Best working nVidia card for linux?

[GoBBLeS]

I think i've just about had it with Ati/amd cards under linux, so i'm considering trading my ati card with a nVidia, if there's one working great.

Soo, is there? Ideally one that works at full speed with everything on, with (berryl?)effects, Wine and games and so on...

Btw. a reasonably new card, not some old crap :)

[StringCheesian]

My 9600GT works great, but others have reported 2D performance issues. The 7900 series is probably the most recent nVidia card to get few or no complaints.

[Moustacha]

7 series hehe. 8 series and up is hit and miss with working in 2d, and you don't get xvmc support either.

[Redeeman]

xvmc is worthless anyway, but 2d issues are great.

also, resizing in compiz/beryl is extremely slow with nvidia..

[pflynn]

My 9600GT works great, but others have reported 2D performance issues. The 7900 series is probably the most recent nVidia card to get few or no complaints.

Hi StringCheesian. Would you mind telling us the vendor and model of your 9600GT card? I'm about to buy two of those cards and I would like to be sure it has the 'Linux 2D acceleration approved' seal of quality :).

[StringCheesian]

Hi StringCheesian. Would you mind telling us the vendor and model of your 9600GT card? I'm about to buy two of those cards and I would like to be sure it has the 'Linux 2D acceleration approved' seal of quality :).

This one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127333

On an ASUS M2N-E motherboard.

It has one flaw. It's nice and quiet only while the nvidia module and xorg are loaded. While booting up or shutting down (or when using vesa or nv driver) the fan roars loudly.

lspci:07:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Device 0622 (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd. Device 1270
Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 20
Memory at fa000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
Memory at e0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
Memory at f8000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=32M]
I/O ports at 9c00 [size=128]
[virtual] Expansion ROM at fbf80000 [disabled] [size=512K]
Capabilities: [60] Power Management version 3
Capabilities: [68] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-
Capabilities: [78] Express Endpoint, MSI 00
Capabilities: [b4] Vendor Specific Information <?>
Capabilities: [100] Virtual Channel <?>
Capabilities: [128] Power Budgeting <?>
Capabilities: [600] Vendor Specific Information <?>
Kernel driver in use: nvidia
Kernel modules: nvidia

Gentoo Linux. nvidia driver 173.14.09. Xorg 7.2 (x86 stable).
No performance problems with Firefox 3.0.1 on KDE 3 or Gnome 2.22.

I don't know about KDE 4 - I only update it and run it often enough to check if it has the features and configurability I want yet. Resizing is slow, but otherwise it's fine. I haven't seen anything remotely like the outragously slow 2D that people with KDE4+nvidia have described. At least, not in what little time I've spent with it.

[some-guy]

with nvidia set the compiz resize mode to stretch(or any of the ones that isn't normal), nvidia can handle that more easily than normal :D

[GoBBLeS]

My 9600GT works great, but others have reported 2D performance issues. The 7900 series is probably the most recent nVidia card to get few or no complaints.

Hmm. I have been searching prices and perfomance chards.
A card like yours costs the same as most of the 8800gt's, but the 8800gt is generally about 20% faster it seems..

If anyone have a 8800gt which is working fully in 2d and 3d, i'd really like a reply :)

Else i guess i'll have to settle with a 9600gt...

A 7900 series is kinda outta the question, there's really no reason to choose this over a 9600gt...

[deanjo]

Hmm. I have been searching prices and perfomance chards.
A card like yours costs the same as most of the 8800gt's, but the 8800gt is generally about 20% faster it seems..

If anyone have a 8800gt which is working fully in 2d and 3d, i'd really like a reply :)

Else i guess i'll have to settle with a 9600gt...

A 7900 series is kinda outta the question, there's really no reason to choose this over a 9600gt...


I've got a couple of 8800GT's (Palit and PNY) and they are working fine here.

[_txf_]

As far as I'm aware no 8 series and above has adequate 2d performance. If you're after pure 3d speed then nvidia is good and stable (mostly). the 2d issue is awful and as far as I can tell it is up to the individual tolerance of the user to determine whether they can take it...oh yeah keep away from firefox and kde4 if you can't take it...

p.s. If you have a beefy computer you might get away with alright speed (C2Q especially)...

[Kano]

Best look at the memory, 512 mb cards are usually a tiny bit more expensive but faster. That's why the 8800 gt 256 is so slow compared against a 9600 gt 512 in higher res in the latest 8800 gt review...

[StringCheesian]

Hmm. I have been searching prices and perfomance chards.
A card like yours costs the same as most of the 8800gt's, but the 8800gt is generally about 20% faster it seems..

Yeah, prices changed after I bought it. 512MB 8800GT's were $200ish at the time.

[GoBBLeS]

As far as I'm aware no 8 series and above has adequate 2d performance. If you're after pure 3d speed then nvidia is good and stable (mostly). the 2d issue is awful and as far as I can tell it is up to the individual tolerance of the user to determine whether they can take it...oh yeah keep away from firefox and kde4 if you can't take it...

p.s. If you have a beefy computer you might get away with alright speed (C2Q especially)...


Well, i'm looking for a card that works the best overall. Using Opera(donno if that makes a difference), watching movies/series and some good 3d graphics(not really newest of the newest though, they don't make any interesting games atm. imho.)

My rig is a C2D E8200@2.66Ghz, 3GB 6400 RAM on a Gigabyte GA 965P DS4 Mobo.. Running 1650x1050 on a 22"

I've got a couple of 8800GT's (Palit and PNY) and they are working fine here.

Good. I think i might go for a 8800gt then, specifically it may be a "ZOTAC GeForce 8800GT AMP! Edition (512 MB)"

Best look at the memory, 512 mb cards are usually a tiny bit more expensive but faster. That's why the 8800 gt 256 is so slow compared against a 9600 gt 512 in higher res in the latest 8800 gt review...

I was also going for a 512MB card :)

[slanbarn]

I'm planning on buyng a 9800GT based card, is that a bad idea, would a 8800 based one be just as fine for "normal" usage, desktop use, video playback(xv) and some occasional 3d-gameing.. 512MB ofc.. wait.. come to think about it, 512MB 8800:s are exensiver than 9800GT /w 512MB..
Well, what you think? :)

[deanjo]

I'm planning on buyng a 9800GT based card, is that a bad idea, would a 8800 based one be just as fine for "normal" usage, desktop use, video playback(xv) and some occasional 3d-gameing.. 512MB ofc.. wait.. come to think about it, 512MB 8800:s are exensiver than 9800GT /w 512MB..
Well, what you think? :)

Grab what ever is cheaper. Most of the 9800GT's are just rebranded 8800GT's out there at the moment.

[M1AU]

7 series hehe. 8 series and up is hit and miss with working in 2d, and you don't get xvmc support either.

Hmm, maybe it's just me or my setup, but I own a 7800 GTX card myself and its 2D performance is also utterly crap.

[Spydr4590]

My 8800 GTS runs just fine but I have to use the 177.13 beta driver for stability and fast 2D performance. The 173.xx.xx driver just causes crashing and instability for me. I've had this card for three months now, and really not that many issues. As much as I like ati, nvidia is deviantly still more stable.