video card recommendation ?

[Donald Talbert]

On Tue, 2011-06-28 at 23:01 -0400, Ric Moore wrote:
> On Tue, 2011-06-28 at 16:28 +0100, David Fletcher wrote: 
> > On Wed, 2011-06-29 at 00:06 +1000, Stephen Kuhn wrote:
> > > > 
> > > 
> > > Get yerself a really nice nVidia card and be done with all the BS mate.
> > 
> > It depends on the application. If all you're doing is email, browsing,
> > word processing etc. there's no point spending a load of money. Plus the
> > more expensive the board, the more electricity it's likely to consume.
> > There's no point in paying for power you're not going to use.
> > 
> > The last one I bought, for my son's new PC, is an Asus manufactured,
> > fanless, ATI chipped board, cost about 30 quid I think and it's
> > absolutely perfect for the application.
> 
> I have had my best luck with nVidia cards. Even old crusty ones, like a
> 5500 will do fine. They go for $20-30 online. More vram the better
> though, get 256 meg or better. I crowd the heck out of my video cards,
> running some pretty intensive 3D applications. Myself, I've seen way too
> many people weeping at their ATI's performance in forums, especially
> with Linux. My two cents, Ric
> 
> -- 
> My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say:
> "There are two Great Sins in the world...
> ..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity.
> Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad.
> Linux user# 44256 
> 
> 

I have a Nvidia card in this machine and a ATI on my other. I had to
tinker with my ATI system's xorg but the Nvidia system always configures
it's self properly.

I can tell you from not only experience on my own PCs but working on
other Ubuntu systems. ATI sometimes just doesn't work correctly even
after you install the drivers, sometimes you have to change a few
settings. Mostly in your xorg though. Every Nvidia card I installed for
a Ubuntu user "just worked" fine before drivers (no HW acceleration) and
better after (with HW acceleration). Like I said thats just my
observations...

Nvidia might cost a bit more cash than ATI but its worth it, the last
thing you need to worry about IMO is your display working correctly.
Plus you might even be able to help some of the Nvidia open source
driver projects they are working on, they are making quite a bit of
progress with Nvidia card support. :)

Honestly though if you can provide us some more information about your
machine, theres a very very good chance its just simple setting that
needs changed. Saving yourself some $$$ and maybe time.

Just my 2 cents :)

-- 
Donald Talbert <donaldtalbert at gmail.com>