When my main game server died recently – a row of capacitors went bad on the motherboard – I took it as a sign that it’s time to build a powerful new server. But instead of running Windows, I decided it was time to take the next step in switching my systems over to Linux.

I’ve been running an Ubuntu Linux server for a while, mainly to help educate myself in Linux administration. It’s at least partially a production server: it runs the centralized syslog logging service for the local network, and it runs the email services for my self-hosted web sites. But it’s nowhere close to being able to run a Linux client GUI: a 688 MHz Celeron CPU and a paltry 384 MB of RAM.

The new PC is running an Intel Core i7-3770K on an ASUS P8Z77-V LGA 1155 Intel Z77 Intel Motherboard, with 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM. The case is a real beauty, a Corsair Obsidian Series 550D Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower: big, quiet fans; detachable vent covers; removable filters on all intakes; no-tool installation of drives; hidden cable routing; foam insulation; silicon fan, power supply and drive mounts; one-touch removal side panels; and removable drive bays. Highly recommended.

I had some trouble installing Ubuntu from my USB thumb drive, so I finally gave up and installed a $5 DVD drive and installed from there without any trouble.

By default, Ubuntu 12.04 runs the Unity desktop GUI. It’s probably a good choice for novice computer users, since it hides a lot of technical details and is fairly simple. It’s too simple for my taste, however. So now I’m installing KDE. I’ll post more as the work continues.