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LightB
April 26th, 2009, 09:59 AM
I'm 0 for 2 recently, my desktop video card seems to be finished. I want to buy a replacement just to use it again, nothing fancy but might as well get the features. I hardly ever look at this sort of thing anymore.

My question is to those that are into this and know their way around. I'm looking at stuff like a Geforce 9400 GT. Is this one acceptable and good on linux, with aiglx support and all?

If yes to both, it's confusing. Why are there about 100 different versions for the same card as in manufacturers (ASUS, EVGA, etc), VRAM size, even specs. Like one is listed as being 1GB but slower "memory clock" than a 512MB one. Also, the 512MB one says it support OpenGL 3.0 while the other one only 2.1. Does 3.0 even see any use?? Out of those two, which would you get? They cost about the same. Will the smaller sized, faster one run hotter and functionally slower or something?

3rdalbum
April 26th, 2009, 11:26 AM
The Geforce 9400GT is not what I'd choose, but if you don't want anything fancy it should work fine on Linux. There's nothing wrong with them - it's just that they've got acceptable performance for 2007.

At this end of the market you won't really want to worry about different manufacturers and graphics RAM sizes. As long as it uses GDDR memory and not just normal DDR2 memory, then that's all that will matter (ask the retailer or Google about this). 512mb of GDDR is perfectly fine.

itsStephen
April 26th, 2009, 11:42 AM
My Palit 9400GT Super works fine!

You probably already know it's nothing special but if you just want something for nothing in particular then it's good.

k2t0f12d
April 26th, 2009, 12:01 PM
I'm looking at stuff like a Geforce 9400 GT. Is this one acceptable and good on linux, with aiglx support and all?Nvidia's card power is relative to the size of the last thre numbers of the model (eg. 8800 is more powerful then 8600). The first number indicates the cards generation which may or may not be better then the last generation. None of these cards currently feature free software drivers.

LightB
April 26th, 2009, 05:01 PM
The Geforce 9400GT is not what I'd choose, but if you don't want anything fancy it should work fine on Linux. There's nothing wrong with them - it's just that they've got acceptable performance for 2007.

No offense but how many 2007+ games, excluding adaptations of old ones run on linux to begin with? A handful? I do not run Windows at all.


At this end of the market you won't really want to worry about different manufacturers and graphics RAM sizes. As long as it uses GDDR memory and not just normal DDR2 memory, then that's all that will matter (ask the retailer or Google about this). 512mb of GDDR is perfectly fine.

Yeah but more than that I don't want some hot card that's going to have a noisy fan all the time, which is why I asked about the speed and memory size discrepancy between the two examples.

And another thing. Getting the latest and greatest is going to be pointless for my purpose because it's not for a new machine but a replacement for a dead machine with merely PCI-E 1.0. Even the card I mention is overkill because it's PCI-E 2.0. No way I'm wasting money on the newest stuff to put on an old desktop machine.


Nvidia's card power is relative to the size of the last thre numbers of the model (eg. 8800 is more powerful then 8600). The first number indicates the cards generation which may or may not be better then the last generation.

I know that but my question about the same model name with different specs remains.


None of these cards currently feature free software drivers.

I'm well aware of that. I'm deliberately looking for an nvidia card because of their linux drivers. It's the only option I see at this point because the only other linux driver that is a serious performing 3d with aiglx are ATI, and no thanks, fglrx sucks.

Polygon
April 26th, 2009, 05:10 PM
any recent nvidia card has open gl 3.0 support

LightB
April 26th, 2009, 05:12 PM
any recent nvidia card has open gl 3.0 support

That's not what I asked.