Building a PC is great, but Linux users have always had to do the extra legwork of finding out which components were Linux-friendly. Now, Ubuntu developers Canonical have released a comprehensive list of hardware certified to work with Linux.
While there have always been some community-driven compatibility pages on the Ubuntu web site, there hasn't been a comprehensive guide like this in awhile. Before, the best way to find out if a component was Linux-friendly was to Google it, or search through the comments on Newegg—but not anymore. You can browse the catalog by the hardware provider (Intel, nVidia, Broadcom, etc.) or by category (Audio, Video, Network, etc.), as well as search the database for a specific component. It'll also tell you which pre-built PCs utilize those components, so if you don't feel like building your own PC, you can find out which ones are certified to work with Linux. It's a great resource for Linux users (or even Linux hobbyists) that don't want to deal with the headaches of Linux-unfriendly hardware. Hit the link to check it out.
Ubuntu Component Catalog [via PC World]