Linus Torval’s new PC has Arc B580 GPU
Linus Torvalds finally let someone build him a new Linux PC on camera, and that someone was Linus Sebastian fromLinus Tech Tips. Two Linuses, one Threadripper, and a lot of jokes about there being “only one true Linus.” Between the Highlander and Spiderman references, book signings, and ECC talk, Torvalds quietly made a hardware choice that GPU enthusiasts might be interested to hear: he picked an Intel Arc B580 GPU.
Unfortunately, only jokes were left in nearly 1 hour video, and the discussion as to why he chose this card was not included. Surprisingly, he just did not pick Radeon which is known for strong open-source driver foundations, and he definitely did not pick NVIDIA, which lines up well with his old “NVIDIA” moment”. Linus Sebastian even points out that the “obvious Linux choice” would have been a Radeon card, then casually mentions that Torvalds specifically asked for Arc.
The Arc B580 is a mid-range GPU with 12GB memory, powerful enough to play games like Battlefield 6. However, Linus Torvalds is not a gamer, so the chances of this card ever using raytracing are close to zero.
Torvalds also said he wants ECC memory, hates noisy systems, and prefers hardware that works with mainline kernels instead of fighting them. Intel’s open graphics stack fits that world view well enough. So the “perfect Linux PC” for Linus Torvalds ends up with Threadripper, ECC memory, and an Intel Arc B580.
Source: Linus Tech Tips
