Linux Format forums

[serene]

Hello.

I was wondering if one chooses a Video Card... for example:
* Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card

Will you have success with Linux drivers with 'All' manufacturers of the same card, if the card is supported in Linux???

I'm confused because these companies make this card...
-PNY
-Leadtek
-AOpen
-XFS
-BFG
-GIGABYTE

Does that mean that the Linux drivers (if available) will work with 'All' of these manufactures of the same card?

Is there a place to check to see if they will be compatable?

Thank you.

[towy71]

I am not a hardware specialist but I assume that all those cards are using the same nvdia chip so, yes the driver found here will work as long as you have the apropriate kernel-headers installed.
HTH
Dick
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still looking for that door into summer

[serene]

Thanks towy71...

Does that 'also' mean all the different video cards using the same nvdia chip but from different manufactures will work in
'different' linux compatable motherboards as well?

Serene

[ollie]

Yes, the nVidia drivers work on all nVidia chip based graphics cards. The nVidia drivers, which are closed source and only available from nVidia, are a single download and they work for all nVidia based cards. There is actually an install script that does the installation. However, I always make a backup of xorg.conf (or the XFree86 configuration file) and know how to replace this from the command line in case X breaks .

[bigjohn]

Though if you suffer the same confusion I do, it might still be an issue.

Whats the problem ?? Well my PC is 3 years old, the mobo, an MS-6507 from MSI has a 4X agp slot, so OK I've managed to find out that an 8X card will be backwards compatible, but where do I stand as most 8X cards also operate at 0.8 volts, whereas my board is a 1.5 volt model.

I think that it's pretty likely that I'll have to pull the board to make sure what the actual connector looks like as there seem to be some differences between the differing versions of agp plugs of that era (bugger)!

But also, a swift visit to the PCWorld site throws up a few other anomalies inasfaras the actual "facilities" offered by the cards from different manufacturers. Some say that they "don't do anti-aliasing" or they only state 8X, so the voltage becomes a question etc etc.

I'm not gonna upgrade the rest of my hardware anytime soon so PCI E is out of the question.


Oh and whoever said about the script to install the nvidia drivers, well that would normally be correct, though I've found that SuSE 9.3 has a nifty little installer of their own which worked a treat for me, or if you happen to use gentoo, then it's just a case of

[serene]

Thanks also Bigjohn, Ollie...

Now if I could only decide which manufacturer is prefered for this board... what a jungle, which are in the 'top 3' ?

* Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card *
-PNY, Leadtek, AOpen, XFS, BFG, GIGABYTE

Thanks heaps...
Serene

[bigjohn]

God alone knows the answer to that - I can only think that you could dig around the "normal" magazine forums (i.e. magazines that don't tend to be of much use to us "pinko faggot software communists" = linux users). Because that might give you an idea of who is selling the most cards. Or maybe look at what else the various companies actually make e.g. AOpen and GIGABYTE make quite reasonable motherboards etc.

Don't forget, if you follow the first bit of advice, some of the stuff I found out about my current card, was that it was slagged off big time, by the gaming community, but apparently was considered as reasonable by those who don't do gaming (it arrived with the box, in my case).

but even if you just compare whats available at PCWORLD i.e. it seems to have "gaming" type facilities/abilities or if you don't do that so much, things like anti-aliasing which are useful for text type functions (as I understand it).

regards

John
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