Graphisc card

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Hi Dentron,
No guarantees for particular hardware working with Linux, though pretty much any modern graphics card is a safe bet. If you go with an nVidia card you'll have much better driver support (important if you want to explore Unix/BSD or do some light gaming in Linux). Mint doesn't have any particularly demanding requirements hardware-wise though.
Hi Dentron,
No guarantees for particular hardware working with Linux, though pretty much any modern graphics card is a safe bet. If you go with an nVidia card you'll have much better driver support (important if you want to explore Unix/BSD or do some light gaming in Linux). Mint doesn't have any particularly demanding requirements hardware-wise though.
 
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nss000

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A prudent and cost-effective response which leads to the question: for a Linux desktop NON-GAMER, can you imagine **any** motivation to buy-above a $175 vidcard? I am now looking at an upgrade for a legacy gtx_9400 in a "building-out" Intel 1240.v2 system. Yet I've never found a fault with the gtx_9800+ in my quad_AMD box; **Heaven** runs in the mid-30s with everything turned on and max-screen. Looks good.

What scientific/engineering simulation asks for more? So is every vidcard choice just a "push"?



 

nss000

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SPL:

Yes the (BFG) gtx-9800+ has been ( 3 years) a good-value unit ... I run it at 1920x1200 on a Hanns-G 27.5" monitor. Load temps @ 62C. It's 140w power consumption bothers me ( a new/better 650ti only grabs 110w ), but the legacy combo performs well with a Antec 650W PS.



 

nss000

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SPL:

Yes you're quite right ... a pack of high-quality vidcards came out ~ 3 years ago, and the non/casual gamer or modest tek graphics user feels little temptation to upgrade. I'm looking at components for both a (piece-by-piece) home-workstation buildout AND for an updatng on my legacy AMD_965 system. Could be the only increased value I can find in modern vidcards ( $150-250 ) is lower power.



 
And of course the benefits that come with it of less heat so lower fan speeds and less noise. If I wasn't a gamer though, I'd be inclined to hold onto it until it dies. How is Intel's current integrated graphics on Linux? I'm just assuming that you don't use Windows :)
 

nss000

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My new INTEL Xeon-cpu ( 1240.v2) does not have integrated graphics. It's fast as the i7s , but $60 cheaper and runs on a mid-price MSI-z77a-gd55. I make-do with a "legacy" gt_9400 and 11 yo Viewsonic 19" monitor gawd bless that creature it bleeds no more light now than it did in 2001 !

I've used Linux since SUSE_7.3 and RedHat_6 ... switched to Ubuntu when my **beloved** WinME stopped being rock-solid 4-hours at a time ... so 6.06, 8.08, Now, I run v_10.04 on my production gtx-9800+/MSI-gd70/ AMD_965 ..... and v_12.04.1 on the new hardware. I keep around an old Celeron with XP to run science data-logging HW/SW from DATAQ. Linux is supported ... if you write your own drivers; haha in my innocent youth I did such foolishness.
 
Well why not? Better way to pass the time than most :) You're a scientist? Ubuntu is also my distribution of choice (well more the derivatives - Xubuntu, Kubuntu, and Bodhi specifically). By far the least glitchy distributions I've tried and best for just working "out of the box". I tried OpenSUSE 11 and it refused to boot. Couldn't even try the live spin of it - froze at the same point.
 
Pretty much :) I hate having to compromise between seeing a game at its best and having anything less than instantly responsive performance. So I'm happy to put £300 ($450 USD) on a new card every two or three years. That said, I'm currently using a 1GB 4870 since my 5970 died within a few months of the warranty expiring (third Sapphire card I've owned to do that - all three within died six months of warranty expiry). The 4870 is sufficient to keep me going on a few 2008-2009 games I missed (Wolfenstein currently, Far Cry 2 up next) until nVidia release the GTX770. Then it'll either be that, or the GTX670 if the GTX770 offers a small gain over the GTX670 for a large price difference.
 

nss000

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SPL:

I notice that your Sapphire 4870 is popular on NEWEGG and has a perfect rating! There was a recent article ( on Toms ? ) concerning the effect of a top-level vidcard on general system performance ... they posted data showing ~ 1.5 times(!) improvement in cpu scores, reflecting they said the heavily debated "bottleneck" issue. Very impressive results; I just can't afford the vidcard good-stuff.
 
Actually, my 4870 is the one Radeon I bought that isn't Sapphire... and funnily enough, the only one that still lives :) The 5970 was Sapphire. 4870 is XFX and other than the fact that some of the fan bearings are shot, it's doing well enough. Long as it can last me until April/May or whenever GTX770 lands, I'm happy enough! Looking forward to trying Far Cry 2 on it - been meaning to check that out since 2008!