What Grahics Card do you use in Linux?

[i8mywindpipe]

Hi,

Am getting a new graphics card next week.
need a bit of help on deciding. Im running Linux. Going to reinstall either RedHat 7.2 or Mandrake 8.1.

The two cards im deicding on are either ATI Radeon 8500 64MBDDR or Leadtek GF2 Ultra 64MB.
Im read good things about ATI drivers for linux. Supposed to be better support than Nvidias.
Is this true.

Ill be playing Quake3 of course
And using Linux for everything.
Will the kernel support ATIs new card??

What cards is everyone else using??
And please state wot dist of luinux your using.

all feedback is appreciated
thanks

 

[sMashPiranha]

I'm running Redhat 7.1 and a Radeon 7500. I used to run a GTS and everything was fine. Now a 7500 and a complete reinstall of my system and I can't get into X-windows. I'm pretty sure its a driver issue, I've tried nearly all the supplied ATi and generic drivers but no luck at all.

edit: GF2 Ultra vs. Radeon 8500? The Ultra can't even compete against the 8500, a better match would be some flavour of the GF3.

 

[FUBAR]

Video card? you're sposed to run a video card in linux? Most of mine are headless... sorry.

I believe that the big distros ship at least gf2 drivers and many Radeons, don't know bout the new ones tho. I was using RH7.1 on my Leadtek 64MB GF2pro and it worked fine... I've killed it since then though... sorry

 

[jobberd]

smash: xfree86 only added radeon drivers in version 4.1.0, you'll probably have to upgrade to that

 

[bigrash]

I've got a Gainward Geforce2 MX and i'm using Redhat 7.2. it works fine

 

[sMashPiranha]

<< smash: xfree86 only added radeon drivers in version 4.1.0, you'll probably have to upgrade to that >>


Thanks, I'll try that

 

[i8mywindpipe]

Thanks for the Feedback guys
That Radeon 8500 looks soooooooo good.

 

[fivepesos]

nvidia drivers for linux are excellent. ive had very little problems with the newest versions.

 

[zigCorsair]

My personal opinion of ati cards is that they rule, once you get them to work correctly. The latest version of my card (AIW Radeon) doesn't run in 1600x1200 so I can't use it.

I have also heard from a couple others that ati drivers stink - great cards though

 

[n0cmonkey]

ATI has fairly good open source drivers. nVidia's on the other hand sucks. Go with ATI.

 

[KenCleanAirSystem]

<< ATI has fairly good open source drivers. nVidia's on the other hand sucks. Go with ATI. >>



I have no experience with ATI cards in Linux or Windows, but I do know that nvidia's Linux drivers, while not open source which is usually what they're criticized for, definitely don't suck. The default driver that X installs for nvidia cards sucks, but the drivers nvidia offers for download from their website have always yeilded similar performance to their Windows counterparts on my Linux boxen.

 

[marat]

<<

<< ATI has fairly good open source drivers. nVidia's on the other hand sucks. Go with ATI. >>



I have no experience with ATI cards in Linux or Windows, but I do know that nvidia's Linux drivers, while not open source which is usually what they're criticized for, definitely don't suck. The default driver that X installs for nvidia cards sucks, but the drivers nvidia offers for download from their website have always yeilded similar performance to their Windows counterparts on my Linux boxen. >>



100% agree about NVidia drivers. Can play Quake III in Linux. I reccommend to compile drivers (there is a source code at NVidia's web site) instead of installing RPMs though.

ATI drivers... Hmmm. I hope they are better, than Windows' ones.

 

[NorthenLove]

I got a WinFast LeadTek Geforce 2 GTS Pro card and it works okay with Suse. 7.3 and the lastest 1.0-2313 drivers from Nvidia. for Linux

 

[n0cmonkey]

<<

<< ATI has fairly good open source drivers. nVidia's on the other hand sucks. Go with ATI. >>

I have no experience with ATI cards in Linux or Windows, but I do know that nvidia's Linux drivers, while not open source which is usually what they're criticized for, definitely don't suck. The default driver that X installs for nvidia cards sucks, but the drivers nvidia offers for download from their website have always yeilded similar performance to their Windows counterparts on my Linux boxen. >>



I meant the Open Source version of the nVidia drivers. I dont like using closed source programs (despite my liking of the BSD license).

 

[Priit]

Err, is Radeon 8500 and other newer Radeons (I'm a bit confused about their naming/numering scheme) supported under linux at all? AFAIK XFree 4.1.0 is older than those cards. Nvidia linux drivers were pretty good performance-wise, but not 100% stable and bug-free for me. Also, I didn't like their habit replacing some standart X libs. My video card is currently Matrox G450...

 

[fivepesos]

honestly, dont get a graphic accelerator for linux unless u only like Q3, UT, and Tribes2. i bought a gf2mx 32mb a while back expecting to be able to play cstrike with winex. unfortunately, cstrike with winex is horrible IMO. performance just isnt there.

youd be better off buying a kvm switch and switching to windows whenever u feel the need to game, thats what i do. office work, email, browsing, DVD and music are linux terroritory. gaming in linux isnt quite there yet unfortunately.

i wish more people would actually purchase loki games. i know ive purchases a few, but its hard to make yourself rebuy a game if u already own it for windows.. we realy need to support native linux games otherwise well be stuck with crappy emulation forever (winex).

 

[cureless]

nVidia has good (closed source) drivers. The give good performance but are not liked too much since they don't release the specs. The open source drivers for their cards are not that good.

ATI has good open source drivers. However, AFAIK they don't perform as good as the nVidia closed source drivers, though they do outperform the open source version.

I don't do much gaming, so I use Matrox. I'm as happy as can be. If 3D stuff wasn't your thing, Matrox is the way to go.

cl

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< I don't do much gaming, so I use Matrox. I'm as happy as can be. If 3D stuff wasn't your thing, Matrox is the way to go. >>



Wow, I thought I was the only one

 

[Priit]

I'd like to see newer video cards comparisaton under linux like there was one in Anandtech little over year ago. There sholdn't be problems with finding thing to test. Oh, n0cmonkey, I'm very happy with Matrox, too

 

[NorthenLove]

<< i wish more people would actually purchase loki games. i know ive purchases a few, but its hard to make yourself rebuy a game if u already own it for windows.. we realy need to support native linux games otherwise well be stuck with crappy emulation forever (winex). >>



I totally feel you man I buy Loki games just to help them out as well and the fact that I like the work LOKI does for Linux. I bought Heavy Metal FAKK 2 for linux just recently and it really shines as being a great example as to how good Linux ports by Loki are. So far I own Sid Meir's Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack, Quake 3, Tribes 2, and Soldier of Furtune for Linux. Right now am waiting for DEUS EX to come out for Linux but when it does I'll take a vist to the LOKI web page to pick it up as well and when Never Winters Nights comes out for Linux I will be buying that as well even though LOKI is not the one making the port for NWN to Linux since it will be a native game for Linux thanks to the Bioware team. To bad Sierra is to much of a Microsoft whore ( well maybe not a MS whore as so much as they are a bunch of dicks ) that will not allow LOKI to port over Half-Life to Linux even though they been whoring the Half-Life title and engine to death for 3+ years without even some much as a whimper as to when TF 2 will come out!!!

 

[Damascus]

What graphics card do I use in Linux? Why it be the same one I use in Windows...

I don't know about you guys, but I thought the drivers for the G400 sucked...
I didn't have to compile anything

 

[manly]

Historically, nVidia proprietary 3D drivers have been very high-quality, often approaching, matching or exceeding performance under Windows.

Also historically, ATI drivers for non Win9x operatings systems have been sh1tty.

Sounds like ATI is coming around (they've always had pretty good hardware, just poor drivers support).

But if you want to run 3D accelerated games under Linux as nicely as they run under Win9x/NT/2000/XP, I'd say nVidia is a MUCH safer investment.

The only downside (and most of us don't care) is that nVidia's drivers are proprietary binary-only. The fact is nVidia hires engineers to develop these quality drivers for their hardware. Although I'm a pretty staunch open-source supporter, I can also support companies who have provided a strong alternative for us Linux folks for a while now.

Personally, I've used both a GF2 MX and now a GF3 Ti200 and both run great under Linux w/ nVidia's proprietary drivers.

 

[n0cmonkey]

nVidia's refustal to release open source drivers and my dislike of pc games has kept me from buying an nVidia graphics card. Go Matrox

 

[UnixFreak]

Linux and Matrox have always been a good marriage, same with ATI. But I like the GeForce, that whats I run, GF2 64mb, RH 7.2 The new NV drivers for Linux are nice, I actually noticed a difference over the standard driver.

 

[toant103]

GeForce 2 Ultra