in that case you would need a distro that includes the source dev files, a full GUI, a basic software set and one or more compilers in the base installation. Is that assumption correct?

Klamz86

Well, I was thinking I would install it off disc or something.

If there is any software that I need it would get on there via USB or disc, not internet, since it has to be a secure PC.

mfillpot

Klamz86 wrote:

Well, I was thinking I would install it off disc or something.

If there is any software that I need it would get on there via USB or disc, not internet, since it has to be a secure PC.

That all depends on the distro you choose, most distros that are shipped now have minimalistic base installations prompting you to download and install your chosen software (and the dependencies) from the internet.

What kind of development tools are you looking for? Do you need something simple like vim+gcc or are you looking for a development framework and a gui? What languages do you plan to develop in?

gomer

Klamz86 wrote:

Hi,

For a very powerful PC/SERVER with best CPU (x64 or better) and lots of ram (well over 4GB ) which distro is most suitable for intense processing?

x64 or better? I don't think there are any general purpose processors out there that are better than 64 bit.

I understand that your concern is speed. The more software you run, the slower any machine will be. If you absolutely require a GUI, but need the machine to process large ammounts of data, then you may want to consider running the absolute smallest / lightest weight desktop environment possible on the machine.

If, however you are in fact a complete newbie, then you may want to run a distribution that gives you a lot of creature comforts and tools to work with until you get better acquainted with Linux. I think you should run either Fedora or Ubuntu for now. If you decide to make this machine a number cruncher of some kind, then you can go back and install CentOS or Debian or Ubuntu server and run a DE like FluxBox or XFCE to get some bare-bones GUI functionality up and running.