CPU, Main Boards, and Video Support
Complete information concerning supported peripherals can be found at
Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO.
This section merely outlines the basics.
CPU
Nearly all x86-based (IA-32) processors still in use in personal
computers are supported. This also includes 32-bit AMD and VIA
(former Cyrix) processors, and processors like the Athlon XP and Intel
P4 Xeon.
However, &debian; GNU/Linux &releasename; will
not run on 586 (Pentium) or earlier processors.
If your system has a 64-bit processor from the AMD64 or Intel 64 families,
you will probably want to use the installer for the amd64 architecture instead
of the installer for the (32-bit) i386 architecture.
I/O Bus
The system bus is the part of the motherboard which allows the CPU to
communicate with peripherals such as storage devices. Your computer
must use the PCI, PCIe, or PCI-X bus. Essentially all personal computers
sold in recent years use one of these.