Graphics cards

[Bruce Marshall]

On Thursday 25 September 2008, Neil Winchurst wrote:
> Can anyone remind me please how to check which graphics card my computer
> is using? Thanks. (Kubuntu Gutsy).
>
> A second question - the manufacturer I hear most mentioned is nvidia. Is
> this the best one for us Linux users?
>
> TIA

I've been using Nvidia cards in my (4 yr?) old computers.  I guess there are 
onboard graphics on these boards but have always shied away from them in the 
past.

I used to like ATI but they don't really support things as well and use 
software drivers too much when hardware could do the job better.

I used the NV proprietary drivers from their web site and haven't had any 
problems.

But.........   another caveat is that unless you really need high-powered 
graphics, try to find a card that doesn't have a fan on it.  There are many 
out there.  I have come to believe that fans and other mechanical things are 
the biggest reliability concerns for desktop computers.