Ok, I've been playing with linux every few months for a couple years now. First few times it was mandrake, also tried redhat, etc. Recently I tried debian (more of a pain than the other two).

I usually got frustrated with them when it came to installing drivers and all the crazy dependency checking, etc, but this time I am hopefully a little more patient. Anyway, the truth is I still want to start fairly far off if I can, with a distro that can do all the kinds of things I want on my hardware, and with relative ease, but at the same time still being fairly configurable. I just need a good starting ground in other words.

Here is what I want to use the machine for.
1) Neverwinter Nights - I plan to download the client for this which will let me use my windows CDs to install it. Preferably, I'd like it to run out of the box on whatever distro, but if that can't be done, something easy would be nice
2) Server for the above (I want to play around with the dedicated server program for it, which I use extensively in windows, and along with that use nwnx.. which I also use quite a bit in windows)
3) Other 3D games, perhaps even attempt to run some of the demos for the OGRE 3D engine (I've been succesful in compiling and mucking around with it in windows using vis studio, maybe I can compile it with gcc and actually run it.

Ok, and here is my hardware, in case there is a version best suited for what I have
Athlon 2500+
Radeon 9700 Pro 128 meg
Sound Blaster Audigy
512 MB DDR PC 2100
1 160 GB Samsung 8 meg cache 7200 RPM drive, and 1 40 GB Samsung 2 meg cache 5400 RPM drive
2 19" monitors (if I can get it to use both that would be cool, that's how I run in windows).

Um, and a total aside that doesn't really matter, if it's possible to use it with a Dell Axim (I'm doubting this since it uses wince, but ehh, worth a try.

Thanks for any help, with this common, albeit hopefully specific question.

Knoppix 3.4 before you decide to take the plung.

Mandrake 10 CE is recommended, it will get pretty much all of your hardware first shot. As for your games, your looking at $10 a month for WineX. Check it out at http://www.transgaming.com/

I'd recommend SuSE 9.X But you can read the reviews yourself at http://www.linuxquestions.org/reviews/index.php

And... I'd just save the hassle of getting games to work, and keep Windows on a small partition or seperate hard drive.

I think something was misunderstood. I'm looking to use games designed for linux in the linux environment. Not for something like winex (I've used wine before and it ran starcraft and crashed after a few minutes, but was still pretty cool)...

Anyway, I want to run the Linux neverwinter nights client in Linux, and supposedly they have binaries I can download and simply use my windows disks to do the install so I don't have to buy a linux version of it.

Thanks for the recommendations so far though.

take a look at www.distrowatch.com as far as which distro

Hi....
this is kinda a year late but... i thought i'd throw in my two cents worth anyway.
I play neverwinter nights online myself on Slackware 10.0
and it works like a charm...
there is even nwnx (though in beta) for linux. either way.. setting nwn on linux is very easy.
you just have to get the nwn installer from icculus.org (not entirely sure of the website now..'tis been long)
but in case you haven't done it yet, it works like a charm. As do all the expansions too.