Arch Linux

nonsens

Member

Registered: 2010-08-19

Posts: 9

Video card recommendation

Hi there,

I got a new computer with an Intel core i3. After failing to get Starcraft2 running, I decided to look for a new GPU. Now I’m digging trough the video card forest, but I can’t find a model that fits me best.

What I am looking for is a card that does not consume to much power but gives me enough 3D power to run SC2 and maybe Diablo 3. On the other hand, the card should be low noise, as my system is quiet.

At the moment I’m looking at the Nvidia 440, 450 or 550 TI. Does anyone have some experience under linux and wine with these cards? Of cores, any other recommendations are welcome.

best regards

epikal

Member

Registered: 2011-01-24

Posts: 5

Re: Video card recommendation

I have a GTX460 (MSI version with quiet cooler) and it works well with Nvidia's drivers, the open source ones are useless however.

Wine is...wine, some things work quite well, but there is a performance penalty and glitches aplenty, you have to try it and decide for yourself if it is really worth not dual-booting with Win 7.

Darksoul71

Member

Registered: 2010-04-12

Posts: 319

Re: Video card recommendation

Hi there,

I am not shure about the requirements of SC2 but I would always go for a used graphic adapter of one of the previous generations. I recently grabbed a used GeForce 9800GT with 512 MB which runs perfectly all games I play. With a replacement fan for 10€ the card is very silent. Personally I always smile when I see that people shell out 150 - 200€ for new graphic adapters. Try to get one of the older cards (e.g. 250GTS) plus some silent replacement fan and you are set.

Since D3 is still not released one really needs to look into a glass bowl in order to predict what hardware is / will be necessary to  run it under WINE (if it will run at all). As already indicated WINE has its own behaviour and might slow down games considerably.

Depending on your target resolution (e.g. 1080p) anything of the X50 generations of NVidia might be too small. More beefier cards consume more power and often are more noisy. You have to choose.

HTH,
D$

Last edited by Darksoul71 (2011-09-01 20:28:23)

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My archlinux x86_64 host:
AMD E350 (2x1.6GHz) / 8GB DDR3 RAM / GeForce 9500GT (passive) / Arch running from 16GB USB Stick