[linux-audio-user] AMD64 question

[Dave Phillips]

Greetings:

  Not long ago I mentioned that a student had traded an MSI mobo (socket 
939) for some lessons. I'm ready to start building a system around that 
board, and I have some questions for this list:

  1) I can get a new AMD64 Athlon 3800 2.4 GHz for (US) $145. Is the 
Athlon 64 a good chip for audio work, and is that a good price ? It's 
the best listed on Pricewatch.

  2) Recommended case/power supply ?

  3) The MSI box says it includes an nVidia nForce3 chipset, which I 
assume means that there's an audio/video chipset on the mobo. I'll 
probably disable the audio, and I have a gForce AGP video card to put in 
the machine. Question: Am I better off using the integrated video or 
should I use my card instead ? (Btw, I use the kernel nv driver, not 
nVidia's binary driver).

  4) I assume I'll have to buy new RAM. What should I buy ?

  5) The CPU includes a fan, but should I get something more powerful ?

  6) How can I best reduce the noise from this system ?

  7) Am I correct to assume that this system runs in a 32-bit more as 
well as the 64-bit ? How do I determine which mode I'll run in ?

This system will replace my ancient desktop machine, so also I need to 
know if there are any precautions or warnings re: running Linux audio 
software on it. The distro of choice will be Debian Etch a la Demudi 1.3.0.

Sorry for all the questions, I'm completely new to the 64-bit game. As 
always, any & all advice will be vastly appreciated. :)

Best regards,

dp