AMD or Nvidia for Linux & Windows

[Fourstar]

I've been looking for a new graphics card around £200. The GeForce 1660 Super and the Radeon 5500 XT fit the bill but they both seem to have driver problems. Under Linux the 1660 is supposed to be a ballache to get working and has problems with screen tearing and multi monitor. 5500 isn't supported in released kernels with 5.5 being a recommendation and 5.6 suggested to people with problems. Windows seems better but I keep reading about the blank screen bug affecting the Radeons.

I'm not sure if these are widespread problems or if they're fixed. I can't find that much info online with success stories. Anyone running a newest gen under Linux? How have you found it?

Because of this I've been thinking about a last gen 590 or second hand Vega 56 but I'm being put off by the power consumption. My computer room gets quite warm in the summer and a 100W+ extra power under load is a lot.

 

[Fourstar]

Thanks for your insights. Your info about HW video decoding sent me down the rabbit hole and I discovered the HW x265 encoding on Turing based Nvidia cards reportedly comes close to SW for quality and is much faster in speed. I've got a huge pile of DVDs I've always intended to rip and being stuck at home is a good motivation to do it.

I'm likely to go the Nvidia route maybe the 2060.

 

[Fourstar]

I should have said, I realise none of the HW encoders are likely to work under Linux! If I find the HW encoder to be good I can leave the machine running windows overnight.

My venerable, and soon to be retired, Phenom II x6 manages youtube vp9 at 1440p without problems (4K stutters). While HW acceleration would be nice I can certainly live without it