What is your hardware setup running your Linux system.

[BBFG#]

Only interested in knowing from others that are currently running a Linux system successfully. If you're reading this just to post why no one should, please move on.
I've been running an older Ubuntu version on two different laptops in live session USB boots for awhile now. Decided to take the next step of installing the updated version to a dedicated SSD and dual booting on my desktop xeons and have tried Ubuntu Studio and Mint with no success. I currently believe there are some hardware conflicts causing kernel syncing panic. From what I read, the video card is most suspect. Don't want to upgrade that just for this though.
So I'm thinking of buying a dedicated system to run Linux only and since I generally build my own systems want to ask what's working best for you that have it running without issue.
Again, if you're just waiting to post about issues and why anyone using Linux is a fool, move on.
If you have ideas of things you would like to do to improve your hardware system more, please share.

Specs most interested in are models/brands of MB/CPU, Video card or if you're using a preconfigured laptop brand/model and its specs. And any b other considerations you've come across. And of course, what distro you're using with it.

And secondarily, your interface and input controller(s), etc.

[audiojunkie]

Only interested in knowing from others that are currently running a Linux system successfully. If you're reading this just to post why no one should, please move on.
I've been running an older Ubuntu version on two different laptops in live session USB boots for awhile now. Decided to take the next step of installing the updated version to a dedicated SSD and dual booting on my desktop xeons and have tried Ubuntu Studio and Mint with no success. I currently believe there are some hardware conflicts causing kernel syncing panic. From what I read, the video card is most suspect. Don't want to upgrade that just for this though.
So I'm thinking of buying a dedicated system to run Linux only and since I generally build my own systems want to ask what's working best for you that have it running without issue.
Again, if you're just waiting to post about issues and why anyone using Linux is a fool, move on.
If you have ideas of things you would like to do to improve your hardware system more, please share.

Specs most interested in are models/brands of MB/CPU, Video card or if you're using a preconfigured laptop brand/model and its specs. And any b other considerations you've come across. And of course, what distro you're using with it.

And secondarily, your interface and input controller(s), etc.

Sorry. I didn't see this message until today. Here are my simple recommendations for buying a new system for Linux:

Only use hardware that has "in-tree" kernel support. This means that you will want to make sure that every component of your system has drivers built and supported directly in the kernel. Avoid hardware that requires you to use a vendor-supplied kernel module driver. This will save you a TON of problems in the future, because with in-tree kernel drivers, your hardware won't have any problems each time you do a kernel update. With out of tree kernel module drivers, every time the kernel is updated, you'll have to update the kernel module driver from the vendor's site--IF the vendor even keeps up with the kernel for driver updates. It's a constant non-stop pain. Also, out of tree kernel module drivers have problems with things like virtualization, secure boot, and can cause real time audio issues.

There are fewer popular out of tree hardware drivers today than there used to be 10-15 years ago, because Linux hardware support has largely moved into the mainline kernel. That said, there are still some popular hardware that still has these problems. Probably the biggest historical example is Nvidia GPUs. Things have gotten better, because Nvidia has finally open sourced the core of their drivers, after years of keeping them proprietary. But for Linux, I would still advise using AMD (or Intel if you are just using the on motherboard GPU) for your video.

Another big gotcha is Broadcom Wi-Fi adapters and some USB WiFi adapters, in fact, WiFi adapters in general can be trouble. You'll need to check and confirm that your WiFi adapter uses an in-tree kernel chipset. You have to check and confirm compatibility of the chipset on the card to confirm. For example, Realtek RTL8812AU, Realtek RTL8814AU, and Realtek RTL8821AU are common offenders. Whatever it is that you choose, make sure it is supported and doesn't require any out of tree kernel modules. Anything that supports linux and wants you to use the "dkms install" command is something you'll want to avoid. Search reviews and comments and look for hardware that works out of the box without any special install instructions.

Other things to watch out for are Fingerprint readers, Webcam and IR cameras, audio hardware, and Power Management and Suspend capabilities. One of the best things you can do, is to install a "Live" linux OS onto a flashdrive. With that, you can boot into a system and check and confirm that everything works. Check everything--even the following:

Does suspend work?
Does hibernate work?
Does battery life match Windows

You will want to make sure that there is Firmware Update support. If you aren't already aware of it, there is a great tool called LVFS (the Linux Vendor Firmware Service). One of the reasons I love Fedora, is that this is installed by default on Fedora. This service can be installed (if it isn't there by default), and it will keep your firmware up-to-date, and install the needed firmware onto your system if it isn't already there when you run it. This keeps my system always up to date with the latest firmware. In fact, it might be a good idea to see what companies submit to the LVFS service and use that as a good sign of quality support. Lenovo ThinkPads, Framework laptops, and many Dell systems fit within this category. Here are some examples explicitly mentioned as LVFS participants:

Lenovo
Dell
HP
Acer
Framework
Logitech
Wacom

Dell, HP and Lenovo are premier sponsors, so their hardware is usually really good for usage on Linux.

In fact, if you are able to find a Linux certified system that has the features you want, you would be best off getting that. It will provide you with the best support and the most problem free experience. So many (I would say the majority) of problems come from less than stellar hardware support. Yes, many (possibly even most) systems will run on Linux, but getting properly supported hardware will solve so many problems before you even begin to start using Linux. I suspect that the majority of problems people experience with Linux has to do with poorly supported hardware and lack of Linux experience.

Above all, keep your receipts, and check and test everything as soon as possible, so that you can return the hardware if it doesn't do what you need it to do, within the short return period that is usually provided for computer hardware. Do your research and confirm compatibility for all components. Research the exact chipset, not the product name. Many products use differing chipsets, even though they use the same product name. Once you have done this, you have a very high chance of having a nice Linux experience.

[BBFG#]

Sorry. I didn't see this message until today. Here are my simple recommendations for buying a new system for Linux:

Only use hardware that has "in-tree" kernel support. This means that you will want to make sure that every component of your system has drivers built and supported directly in the kernel. Avoid hardware that requires you to use a vendor-supplied kernel module driver. This will save you a TON of problems in the future, because with in-tree kernel drivers, your hardware won't have any problems each time you do a kernel update. With out of tree kernel module drivers, every time the kernel is updated, you'll have to update the kernel module driver from the vendor's site--IF the vendor even keeps up with the kernel for driver updates. It's a constant non-stop pain. Also, out of tree kernel module drivers have problems with things like virtualization, secure boot, and can cause real time audio issues.

There are fewer popular out of tree hardware drivers today than there used to be 10-15 years ago, because Linux hardware support has largely moved into the mainline kernel. That said, there are still some popular hardware that still has these problems. Probably the biggest historical example is Nvidia GPUs. Things have gotten better, because Nvidia has finally open sourced the core of their drivers, after years of keeping them proprietary. But for Linux, I would still advise using AMD (or Intel if you are just using the on motherboard GPU) for your video.

Another big gotcha is Broadcom Wi-Fi adapters and some USB WiFi adapters, in fact, WiFi adapters in general can be trouble. You'll need to check and confirm that your WiFi adapter uses an in-tree kernel chipset. You have to check and confirm compatibility of the chipset on the card to confirm. For example, Realtek RTL8812AU, Realtek RTL8814AU, and Realtek RTL8821AU are common offenders. Whatever it is that you choose, make sure it is supported and doesn't require any out of tree kernel modules. Anything that supports linux and wants you to use the "dkms install" command is something you'll want to avoid. Search reviews and comments and look for hardware that works out of the box without any special install instructions.

Other things to watch out for are Fingerprint readers, Webcam and IR cameras, audio hardware, and Power Management and Suspend capabilities. One of the best things you can do, is to install a "Live" linux OS onto a flashdrive. With that, you can boot into a system and check and confirm that everything works. Check everything--even the following:

Does suspend work?
Does hibernate work?
Does battery life match Windows

You will want to make sure that there is Firmware Update support. If you aren't already aware of it, there is a great tool called LVFS (the Linux Vendor Firmware Service). One of the reasons I love Fedora, is that this is installed by default on Fedora. This service can be installed (if it isn't there by default), and it will keep your firmware up-to-date, and install the needed firmware onto your system if it isn't already there when you run it. This keeps my system always up to date with the latest firmware. In fact, it might be a good idea to see what companies submit to the LVFS service and use that as a good sign of quality support. Lenovo ThinkPads, Framework laptops, and many Dell systems fit within this category. Here are some examples explicitly mentioned as LVFS participants:

Lenovo
Dell
HP
Acer
Framework
Logitech
Wacom

Dell, HP and Lenovo are premier sponsors, so their hardware is usually really good for usage on Linux.

In fact, if you are able to find a Linux certified system that has the features you want, you would be best off getting that. It will provide you with the best support and the most problem free experience. So many (I would say the majority) of problems come from less than stellar hardware support. Yes, many (possibly even most) systems will run on Linux, but getting properly supported hardware will solve so many problems before you even begin to start using Linux. I suspect that the majority of problems people experience with Linux has to do with poorly supported hardware and lack of Linux experience.

Above all, keep your receipts, and check and test everything as soon as possible, so that you can return the hardware if it doesn't do what you need it to do, within the short return period that is usually provided for computer hardware. Do your research and confirm compatibility for all components. Research the exact chipset, not the product name. Many products use differing chipsets, even though they use the same product name. Once you have done this, you have a very high chance of having a nice Linux experience.

Thank you. That's very helpful information.
I suspect my current issue is a Nvidia card and that it was also a major culprit to Bitwig conflicts when I tried to upgrade to version 5.
I do currently have Lenovo Thinkstations (servers) and noticed that Linux has a skip in which processors they currently support. They appear to have tested them on older ones and newer ones without issue, but not the specific ones I own.
I don't run cameras or computer mics (only pro mics through my audio interface). Ethernet is always preferred as a wired connection, although I carry a hot spot connector specifically for necessary quick authorizations.
I've used AMD in the past and loved them, but am not aware if they have a server type CPU that I've come to prefer.
It would be hard for me to go back to a single CPU if I don't have to.

What specific components are you using?
I would like to see what specific things others are using here. Desktop or laptop, parts or preconfigured.
What's your's?

[audiojunkie]

I have a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga, an Intel NUC specifically mentioned supporting Linux, and a Dell Optiplex (Business class) system. They all are running Fedora.

[BBFG#]

Well, I'm leaning towards a laptop to get going, but also starting to research parts for building a beast. Specifically MB/Dual CPU slot boards. More research to gather and digest.
Still would like to see what others have compiled in their machine.

[audiojunkie]

I've used AMD in the past and loved them, but am not aware if they have a server type CPU that I've come to prefer.
It would be hard for me to go back to a single CPU if I don't have to.

I know that the AMD EPYC series has 192 cores and 384 threads. The AMD Threadripper / Threadripper PRO has 96 cores and 192 threads, along with huge memory capacity and many PCIe lanes.

Examples:

Threadripper PRO 7995WX: 96 cores / 192 threads
Threadripper 7980X: 64 cores / 128 threads
EPYC 9965: up to 192 cores / 384 threads

Personally, I'd say you'd have a workstation monster if you used a Threadripper 7970X (32 cores / 64 threads). The Threadripper PRO 7995WX (96 cores), is probably over kill for an audio production machine.

I really don't think you are going to need a server class CPU.

[BBFG#]

The one thing I can say about "overkill" is its longevity. My double CPU Xeon is about 14 years old, still going strong. Still meets and often exceeds a lot of the current offerings. My main focus for it is to be the bridge and brain to my older hardware keyboards to run under whatever I build or buy now. As I said before, the weakest part of it is the video card, but it's okay for what it does.
Thinking ahead, there's no such thing as too much power IMO.

[audiojunkie]

The one thing I can say about "overkill" is its longevity. My double CPU Xeon is about 14 years old, still going strong. Still meets and often exceeds a lot of the current offerings. My main focus for it is to be the bridge and brain to my older hardware keyboards to run under whatever I build or buy now. As I said before, the weakest part of it is the video card, but it's okay for what it does.
Thinking ahead, there's no such thing as too much power IMO.

Works for me! More power to you!

I would go for more power too if I could afford it--unfortunately, I can't. $11k CPUs are too pricy for my blood. I'm a simple guy, I guess.

[BBFG#]

Yeah they're really out of my price range as well. The important thing at this point is to find the MB with the greatest range of options that allow to upgrade by available opportunities.

[ghettosynth]

Yeah they're really out of my price range as well. The important thing at this point is to find the MB with the greatest range of options that allow to upgrade by available opportunities.

One thing to keep in mind is that the market for two+ CPU systems has changed a bit from your Xeon machine's era. It used to be that it was far more common in prosumer systems, but that's much less true today. Just going to a single CPU server board is often going to give you dramatically more PCIe lanes, memory capacity, and cores/CPU performance.

That said, I don't run a server MOBO anymore. I should, because for local AI it is one of the few areas that it's still a real advantage today. If it weren't for the RAMapocolypse I probably would be looking at something new. I may switch to used workstation from a few years back.

This machine runs Linux daily, all day every day, and it's a mid-ling high-ish end system. Nothing to write home about, total cost of about $3k two-ish years ago with about 1/3 of that in GPUs. A big chunk, even when I built the system is the 128GB DDR5, I would not want to have to buy that today. That's really the thing to think about. Where your budget is, what your RAM target is today.

I use Seasonic power supplies in my systems, and I tend to not buy drives when I build the systems as they just rotate through, I tend to always have more drives than I need just from upgrading laptops and the like. Hence, that $3k did not include the two SSDs that are currently in the system. Not at all related to Linux, but I splurge on Noctua fans, always. I like the extra quiet and they are reliable. I don't build water-cooled systems, I'm sure they're fine, but it would be just my luck to make a mess.

I'm not sure that adding more detail will help you much, while I run both Linux and Bitwig on this machine, most of my music production is OTB these days, so the performance matters a bit less for me than it might for someone who is all ITB.

Architecture: x86_64
Vendor ID: AuthenticAMD
Model name: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D 12-Core Processor

Discuss your target budget range and I'm sure people can point you in the right direction.