Member Avatar for lewashby

I am looking to buy a motherboard and I'm looking for lots of USB and sata ports, it should fit in this case -> item# N82E16811146077 on newegg.com and will work well with Linux for my main desktop, and a windows and SeamOS drives as well for gaming? Will this motherboard be decent for gaming should the urge take me? Any concerns with Linux? And will it not take an AMD processor? Thanks all. Motherboard -> item# N82E16813132835R on newegg.com Thanks for the help.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rproffitt

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’s core requirements — lots of SATA ports, multi-boot with Linux/Windows/SteamOS, and a board that actually takes the intended CPU — point to three practical priorities: confirm physical/CPU compatibility, prefer well-supported storage controllers, and keep the firmware/driver story simple for Linux.

Native chipset ports are the safest route for broad Linux support; extra onboard ports driven by third‑party chips sometimes need vendor drivers and can behave oddly. For a large number of drives, an add‑in PCIe HBA (enterprise-style, flashed to IT/JBOD) is a far more reliable and flexible solution than depending on many non‑native onboard ports — this echoes ’s suggestion. Software RAID (mdadm or ZFS) on AHCI/IT-mode drives avoids “fake RAID” vendor traps and keeps drives portable between OS installs.

A motherboard made for one CPU family will not accept the other; confirm the socket and the manufacturer’s CPU support list before buying (as advised to check vendor pages). For gaming on Linux/SteamOS the board matters mostly for PCIe x16 wiring and VRM quality if overclocking; GPU choice and driver support have the larger impact. Also verify UEFI/Secure Boot options if proprietary GPU drivers will be used.

Quick checklist:

  1. Confirm form factor fits the case and check the CPU socket/chipset CPU support list.
  2. Count native chipset SATA ports and identify the controller vendor.
  3. If >6–8 drives are needed, plan a PCIe HBA (IT mode) rather than many third‑party onboard ports.
  4. Set SATA mode to AHCI (not vendor RAID) for cross‑OS compatibility.
  5. Ensure an x16 PCIe slot with full lanes for the GPU and adequate VRMs for the chosen CPU.
  6. Check Linux/SteamOS driver availability for the onboard controllers and planned GPU.

Following these checks will make the build dependable across Linux, SteamOS and Windows while keeping upgrade paths open.

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Member Avatar for rubberman

This mobo seems to an intel processor tuned device - no mention of AMD support. It seems to run a core i7 processor, so games should be good on it, especially if you get one of the recommended nVidia video processors. Has a good sound system built in. It says it supports Windows 7-10, though I imagine it will handle Linux as well. Lots of sata ports and USB 3.1 ports. Anyway, Linux is the only open question here. You may want to contact newegg.com about that, or check on the Asus web site.

Edited by rubberman
Member Avatar for lewashby

Thanks. Any other motherboard your would recomnd that meets this criteria? I do need lots of sata ports for a lot of hard drives and I would prefer to over more than 4 USB ports as well but that's not as important as the sata ports. Thanks again.

Member Avatar for rubberman

Asus boards are of good quality. Myself, I like Intel mobos, but they are quite a bit more expensive. I purchased a dual core mobo from them in 2007 for my server, which is still functional though I had to replace the nVidia card a couple of years ago when it died. Everything else works great now, 10 years later!

Member Avatar for rproffitt
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