Re: GeForce 8800 GTS under Linux

On Sun, 26 Aug 2007 03:26:37 +0000, Arno Wagner wrote:

Previously Stefan Patric <tootek2@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sat, 25 Aug 2007 16:03:17 +0000, Arno Wagner wrote:

This is to document my recent experiences when I bought a GeForce 8800
GTS. The reason I bough it was, of course, not Linux, but gaming under

[snip]

Note: I did not try the Nvidia driver for Linux, since I do not need
3D support and viedo-playback wiorks fine without it.

You should install the native nVidia driver, if only to try it out. I
have the GeForce 6600 card on my 64-bit system (Abit KN9, Athlon 64 2.0
GHz, 2 GB RAM, 1280 x 1024 on a CRT). Whether or not you use 3D stuff
or run games, neither of which I do, there is a noticeable improvement
in the update speed of the display as compared to the default nv
driver.

I don't need faster update speed, since I do not notice any delays as it
is. Furthermore the Nvidia driver sucks insofar as it needs to be
recompiled for every kernel change (and I frequently change my kernel).

Fortunately, I'm spared that inconvenience, since I rarely need to
compile a custom kernel myself. Usually I just update the kernel with
yum, which takes care of all dependencies, including updating the proper
pre-compiled nVidia driver through the livna repository. Just did an
system update, including the kernel, last night. Simple and painless.

True, the difference is slight, when not running 3D stuff, but it is
noticeable. The nVidia driver seems to "smooth" overall display
response, which for me was worth it. I had gotten tired after using the
nv driver for 6 months of some applications, especially menus, being
"jerky" or having a slight delay before responding to mouse input. Now,
it's instantaneous.

Since I run Fedora Core 6 64-bit, I downloaded the nVidia driver from
the livna repository -- as recommended -- instead of the one from
nVidia's web site, which I'm told is not 100% compatible with Fedora.

Or with the Linux kernel....

I had only read cautions about nVidia's driver off their web site with
regards to Fedora, and not with other distros or the kernel in general.
Good to know.

Stef
.

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