New OS (linux ubunta?) Help!!!

badogblue

badogblue

badogblue

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I am building a new pc for mainly web browsing and word and thought i would stray from Windows and try linux.

My pc spec includes a radeon hd 4350 (for online video), how will this work with linux drivers, i.e should i choose nvidia or go back to Windows.

Any help would be most appreciated!
Thanks in advance.
 
If you're used to Windows then Mint is definitely worth a look.

I thought that the 3450 was a better card for that sort of work, since it supports HD Video Acceleration? Either way i'm pretty sure both of them have dedicated Linux drivers.
 
I am aware that the card has linux drivers but have heard a lot of complaints, does any one have a similar set-up.
Also what version of linux do you think is the best, i need a word app compatible with microsoft word.
Thanks in advance.
 
Ubuntu is easily the most popular and with that comes massive online forums offering answers to pretty much any problem you're likely to encounter (then theres the IRC chans etc for even more help). Open office is compatible-ish with Word. My advice would be to keep your formatting limited in Word to ensure better compatibility. Unless you have a pathetic CPU you should be fine to view non-HD flash videos.
 
dangerstat did you get me email?


OP - try ubuntu but with openbox as the window manager, google is your friend or post on here when your setup :p
 
Mint basically is Ubuntu, but a more 'refined' version. I think it's got a nice UI, and no matter how you look at it it's still easier to learn coming from Windows.
 
One thing i will say though - at this point i think i actually prefer Mint 7 to Mint 8. 8 is riddled with lots of little problems, wheras for a first time user like yourself 7 is perfectly stable and no less practical.

Hell, i'm only on 8 as i require the mounting of drives to work seamlessly, which is the only thing i've found so far that works better. So 7 until Clem actually sorts out these problems.
 
Oxy said:
dangerstat did you get me email?


OP - try ubuntu but with openbox as the window manager, google is your friend or post on here when your setup :p
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that using OpenBox is the best idea for a complete Linux noob, it's not as easy as Gnome (at least in Ubuntu or Mint) to configure.
 
manic111 said:
I'm not sure that using OpenBox is the best idea for a complete Linux noob, it's not as easy as Gnome (at least in Ubuntu or Mint) to configure.
Click to expand...

i'm not suggesting that, he could use gnome with openbox as the window manager to save resources if he gets an atom or summit.
 
Oxy said:
i'm not suggesting that, he could use gnome with openbox as the window manager to save resources if he gets an atom or summit.
Click to expand...

Ah fair enough; I was going to say that booting up for the first time to a totally blank screen may not inspire confidence :D
 
Graphics drivers on Linux are poor, but nVidia's are far superior to ATi's.
Click to expand...

Does anyone else agree with this, always thought ati was better at budget range.

Unless you have a pathetic CPU you should be fine.
Click to expand...

Will probably be using an amd anthlon x2 240 cpu + msi 770-c45 mobo.
Any advice would be great.
Thanks in advance.
 
Well if you were even considering the 4350 then your usage will probably not require maximum performance (it can sometimes take a hit with bad drivers) but at least they exist. Meaning it will work.
 
badogblue said:
Does anyone else agree with this, always thought ati was better at budget range.



Will probably be using an amd anthlon x2 240 cpu + msi 770-c45 mobo.
Any advice would be great.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...


Completely disagreed, unless you're planning to hardcore game on that card (which by your choice of card I doubt).

In ubuntu getting the drivers updated is as simple as opening up a command prompt and typing:

sudo apt-get install envyng-core
sudo envyng -t

Then following the text examples and then restarting your X server (ctrl-alt-backspace if ubuntu comes with dontzap as default).

Once you're back on your desktop confirm you have hardware accelerated video by going to a terminal and typing 'glxinfo | grep direct', if you get direct rendering: enabled, you're golden.
 
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