Nvidia or ATI graphics?

[salimfadhley]

There are some sweet deals available on ATI radeon graphics cards these days, but I understand that ATI's drivers are not so good and owning an ATI machine can be a pain.

Is this true? I want to buy a brand new computer - given the choice between nearly identical ATI or Nvidia based graphics cards should I go for the ATI deal or play it safe and buy Nvidia?

I really do not want to spend a lot of time setting up my PC, so even if ATI stuff can be made to work I'd rather choose Nvidia if it means less fiddling - I just do not have the time.

[halitech]

I just bought a new board with an onboard x1200 and after installing the system, I just had to download the latest drivers (9.4) from ATI and run them, reboot and I had 1600x1200. Without the drivers I had 1024x768. I can't speak on Nvidia as I've never had 1.

[MichaelSammels]

I just bought a new board with an onboard x1200 and after installing the system, I just had to download the latest drivers (9.4) from ATI and run them, reboot and I had 1600x1200. Without the drivers I had 1024x768. I can't speak on Nvidia as I've never had 1.

I prefer nVidia to ATI, since I had an ATI card. It died on me while running Tomb Raider Legend. Legend :P

Besides, you can get a standard nVidia card with 1GB RAM for about £200 these days.

[salimfadhley]

That means the Ubuntu Restricted-Drivers feature did not correctly download the drivers for you? I've never actually downloaded drivers from Nvidia - I always used the ones that Ubuntu provides for me via the restricted-drivers feature.

Can anybody else comment on the relative difficutly of getting an ATI based machine compared to an Nvidia?

[halitech]

I prefer nVidia to ATI, since I had an ATI card. It died on me while running Tomb Raider Legend. Legend :P

Besides, you can get a standard nVidia card with 1GB RAM for about £200 these days.

I find it hard to believe that playing a game killed the card and it was probably on the way out anyway. How old was the old when it died?

[binbash]

If you are going to deal with wine and linux, forget ATI and buy a nvidia.

[halitech]

That means the Ubuntu Restricted-Drivers feature did not correctly download the drivers for you? I've never actually downloaded drivers from Nvidia - I always used the ones that Ubuntu provides for me via the restricted-drivers feature.

Can anybody else comment on the relative difficutly of getting an ATI based machine compared to an Nvidia?

I use Debian on this system so there is no restricted drivers feature to get enable drivers so manually is the only way. As far as the newer cards, the restricted drivers should do it just as easily for ATI as Nvidia.

[MichaelSammels]

I find it hard to believe that playing a game killed the card and it was probably on the way out anyway. How old was the old when it died?

2006ish. But I still prefer nVidia. :P Although, if I do say I have too much video memory now, but still.

Yeah, the card was dying, really hot too. I'm surprised it didn't melt.

[philinux]

At this moment in time my vote goes to nVidia. ATI may catch up sometime in the not too distant future.

[halitech]

2006ish. But I still prefer nVidia. :P Although, if I do say I have too much video memory now, but still.

Yeah, the card was dying, really hot too. I'm surprised it didn't melt.

we all have our preferences and chances are when I buy a new card I probably will go Nvidia but will research it to see how well it will work with my amd board

[waspbr]

Ati has potential, but that is provided the open source drivers mature because the proprietary ones are not doing a good job at all.

So if you wanna save urself the hassle then I would recommend nvidia, though if you like tweaking and to live in the expectation that the next release driver will work as it should, then u should pick ati.

[bodhi.zazen]

Moved to recurring discussions.

[izizzle]

My XFX 8600GT XXX Edition works flawlessly with any distro I have tried.

[gn2]

Only get Nvidia if you actually need a discreet card, otherwise get a motherboard with Intel on-board graphics.

Never buy ATI.

(A Thousand Irritations)

[khelben1979]

ATi graphics works great with Linux. Some ATi chipset types have had bad support though, so I would advice you to know what you're choosing before you do, I suppose.

[AirIntake]

I have an ATI 4850. I can't run Jaunty because everything runs slow and crashes, both with the ATI restricted driver that comes with Jaunty, and version 9.4 and 9.5 downloaded from ATI.com. I have to run Intrepid. Even then, I have to disable Compiz or else videos flicker horribly. And even then, 1080p videos play slow and tear enough to make them unwatchable. So, to summarize, ATI and Linux don't bloody mix. Stay far far far away. nVidia all the way in retrospect.

(I also have a laptop with an nVidia 8400M GS and it runs Jaunty perfectly in every way)

[collinp]

It really depends upon what you need to do. Gaming is nVidia's market, nothing by ATI beats their GTX series cards. ATI is good if you just want to do some graphics editing and light gaming. Even though ATI has some powerful cards (4850 and above) nVidia still owns the gaming market.

[racerraul]

ATI drivers really suck... They need to catch up in a hurry.

I have a laptop assigned to me from work with an ATI x2300 (aka x1350) running XP. Even the drivers for Windows SUCK!

I'd avoid ATI like the plague for now... wait for the open source drivers provide better support before gettin ATI cards

[CharmyBee]

I have no problems with ATI (I never used their budget or mobile solutions anyway), so I voted for that one.

[keplerspeed]

I cant bag ati... never used one.

BUT my nvidia 9500GT: flawless.

[stwschool]

I have both. ATI is a problem for users with older cards but even the newer ones lack grunt. ATI's proprietary driver also doesn't play nice with compiz (certain apps/video/etc will flicker a lot if compiz is on). Nvidia is hassle-free, clean, stable, works perfectly. If you want games on Wine, video, compiz and all that (and let's face it, we may as well aim high) use Nvidia.

[AirIntake]

I would honestly like to know what ATI card the 9 people (so far) who voted ATI are using, with what driver, what version of Ubuntu, and is Compiz on? Perhaps some combinations do work flawless.

[ssri]

Well, if one wants gaming through wine, I would strongly urge that person to go with nvidia, seeing how the devs wrote specifically wrote wine to utilize nvidia's driver stack when it comes to 3d acceleration. Hell, even my ATI Mobility Radeon x2300 (Catalyst 9.3) shows glitches when doing 2D draws in a windows cataloging program (whereisit) that I must use.

[LakesideLoafer]

Has to be Nvidia. I am running Intrepid with an onboard ATI card. Compiz works after a fashion but if turned on video playback is unwatchable. Unfortunately my PCI Express slot is shot so I can't upgrade.

[CharmyBee]

I would honestly like to know what ATI card the 9 people (so far) who voted ATI are using, with what driver, what version of Ubuntu, and is Compiz on? Perhaps some combinations do work flawless.

Radeon HD3850 w/ 9.4 on Jaunty, no problems

(except for the login screen assuming 1280x1024 then displaying 1024x768, but that's just a x issue i haven't fixed since I did not configure my monitor yet)

[0per4t0r]

I probably will go Nvidia but will research it to see how well it will work with my amd board
Yeah, Nvidia works alright with AMD processors. Mine came with an AMD64 Athlon Dual-Core, and it works great with my nvidia card. Anyway, my vote goes to nvidia. They're more linux-friendly, and so far my experience with nvidia has been okay.

[halitech]

Yeah, Nvidia works alright with AMD processors. Mine came with an AMD64 Athlon Dual-Core, and it works great with my nvidia card. Anyway, my vote goes to nvidia. They're more linux-friendly, and so far my experience with nvidia has been okay.

I know AMD chips and Nvidia work well together but how about AMD boards that have on board ATI graphics? It's a Sapphire Pure Element 690V PE-AM2RS690V2

[Paul41]

I have tried a ATI card before and never was able to get the drivers to work. I eventually gave up. Nvidia cards have never given me any problems.

[frodon]

For linux nvidia obviously as they are still the only one to release good, powerful, reliable and easy to install drivers.
For windows ATI of course, as their products are cheaper at the same performance level.

[gn2]

~ how about AMD boards that have on board ATI graphics? It's a Sapphire Pure Element 690V PE-AM2RS690V2

Avoid all ATi graphics adapters at all costs.

[CharmyBee]

Avoid all ATi graphics adapters at all costs.

He wasn't asking for your preaching; only for if the combination would yield better.

[gn2]

He wasn't asking for your preaching; only for if the combination would yield better.

It won't.

[halitech]

Avoid all ATi graphics adapters at all costs.

hard to avoid it when its onboard :) and to be quite honest, I'm very happy with the performance I'm getting but then again, I'm not an eye candy type of guy so I don't use compiz so that could be why I'm not having any problems with it. I can watch videos in full screen, all my apps work fine and I'm running 1600x1200 on a 21 inch monitor. It also only took 3 minutes to install the ati driver and reboot to get it working.

[MasterNetra]

Only get Nvidia if you actually need a discreet card, otherwise get a motherboard with Intel on-board graphics.

Never buy ATI.

(A Thousand Irritations)

Not if you want to game you don't get Intel..at least not a mobile anyway. My labtop has it and it dies after 15 min of halo (if I'm likely enough to go that long) it has a bad habit of easily overheating and has been doing it sense I got it. I wish I had a nvidia...

[gn2]

Not if you want to game you don't get Intel..

Which is why I wrote "need".

If you want to play games, don't get a laptop.