Unpleasant install experience. HD5850 Ubuntu 10.4.

[BuffPuff]

As an owner of ATI, nVidia and Intel graphics hardware I'll take the performance and behaviour of the nVidia blob over the others any day.

I grant you it's not open source and therefore in the view of some ranges from between "less pure" and "the spawn of the devil" but you can't deny that from a pure results point of view it's quite an effective driver.

As there are no perfect graphics drivers for Linux you'll be able to find fault with any of them but on the balance I consider the blob the best. If it has a problem with something in your particular work load then of course that wont hold true for you though.

I want to second that, I love open source, as long as it works well for my needs, otherwise, it's whatever gets the job done.

[mugginz]

Well, that "superior closed driver" is one of the reasons why *I* will never touch an nvidia again until they open source their driver. It may be superior, but the big question is ***TO WHAT?*** Intel Poulsbo?

As an owner of ATI, nVidia and Intel graphics hardware I'll take the performance and behaviour of the nVidia blob over the others any day.

I grant you it's not open source and therefore in the view of some ranges from between "less pure" and "the spawn of the devil" but you can't deny that from a pure results point of view it's quite an effective driver.

As there are no perfect graphics drivers for Linux you'll be able to find fault with any of them but on the balance I consider the blob the best. If it has a problem with something in your particular work load then of course that wont hold true for you though.

[BuffPuff]

The GTX 460 and GTS 450 appear to be cooler running cards than that generation. You could consider a GTX 460 768MB model which should out perform the 260. The power/temps still aren't up to par to ATI's offerings but they aren't bad and an improvement over the past generations. Imho, it's the only Fermi cards worth getting.

Take a look?:

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=560742&mpage=1#570929

ATI would be my definite choice with better drivers but I think the progress might be too slow for my liking.

Thanks Panix, I think I will go for the 460, the prices are sweet too:

http://azerty.nl/8-971-290728/palit-gtx-460-grafische-adapte.html

[droidhacker]

On one hand we have the superior hardware of ATI, and on the other there's the superior closed driver of nVidia.

Well, that "superior closed driver" is one of the reasons why *I* will never touch an nvidia again until they open source their driver. It may be superior, but the big question is ***TO WHAT?*** Intel Poulsbo?

[Panix]

But what you wrote was understandable enough, as a possible buyer who is a linux user these days, there are the Nvidia 260 GTX and AMD 5770 comparable (according to my subjective tests, link bellow).
The 5770 sells here in NL for ~150 Euro, while the GTX 260 sells at 180.

I do like where the ATI hardware is going to lately, reminds me of the 9700PRO period, where they were running cooler and faster than nVidia.

But it just doesn't make sense to go 30 Euro cheaper for such an inferior end result, so the next one will be an Nvidia.

This time I will buy the one with two fans, maybe it won't fry like the 9800 GTX (BFG where are you when I need you!!!!)

Thanks ppl... :-)

The GTX 460 and GTS 450 appear to be cooler running cards than that generation. You could consider a GTX 460 768MB model which should out perform the 260. The power/temps still aren't up to par to ATI's offerings but they aren't bad and an improvement over the past generations. Imho, it's the only Fermi cards worth getting.

Take a look?:

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=560742&mpage=1#570929

ATI would be my definite choice with better drivers but I think the progress might be too slow for my liking.

[mugginz]

Well, I use skype, virtualbox, browsers and mostly many open windows, I also have an nvidia based mobo (asus stryker extreem).

I haven't had issues with skype, and currently no issues with the "black window bug" with any of the browsing I do (which is an awful lot )

I don't use virtual box and instead use KVM and I'm having rendering issues while trialling VMs.

Problems with fglrx do escalate and become more frequent the more windows you have open at the same time.

But what you wrote was understandable enough, as a possible buyer who is a linux user these days, there are the Nvidia 260 GTX and AMD 5770 comparable (according to my subjective tests, link bellow).
The 5770 sells here in NL for ~150 Euro, while the GTX 260 sells at 180.

I to was looking at the GTX-260 and also considered a 5770. Then, as a hedge against creating a situation whereby I bought most of the card I wanted but not quite enough and therefore need to buy again I went all out and got a 5870. The hardware is fantastic and fast when in a situation where it can shine, unfortunately that's not nearly often enough.

I do like where the ATI hardware is going to lately, reminds me of the 9700PRO period, where they were running cooler and faster than nVidia.

But it just doesn't make sense to go 30 Euro cheaper for such an inferior end result, so the next one will be an Nvidia.

And with this, us graphics card purchasers for Linux boxes are between a rock and a hard place. On one hand we have the superior hardware of ATI, and on the other there's the superior closed driver of nVidia. Ultimately if the hardware can't be driven correctly by the driver then the hardware becomes much less than it could be

This time I will buy the one with two fans, maybe it won't fry like the 9800 GTX (BFG where are you when I need you!!!!)

Thanks ppl... :-)

Because of the possibility of ATI coming through with a good driver release I usually recommend people put off their purchase as long as possible in the hope that the next version might be 10 parts awesome. But of course one could be left waiting for ever in that case so today, right at this moment if you must buy and you are only driving one or two screens, nVidia in my view is the safest bet.

[BuffPuff]

The fact that you want a composited desktop (compiz) AMD's drivers will be a little weak at the moment. I have issues with video playback, Blender, GoogleEarth amongst others. Flash video has improved noticeably since the 10.4 driver as has the street view part of Google Earth. Window resizing can be extremely slow depending on how big you size the window and what other programs happen to be running at the time. There are odd interactions depending on the programs you happen to have open at the time.

Can you list the software you need to be able to run in addition to compiz and avant?

Well, I use skype, virtualbox, browsers and mostly many open windows, I also have an nvidia based mobo (asus stryker extreem).

But what you wrote was understandable enough, as a possible buyer who is a linux user these days, there are the Nvidia 260 GTX and AMD 5770 comparable (according to my subjective tests, link bellow).
The 5770 sells here in NL for ~150 Euro, while the GTX 260 sells at 180.

I do like where the ATI hardware is going to lately, reminds me of the 9700PRO period, where they were running cooler and faster than nVidia.

But it just doesn't make sense to go 30 Euro cheaper for such an inferior end result, so the next one will be an Nvidia.

This time I will buy the one with two fans, maybe it won't fry like the 9800 GTX (BFG where are you when I need you!!!!)

Thanks ppl... :-)

[bridgman]

In general GL improvements should hit Linux around the same time as other OSes, unless the issue is in the Linux-specific wrapper. Outside of GL, the "wrapper" is larger since the APIs are totally different, so there is relatively more Linux-specific code and relatively less correlation between what you see on driver releases for Linux vs. other OSes.

[mugginz]

Just curious, who is saying this other than Q ?

I may have conflated stuff I've heard on Windows oriented forums with what could happen with the Linux version.

Come to think of it, the only one with the rose coloured classes on re fglrx 10.10 around these parts would probably be Q, whom I have little trust in. He may have access to it via someone in the beta program but his optimism has been mostly misplaced in the pace so I assume it's the same now. Most of the others telling me there was nothing really wrong with fglrx have been a bit quiet on that front lately.

Still, I can have hope in the face of adversity

I'm resisting the switch to Windows in order to avoid driver issues. To paraphrase princess leia, "Help me ATI/AMD, you're my only hope"

[bridgman]

Depending on who you believe, the 10.10 release of the driver will cure all. I'm sceptical but hopeful.

Just curious, who is saying this other than Q ?