Ubuntu, first time using it, a few hardware questions

T00thBru5h

T00thBru5h

T00thBru5h

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Have just built myself a new i3 rig for video, internet and education with only ubuntu installed onto an SSD. Already very impressed with it.

3 main hardware questions though. I want to get a GFX card, half height, what one would you recommend? I hear nvidia is more compatible?

Secondly, I want to install a wifi card, was thinking a mini pci (PEX) card, like the ones in laptops. Again, does anyone have one they know that works with the latest 12.04 ubuntu?

Lastly, has anyone had any trouble getting an Asus Xonar to work with ubuntu?

Much appreciated, I'm already a linux convert!! :D
 
Get an Nvidia card will make life so much easier, but all I will say is the new Ubuntu is awful, have had some really bad experiences setting one up for professional use.

Also try out a few other distros. The new Linux Mint is really nice.
 
Graphics drivers are as follows:
Intel - Open source drivers only. Very stable, well featured but slow in 3D applications.
AMD - Open source and propietary driver availiable. I use the propietary driver and there's nothing wrong with it but it can be a bit rough around the edges. Slow to release fixes.
Nvidia - Generally considered the best driver but no official open source variant. Good record of supporting the latest kernels and so on.

As for wifi things are pretty good these days. I'm using a PCI-E card made by TP-link. The key important thing is the chipset. Most chipsets are supported quite well, make sure the kernel version they use is new enough to support the hardware however and don't go for this new 802.11ac stuff.
 
Monkeynut said:
Nvidia - Generally considered the best driver but no official open source variant. Good record of supporting the latest kernels and so on.
Click to expand...

No official open source variant, but last i used it nouveau was actually usable. Not sure how well it would deal with the newer cards though.

It don't know how much it matters to you, but Linus has 'said' how difficult Nvidia are to work with.
 
PermaBanned said:
No official open source variant, but last i used it nouveau was actually usable. Not sure how well it would deal with the newer cards though.

It don't know how much it matters to you, but Linus has 'said' how difficult Nvidia are to work with.
Click to expand...

Nouveau has its bright spots, but AMD's open source drivers are much better with newer cards. Then again, if he wants the best from his equipment he won't use those anyway.
 
Thanks for the feedback. It's obviously not a gaming machine, just want the gfx card to smoothen 1080p videos and such (and if ubuntu plays bluerays - will find out!), so I will go for an nvdia GT520
 
Hi There,

My two pennies worth.

Definitely go Nvidia for graphics, the open source AMD drivers are fine, but have poor 3d performance and I've had nothing put trouble with the proprietary AMD drivers. Nvidia just tends to work.

I'd definitely also recommend Linux Mint, I've been a fedora fan for years and thought I'd never switch, but I hate Gnome 3 with a passion so tried Mint and have generally been blown away.
 
Its not completely separate to Ubuntu, all versions apart from the Debian based version are based on Ubuntu, but they are reworked by the Mint team and offer a complete different user experience. One day we may see the main Mint version as a complete separate distro as the Debian version develops, thats the plan of the Mint team AFAIK.
 
I think they meant to ask if it would have to be installed separately to, or instead of Ubuntu. Yes, the main version is built upon the latest release of Ubuntu. But it's not just a skin.
 
PermaBanned said:
I think they meant to ask if it would have to be installed separately to, or instead of Ubuntu. Yes, the main version is built upon the latest release of Ubuntu. But it's not just a skin.
Click to expand...

Ahh my bad. :o If OP does go through the Mint route, go for either the MATE or Cinnamon version, I personally prefer MATE.
 
You don't need to wait to build a new box to try mint. Either just try running the liveCD to see what it's like, or install under a virtual machine using virtualbox or similar.

I always try a new OS in a VM first. Currently running Mint 13, Debian 6 and Fedora 17 as VMs on my main desktop. Main OS's the desktop runs are Win 7 64 Pro and Fedora 17 64bit (Dual boot). As Virtualbox supports both Linux and Windows as host, I can run those 3 VMs under either main host OS (Although why I'd want to run fedora 17 64 as a guest on Fedora 17 64bit is a bit of a mystery...)

E-I
 
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