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View Full Version : [SOLVED] Lengthy Install: Victory Over Hardware



Whizzospace
November 19th, 2009, 10:12 PM
I've been using 8.04 with varying degrees of success since summer 2008. My Pentium 4 system with 3 Gig of RAM should have been a very healthy platform. Yet it always lagged horribly when booting, loading and running apps, and especially screen rendering. It was simply unpleasant to use, so I gave up for many months, not even dual booting into Ubuntu.

I've been a fan of ATI hardware for 10 years - misplaced loyalty perhaps, but always pleased with their products. I fought the ATI Rage All-In-Wonder video card, trying different multiverse drivers, and wanting to believe I could make it work. Many discussion groups, including threads here, suggested it's is a tough but winnable battle.

Then a colleague at work mentioned a sale item old NVIDIA 6200 series video card for US $29. I made the swap tonight, and now am practically dancing on the desktop. Hardy immediately recognized the card, asked me if I wanted to install the 3d accelerators, and now my entire Ubuntu experience is transformed. Faster than the dreaded MS product in every way. It's a whole new desktop.

So, was Ubuntu totally free for this new user? No, but it was sure worth the price! Now I can finally start customizing and enjoying the experience.