Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

[nitehawk]

I need advice on what is a good (used) video card that works well with most distros. I have two older computers:
{PIII--1Ghz--512ram--160 & 40 G hds}
{PIII--933Mhz--384ram--20 & 8 G hds}

both have that crazy Intel embedded/integrated i815 video chipset thing!! Puppy Linux works just fine in both,...Ubuntu will somewhat (just not all of the screensavers). SimplyMEPIS wouldn't work until I slipped in an old Matrox Mystique video card in the 1Ghz (Dell). Parsix, OpenSuse, Mandriva, etc. etc. all have problems with the video.

I have pretty good luck with eBay (got a couple of used external modems that way).....

So what would you suggest as a decent (not the "latest or greatest") video card I should look for? I really don't need all the real latest or fancy stuff,......that would be nice,...but something that will work at a decent price is what I need.

[nic2109]

It will partly depend on how purist you are regarding free software. nVidia offers a good open source driver, but ATi don't - theirs is free as in lunch but not as in speech. As a consequence the former works better out of the box with most Puppies but to get decent performance from an ATi card needs a .pet to install the driver. Nothing wrong with that - it just goes against the grain a little.

I hope that is helpful; I'm afraid that I don't know enough to recommend specific models - having a laptop with an ATi card myself!

[nitehawk]

Thanks for the info,...
yes,..that was actually VERY helpful,...as I have been "trolling" around eBay,...just looking at the available video card offerings. I saw both the Nvidia cards,...as well as others,..but just didn't know what the difference might be (I'm no computer whiz,...but I can do SOME things) but I'm not-so-informed when it comes to video cards and such. I'll keep the "free" advice in mind.

[Sit Heel Speak]

I believe the nVidia driver is closed-source, the ATi driver is open. The difference is material only if you don't trust the government.

See the charts at following 2 URL's:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_ATI_graphics_processing_units
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Nvidia_Graphics_Processing_Units

Your hope is to find the card that gives you the fastest fillrate that is within your budget, also considering what type of expansion bus slot your mainboard is equipped with (AGP2x, AGP4x, AGP8x, PCI, PCI-express-16, or newer types of PCI-express which are expensive), and what type of connector your monitor takes (VGA for old monitors, or DVI for newer flatpanels), and whether or not you need an s-video-out port and/or a port for a second monitor (i.e. a "dual-head" card). With newer cards you need to check whether your power supply has the necessary auxiliary 4-pin or 6-pin mainboard connector which feeds the video card--if your mainboard is so equipped. Also, some cards have cooling fans and so you need to make sure you have sufficient clearance.

I have not tried any newer ATi card. A vintage-1999 ATi r128 AGP8x card, e.g. XPert 2000, is adequate for viewing flash videos and even movie DVD's on. In fact, even a PCI Voodoo 3 from the Stone Age is good enough for these purposes. You can find these cards for under US$5 in computer-recycle shops. Might be tricky to configure though.

I have had good luck with nVidia FX5200 cards in every Puppy since 2.17. You can pick up a PCI FX5200 on eBay for US$20 or less, including shipping, nowadays. I have seen them for sale new at Frye's for as little as US$59.99, with a US$30 mail-in-rebate, so effective price is US$29.99. AGP8x-bus FX5200's are in theory faster, but I doubt you'll notice the difference. Some have 256 MB of onboard memory, some have only 128, I own both, I haven't noticed any difference. You might notice a difference if you play games with rich textures though.

The nVidia 6200 in my rig works, and cost only $29.99 new after rebate, but was a bear to make XOrg work with--you need XOrg, not XVesa, to give 3D acceleration. I wouldn't recommend it for a novice.

By contrast, XOrg "just works" on the 5200, even to the extent that the Compiz autoconfigure in VestaPup "just works," on my other, dual P3-600 rig. I don't know whether the Compiz in the Puppy-derivative Ripple "just works," I haven't tried Ripple yet.

So, bottom line is: if you don't care whether the Secret Government can use your video adapter driver to surreptitiously access your hard drive and monitor your keystrokes, get an FX5200. If you wear a tinfoil hat and believe They Are Out To Get You then get an ATi, anything in the r200 series or higher should satisfy you.

I have heard sighs of ecstasy emit from purchasers of the AGP8x ATi X1650XT card --"You can have it when you take it from my cold dead fingers" et cetera. For video capture work (e.g. television freeze-frame), the modern editions of the ATi All-in-Wonder are the cat's meow, reviewers say. Just don't ask me how you configure one!

HTH, SHS

[nitehawk]

Yes,...
I always like to wear a tinfoil hat. I cringe to think that my daughter merrily taps away on her XP machine (absolutely refuses to even consider using anything else!). {{{shudder}}}.
Thanks for even more good info to hash over,.........(eBay can wait awhile,...'til I sort all this out).

[Aitch]

2nd SHSs analysis with a difference

[Sit Heel Speak]

[nitehawk]

Wow,..
I've been wading through all this info,...and "Googling",...and digging through other forums,...
I saw on one of Mandriva's sites,..the listings of computers and hardware.A good number showed the same computer (as my main one) Dell Optiplex (Coppermine) running the nVidia Geforce2 mx400 video card.

I just happened (in my hours of digging) to spot that video card on eBay (128mb nVidia Geforce mx400) brand-new-in-the-box with cables, CD of drivers, etc. etc....all for about $20 (including shipping).

I am sure the CD of drivers and such are for Windoz,....but there may be a way to transfer to linux. Anyhow,...for better or worse,.I've got it coming my way. We'll see how it works.

I sure am getting a "crash course" in linux hardware (good info here).