I noticed this remark on the Gigi website; "Due to different Linux support condition provided by chipset vendors, please download Linux driver from chipset vendors website or 3rd party"

My question is this; does that mean I need to update the drivers to the 790GX and SB750 before I can do a clean install of Linux ? If so where is the best place to learn how to update the drivers prior to OS installation. I'm trying to learn here before my build date. (sept. 15)

I can not figure out why AMD would not support the Linux install from the get-go.
Any info or directions appreciated.

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Ga-990XA-UD3, Phenom II 970 BLK @3.5 GHz, 16 GB DDR3 1600 G.Skill Sniper, WD 1.5 TB Black, ATI FirPro V4800 running on Kubuntu 64-bit

Here are the drivers your looking for

link 1

good read here

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AMD phenom II 1090T @ 4.23 Ghz custom water cooled
Asrock 890 FX deluxe 3 mother board
4 GB DDR 3 1600 @ 1688 Mhz 7 7 7 24 T1 2688 Mhz NB
2x 1 TB WD Sata III 64 mb cache HDD,s raid 0
2x 5870 HD @ 1015/1300 Asus reference
Dual OS win 7 x64 ultimate & win 7 x32 Ultimate (bench os)

Thanks for the links PC-GURU; I'm still reading via multiple links in the one. I had already looked at the Drivers at AMD you sent in link 1 but there is no deiver for Linux x86 32 bit. I am trying to learn if I can use this board as a 'virgin' and never touch the build with MS OS [XP,Vista] I would like to build {and have submitted an inquiry to Gigabyte] my new system with Ubuntu 9.04 in Sept. configure it and the be ready to upgrade to 9.10 when released in Oct.

I have a lot to learn as of yet but hope to build with 2 WD 250 GB RE3 drives in a Raid 1 and so this is just one issue I am trying to resolve as a potential problem as a first time builder. I am hoping to just use my desktop ISO CD that I used to update this sytem from 8.10.

Does any one know for sure if a Gigabyte Board [GA-MA790GP-UD4H] will accept a 'clean' install from an Ubuntu Desktop CD.

Man I want to be free of the microsofties limitations, upgrading and marketing.

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Ga-990XA-UD3, Phenom II 970 BLK @3.5 GHz, 16 GB DDR3 1600 G.Skill Sniper, WD 1.5 TB Black, ATI FirPro V4800 running on Kubuntu 64-bit

PC-GURU; or anyone; can someone tell me if
Linux can be a stand alone OS on a new build?

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Ga-990XA-UD3, Phenom II 970 BLK @3.5 GHz, 16 GB DDR3 1600 G.Skill Sniper, WD 1.5 TB Black, ATI FirPro V4800 running on Kubuntu 64-bit

Yes it can, no problem.

Yes your board will support it fine. Read up on it in some forums that specialize on Linux.

I already gave you a link to one about your very chip set and board.

If I didn't rely so heavily on Microsoft and its software linix would look very nice to me as well.

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AMD phenom II 1090T @ 4.23 Ghz custom water cooled
Asrock 890 FX deluxe 3 mother board
4 GB DDR 3 1600 @ 1688 Mhz 7 7 7 24 T1 2688 Mhz NB
2x 1 TB WD Sata III 64 mb cache HDD,s raid 0
2x 5870 HD @ 1015/1300 Asus reference
Dual OS win 7 x64 ultimate & win 7 x32 Ultimate (bench os)

Surprise Surprise Gigabyte answered with this;

Answer - 774226
Answer : Dear Customer,

Yes, you may load Ubuntu. Most of the drivers will already be included with the latest Ubuntu version.

Thank you for choosing Gigabyte products
Question - 774226
From : [ enviropond@verizon.net ]
Sent : 6/21/2009 12:39
Question : I am considering buying the above board for my new home build; however there is a remark reguarding Linux chipset on the info sheet. I just need to know if I can load Ubuntu [Linux] as a stand alone OS then get the chipsets via AMD?


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Model Name : GA-MA790GP-UD4H(rev. 1.0)
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M/B Rev : 1.0
BIOS Ver : *****
Serial No. :
Purchase Dealer : New Egg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VGA Brand : ATi Model : onboard MB
CPU Brand : AMD Model : PIIX3 Speed : 2.8
Operation System : Linux SP :
Memory Brand : OCZ Type : DDRII
Memory Size : 4 GB Speed : 1200
Power Supply : 600 W


Phenom II X3 @2.8 GHz
PC2 9600 1.8v 4Gb
Western Digital RE3 250GB in RAID 1
Ubuntu 9.04 OS 32 bit

Now that is the usual ambiguous response and it puts it on the Jackalope but I have to consider the information I found on Ubuntu Wiki {yes PC-Guru I have been off researching}. The UWiki has no data on any AMD socket AM2+ or AM3 boards by Gigi; and it goes without saying that I do know a little about that [my board selection in an AM2+ AM3 capable socket] but even AMD can not keep up with the number of components using AMD/ATI parts. You know the engineering testing and cert..

I appreciate your answer PC-Guru and I'm researching the RAID 1 stuff before posting that. I'll try to add to this thread as I learn so others may benefit
I feel your pain with the MS dependency and am glad I have yet to cross that line cause I really intend to fire MS with my new build and devote energy to learning Linux so I can contribute to the project

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Ga-990XA-UD3, Phenom II 970 BLK @3.5 GHz, 16 GB DDR3 1600 G.Skill Sniper, WD 1.5 TB Black, ATI FirPro V4800 running on Kubuntu 64-bit

If you first update the driver and then do a clean install all drivers / info will be removed.

If your linux distro you want to use does not support your motherboard then you are using the wrong linux distro as radeon radeonHD and ATI-drivers should be included by default and you should be able to change from one to the other / use only opensource drivers.

For raid you would need raid0 raid1 raid5 dmraid dm-mod to be installed in the linux distro.

You can use the onboard raid controller to create the raid "hardware raid" or using 2+ hard drives and LVM to create a software raid.

Depending on if your linux distro is clued up enough the software raid can be easy or a lot of text commands that most skilled users try to stay away from.

For easy distro with fairly easy raid config try PcLinuxOs as it is easy enough to update and install for new users or if more braver try SabayonLinux and the installer will allow you to configure the raid manually or auto LVM ext4 + update using Equo text or Sulfur gui installer but could have more advanced fixes that you later need to apply.

Last Ubunto I tried I had to lvscan -v , mknod , vgscan then activate it and mess around = annoyed me a lot but could have changed since then.
Shop around first.

Learning linux:
You might find that most linux distro's is windows using another opensource base = you end up learning how to install a program using a gui program = learned nothing about linux.
FreeBSD is tought but you will learn a lot , same with Gentoo based but much easier with livedvd and newby fixes.

Look at distrowatch.org and see who cares to update linux distro's and who is clued up then visit their forums and see if it is friendly / helpful or you get crucified for asking a question.

Try a few on virtualbox.org emulator and find one that works for you.