nVidia vs. ATI graphics card for fedora
Matthew Saltzman
mjs at clemson.edu
Tue Apr 28 21:54:34 UTC 2009
On Tue, 2009-04-28 at 10:43 -0400, James Kosin wrote:
> Globe Trotter wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I am ordering a souped-up workstation and I was wondering which
> graphics card is preferable for running fedora:
> >
> > a 256 MB PCIe x16 nVidia NVS 290, Dual Monitor capable
> >
> > or
> >
> > a
> > ATI Fire GL V3600 256MB, Dual Monitor DVI Capable ATI3600
> >
> > What would you suggest? I do not need huge 3-d acceleration and
> stuff, but want it to work well.
> >
> > Please let me know if I should provide more information.
> >
> > Best wishes,
> > Trotter
> >
>
> Trotter,
>
> If you like re-configuring or re-installing drivers at ever kernel
> change then OK you can do either. The bad news is ATI and nVidia are
> not fully natively supported in XWindows in most circumstances without
> the proprietary drivers. There are repos that support these two and
> work is being done for native support... but, alas it is SLOW in coming.
>
> Tips:
> If you choose either of these, only do so with the intent to CAREFULLY
> update kernels and drivers. Don't try updating the kernel if there is
> no driver update available, you may regret this decision.
> Next, try getting an older model ATI or nVidia card, support is easier
> for the older models than the newer ones. Linux is also a bit slow at
> getting newer cards supported natively, without going to proprietary
> drivers.
>
It's worth pointing out that RPMfusion provides RPMs with kernel modules
for the proprietary versions of both drivers. The akmod-nvidia RPM
seamlessly rebuilds the driver when a new kernel is installed. I assume
that the same applies for the ATI packages, but I haven't used them.
> James
>
--
Matthew Saltzman
Clemson University Math Sciences
mjs AT clemson DOT edu
http://www.math.clemson.edu/~mjs
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