Ubuntu 11.10 compatibility

[mart22]

I am about to buy a new PC and am giving consideration to Ubuntu 11.10 instead of Windows 7. However, I don't know enough about how compatible Ubuntu will be with hardware like:

wireless mouse/keyboard
network printer
network storage drives
(all listed work with current Windows 7 PC)

Should i expect compatibility issues?

Is ubuntu really worth the risk when Windows 7 only costs approx 100 quid?

Any views and opinions will be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Wozza63]

where are you buying the PC from, we can give you a good spec from PCSpecialist

 

[mart22]

I will be buying the PC from PC Specialists....where else;-)

It'll be used primarily to manage all of media stuff: TV, music, photo & video editing, word processing, DTP, internet, email, social media, movies, work stuff too.

This is my spec.....

Case COOLERMASTER ELITE 310 BLUE CASE
Processor (CPU) AMD BULLDOZER EIGHT CORE FX-8150 (3.60GHz/8MB CACHE/AM3)
Motherboard ASUS® M5A97: AM3+ PLATFORM, DUAL DDR3, SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
Memory (RAM) 16GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (4 x 4GB KIT)
Graphics Card 1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTS 450 - DVI,HDMI,VGA - 3D Vision Ready
2nd Graphics Card NONE
3rd Graphics Card NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk 120GB INTEL® 320 SERIES SSD, SATA 3 Gb/s (upto 270MB/sR | 130MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk 2TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD2002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
RAID NONE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 10x LG BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£65)
2nd DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply 600W Quiet 80 PLUS Quad Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£59)
Processor Cooling TITAN FENRIR EVO EXTREME HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£39)
Fan Controller NONE
Sound Card Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Xtreme Audio (£32)
Network Facilities GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps PCI-E CARD (£16)
USB Options 2 PORT USB 3.0 INTERNAL PCI EXPRESS CARD
Modem NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND
Floppy Disk Drive NONE
Firewire & Video Editing 3 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI Card (£9)
TV Card PCTV SYSTEMS DUAL TUNER TV CARD & WINDOWS MEDIA CENTRE REMOTE
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£109)
Office Software FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Monitor NONE
2nd Monitor NONE
DVI-D & HDMI Monitor Cables NONE
Eyefinity / GeForce 3D Vision NONE
Keyboard & Mouse NONE
Mouse NONE
Speakers NONE
Webcam NONE
Headsets (VOIP) NONE
Surge Protection NONE
Cable Tidy NONE
Printer NONE
External Hard Drive NONE
Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation NONE
Data Recovery NONE
Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Charity Calendar NONE
Pricing Information
Price (excluding VAT) £1,035.00

Any suggestions are most welcome.

 

[barrydrake]

Is ubuntu really worth the risk when Windows 7 only costs approx 100 quid?
Thanks.

Risk? Hardware compatibility issues do exist. Some printers/scanners are really well supported. A few are not able to be. I don't think you'll get problems with any wireless mouse or keyboard. Ubuntu networking across Windows networks is certainly built in - but dreadful to set up as Windows makes it really hard! Be prepared for a bit of frustration. However, you will find Ubuntu a lot faster - even more so when you upgrade to 12.04 (release next April). I'm running the Alpha 1 testing and although there are a few bugs, it is fantastic. The main reason to stay with Windows will be to use applications that don't run under Linux. Check this out first! It might be helpful if you say what you want to use your new computer for. My advice would be for you to try Ubuntu on an existing box that you already have and get to see what it does. You can download, then boot and run it from the DVD (or CD). It will be a bit slow, but you can get a feel for it. If you like it, back up all your stuff, and install as a dual boot. DON'T install from behind Windows - you probably won't like the result. When you know what you want software-wise, that's the time to pick your hardware spec. Please ask if you need more specific help.

 

[candtalan]

DON'T install from behind Windows - you probably won't like the result. When you know what you want software-wise, that's the time to pick your hardware spec. Please ask if you need more specific help.

Well said Barry. I confirm that a WUBI install is generally to be avoided, that is, avoid installing from inside windows, which is the option if you put a CD into a windows machine while it is actually running windows. A traditional install is simpler to manage and can be chosen by *booting up* from the Ubuntu Live CD.

Unless you are quite sure that
1) all features you want will run in your hardware using (Ubuntu)
and also
2) your chosen peripherals - printers etc
and
3) the apps and programs you want to use work ok
then
seriously consider that since you are effectively 'locked in' at present to the Windows ecosystem, then the easy option is to buy Windows and asap also install Ubuntu Dual boot, and THEN asap work to escape Windows if that is your aim. This is only a good option IF items 1) and 2) above do not make things worse by further locking you in!

It might be useful to mention that many years ago when I decided I wanted to stop using Windows, on an existing desktop PC, it took me at least 6 months to get most of my life (emails stuff etc) properly transferred, and many more months before I could be confident that I would not need Windows again. It was hard work. However I recently had two elderly friends asking for a fully retail purchase of a Ubuntu laptop each and I was able to point them to an emporium which could offer excellent stuff and knowledge. It would be bad etiquette to link directly to a competitor here though.
The message is - if hardware is purchased from a vendor with Ubuntu experience for your chosen product then life is a dream. And it was worth a significant markup too! (pcspecialist please note) But well worth it.

 

[mum2three75]

I'd agree with Barrydrake and Candtalan. Try it out before comitting to Ubuntu. You'll be on a bit of a learning curve, but if you've mastered it, you'll find it worth your while. I'm using Windows for work purposes only and Ubuntu for everything else. It doesn't work always out of the box, but there is a whole community out there who can give advice. Just make sure that you know what you want and specifically look for compatibility issues with Ubuntu (or whatever distro you want to install).
On first glance, I can't really see any issues, the only one as mentioned before would be the network printer, but that's depending on the make and model.