Linux AMD Ryzen PC Builds: Part 1

Thanksgiving is almost here and I just saw that AMD's Ryzen chips dropped in price ahead of Black Friday. However, I noticed there is very little info on the web about complete Ryzen builds based on GNU+Linux. 

I have built three Ryzen builds since June of this year. I will talk about the hits and misses in my 4 part post. Since I am a GNU/Linux user I build with ASRock motherboards. We are able to update the BIOS via USB flash drive by locating the BIOS flash file inside of the BIOS itself. GNU/Linux users can also BIOS flash updates via the Internet on an ASRock board. No OS needed. I only use B350 chipsets because I get more for my money. Most of you will be fine with B350, and would only need X370 for multi-GPU setups. A320 does not allow overclocking where B350 and X370 do. 

No matter which motherboard chipset you choose, it should last you a nice long time. Intel tends to change chipsets every other CPU generation but AMD is planning to support the AM4 platform through 2020.

Build 1

ASRock AB350 Pro4 (BIOS 2.60  6/9/2017) 
G.SKILL Flare X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) (F4-3200C14D-16GFX) 

Build 2

ASRock AB350M Pro4  (BIOS 3.00  7/18/2017)  
Patriot Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4 2400MHz (PVE48G240C5KRD) 

Build 3 

ASRock AB350 Gaming-ITX/ac (BIOS 3.10 9/6/2017)
Patriot Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4 2400MHz (PVE48G240C5KRD)

CPU/APUs I used were: (all with stocked coolers)

AMD RYZEN 7 1700 8-cores,16-threads
AMD RYZEN 5 1600 6-core,12-threads 
AMD RYZEN 3 1200 4-core,4-threads
AMD Excavator v2 (Non-RYZEN) A12-9800 2-core,2-threads 8 GPU 1108 MHz Radeon R7 Series

Note: The AMD Ryzen 3 1200 comes with a bundled AMD Wraith Stealth cooler. This is a lower-end and lower-performance cooler.  The Wraith Spire that comes with the Ryzen 5 1600 and 7 1700.

My personal build (Build 2) uses a relatively budget motherboard, low-end CPU, and a cheap case, opting to spend money on the best (budget) options in the SSD category. It will boot up and load web browsers and productivity programs quickly, and perform well enough in the Steam games I play like Dreamfall chapters and Left 4 Dead 2. Now my build will not let me play games in 1440p or 2160p, but my upgrade options in the future are unlimited. AMD is planning to support the AM4 platform through 2020.

CPU AMD RYZEN 3 1200 4-Core 3.1 GHz (3.4 GHz Turbo) 
GPU Sapphire Radeon PULSE RX 560 4GB video card
RAM Patriot Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4 2400MHz  (PVE48G240C5KRD) 
MOTHERBOARD ASRock AB350M Pro4  (BIOS 3.00 7/18/2017)
STORAGE  Intel 545s Series 2.5" 256GB (SSDSC2K W256G8X1)+WB Blue 1TB 7200 RPM (WD10EZEX)
SOUND Onboard
NETWORK  Onboard (wired gigabit Ethernet)
PSU    EVGA 450 B3, 80 Plus BRONZE 450W, Fully Modular 
CASE   MasterBox Lite 3 (MCW-L3S2-KN5N)
OPTICAL DRIVE  ASUS DVD-ROM(DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GE)
Case fan 2 be quiet! BL070 SILENTWINGS 3 PWM

Note: I am not against Intel builds. I have an Intel Pentium G4560 (Kaby Lake) system plus a prebuilt HP ProDesk 400 G1 MT Intel Core i7 (Haswell) 4770 based system.

Distros that worked with my AMD Ryzen builds in no particular order:

Ubuntu 17.10
Kubuntu 17.10
Ubuntu 16.04.3
Pop!_OS
Debian 9.2
Debian sid
Fedora 27
openSUSE Tumbleweed
SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 Beta 1
SteamOS Brewmaster release 2.121 
Arch Linux
Void Linux
KNOPPIX 8.1.0
Antergos
Zorin OS
KDE neon

"My" Life without Windows 10 or macOS 10.13 High Sierra

For those who don't know GNU/Linux is a free open-source operating system, which means the code is available for anyone to look at. Technically speaking, the term "Linux" refers to just the kernel or the core of the GNU operating system. However, people often use the name to talk about the whole operating system, including the interface and bundled apps.This operating system also requires fewer hardware resources than the more data-heavy Windows.

One of the common things in making the case against GNU/Linux, particularly on the Desktop, many popular programs simply aren’t available for Linux distributions. Windows simply has more software available than GNU/Linux. Windows is the dominant operating system and there is much more usually higher quality software available for it. Microsoft Windows supports a wide range of hardware and most of the hardware manufacturers support their hardware in Microsoft Windows again due to its larger user base. On the other side, GNU systems have a comparatively smaller user base and hence only some manufacturers support their hardware. There’s no standard edition of Linux. Whereas Microsoft offers several different editions of each version of Windows, there are countless variations of Linux. For those who don't know it can be confusing to find what will work best. There is a learning curve if you switch GNU/Linux. Some things you didn’t need help with when you used Windows, you might need help when you use GNU/Linux.

That's the main reason why I started this page so many years ago.I wanted to help people with problems and questions they might have.I’ve installed Linux distros a number of times over the years since 2004. Like most people using personal computers, my time is spent almost entirely in just a few applications: web browser, email, word processor. For GNU browsers I installed Firefox and Chromium, an open-source variant on Google’s Chrome. LibreOffice word processor is great. It's adequate for a light user or a student typing up a couple of essays.

Let us talk about security.If your computer is attached to a network, it's vulnerable.I'm going to preface this by saying no operating system is 100% secure.That being said, Windows' Achilles has been, for a very long time, security. With every iteration, the specter of security looms large over the operating system. Despite the occasional vulnerability coming to light, Linux is regarded as much more secure than Windows. GNU was designed from the ground up with different privilege levels that make it much harder for malware to get unrestricted access to a system, even if it manages to slip past the defenses.

If you value your privacy, in Windows 10 your privacy is mostly disregarded. A lot of aspects to Windows 10 are less than privacy-friendly. Most, if not all, GNU/Linux distributions take your privacy very seriously. You won’t find a bubbly talking assistant on your Linux desktop collecting data and information on you for financial gain.When you use Microsoft’s new operating system, you are telling them that it is okay for them to collect data on you. They harvest information on your device’s location, your calendar data, emails and texts, contact info, and the list goes on.

In closing

Even though Linux tends to suffer fewer attacks than Windows or Mac, potential dangers are not unheard of. However, the active community around GNU+Linux helps hold back the crackers (is one who breaks into or otherwise violates the system integrity of remote machines with malicious intent). Antivirus software is a must for any computer online.  Antivirus check here.

So if privacy really matters to you, you need an operating system that doesn’t snitch on you to the World Wide Web. When you use Microsoft’s Win 10, you are telling them that it is okay for them to spy on you.

GNU/Linux incompatibility with PC hardware especially networking and audio components are really no longer really an issue. If your old laptop is that slow, try installing Linux on top, and the machine should speed up. You’d be hard-pressed to find a copy of Microsoft’s Windows 10 run on something as little as 128 megabytes of RAM.

With the majority of modern computing tasks, most of us spend our time within a browser, so the underlying apps on the Windows platform have become less and less relevant.

The misconception about Linux is it is for “geeks only” is wrong. No one needs to be computer genius or master of the command line to use Linux these days.

Most Linux distros have their own ‘app store’ (software repository). You can look for any kind of program you might need from one single place and the software installed will be safe, compatible with your distro and will get automatic updates. Within Linux, you just need to stick to the repositories and avoid using Adobe's Flash (if you don't really need it. You don't need it for things like youtube).

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying, for the most part, is when a school-age child is tormented, harassed, threatened, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted by another school-age child using the Internet or mobile phones. Currently, cyberbullying is one of the fastest growing problems facing school administrators around the country. Kids have killed each other and committed suicide after having been involved in a cyberbullying incident.

Ever heard of Megan Meier. She was a 13 year old from Missouri who had an online friendship on MySpace with a person she believed was “Josh Evans” a young boy near where she lived. In actuality, the “friend” was a group of individuals, including adults, who were intent on humiliating Megan because of a lost friendship with another child. Meier and "Josh" never met in person or spoke. They became "friends" and Megan later "fell in love" with her online buddy whom she had never met. Meier thought "Josh" was attractive. Meier began to exchange messages with this person, and was described by family as having had her "spirits lifted". But the communication eventually turned hostile. Josh still was sending troubling messages. And he apparently had shared some of Megan's messages with others. Megan, believing she had been rejected by "Josh," committed suicide in her home. Well as it turned out Josh was really an adult woman named Lori Drew. She told the police that the account was aimed at "gaining Megan's confidence and finding out what Megan felt about her daughter and other people."

I guess the point I was marking here is that. Cyberbullying can be done by anyone of any age. We need to work to stop the madness. No one deserves to be bullied because every person has value and worth. Young people need to speak up for their friends when they see bullying happening, by giving support and expect accountability from the adults.

Note: From my 2012 post.

Kazam Screencaster

Recording your computer screen is really simple in Linux. With a Linux screen capture software, you can do a lot of things like create video tutorials by recording the desktop activity in the form a video. The program I like to use is called Kazam. The Kazam desktop screen recorder is also released under the Gnu Public License. It is a robust Linux tool, which makes it easy to record and share screen-casts by uploading them to YouTube.

It seamlessly records the on-screen desktop activity and provides the additional option to capture background audio to provide a more enhanced screen-cast recording functionality. For example, you can record the desktop activity by demonstrating an activity and do a voice over to help your viewers understand the recorded process in a better way.

You want to record your actives on your computer try Kazam Screencaster.