video card for new computer

[Peter Flynn]

On 17/12/17 00:05, Jared Norris wrote:
> So it has been a while since anyone spoke to the actual question posed - 
> does anyone have anything useful for the OP?

I would STRONGLY recommend test-booting any potential system using a USB 
distribution before you buy. This will almost certainly reveal any problems.

> In my experience Nvidia cards perform well in Ubuntu using the 
> proprietary drivers, with the caveat that they don't support them 
> forever so you might find yourself on a legacy driver which means it 
> will still work, but without some of the bells and whistles.

I have been searching for a Linux distribution which will install and 
boot on a Dell XPS 15 SSD. Almost all of them — including, I am sorry to 
say, *all* *ubuntu variants — fail completely even to boot from USB, as 
they hang halfway with the logo spinning/throbbing/whatever (Ubuntu 
hangs at the fourth dot changing colour), and it does not provide a 
compatibility mode or terminal-only install.

The only two which actually boot from USB (and then only in 
compatibility mode) are Bodhi and Mint. Both of these install, but when 
you reboot, Bodhi gives a black screen and blinking cursor because it 
failed to install Grub. Mint Cinnamon was the only distribution which 
both installed the system, installed Grub, *and* updated the video drivers.

I'm happy with that, but I would have been happier with *ubuntu. 
Omitting a compatibility-mode and terminal-mode installer was A Bad Idea 
IMNSHO.

///Peter