Very Computer

Hi,

at the moment i use a radeon 7500 card with DVI Port on RedHat 7.3 with
XFree 4.2. I have bought this card due the fact that there are native
XFree86 drivers avalible included 3D function. But unfortunatley there are
some problems with the DVI port and my LCD panel. From other users i have
heard that the problem is gone with a Nvidia Geforce card.

OK, so i have decided to buy a Geforce card for my pc. I have checked the
support from XFree86 for nvidia cards, and have seen that only up to
Geforce3 is supported without 3D support. (XFree86 native driver)

OK, there are drivers from Nvidias Website, but many users complain about
unstable and frozen systems with this drivers.

Did somebody now, when newer Geforce cards and 3D Support are availible with
XFree86 native drivers?

Some other ideas?

Thanks!

Stevie B.

I have NVIDIA. I have downloaded the latest drivers for Linux from their
site. Alas, I have not figured out how to 3D enable Linux yet.
This is on the newest RH and the newest SuSE.

Probably just me.

My next machine is not going to have NVIDIA, however.

Wrong.
$ strings /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/drivers/nv_drv.o | grep GeForce4
GeForce4 Ti 4200
GeForce4 Ti 4400
GeForce4 Ti 4600
GeForce4 440 Go M64
GeForce4 420 Go M32
GeForce4 420 Go
GeForce4 440 Go
GeForce4 MX 420
GeForce4 MX 440
GeForce4 MX 460

Quote:> OK, there are drivers from Nvidias Website, but many users complain about
> unstable and frozen systems with this drivers.

I'm not one of those - not even on a 2-way SMP system, that used to
be "bitten" more often by these problems. Looks like the nvidia driver
really has improved a lot in terms of stability and reliability
during the latest releases, IMHO.

Quote:> Did somebody now, when newer Geforce cards and 3D Support are availible with
> XFree86 native drivers?

There probably will never be true hardware 3D acceleration in
the nv driver.

Juergen

Well, why not start reading the accompanying README?
It's pretty self-explanatory IMHO, and most steps will
probably have been done already, if you installed a binary
RPM versin. Not that hard altogether, I'd say.

Quote:> My next machine is not going to have NVIDIA, however.

I haven't checked for myself, but I hear ATI's divers
are no easier wrt to setup 3D accel. than Nvidia's.
OTOH, if 3D is not that important for you, you might
as well go for a Matrox card. Seems they still are fine
wrt to brilliance and sharpness, as I can see in one of
my boxes even with an old Mystique 220.

Juergen

Somehow, I find it annoying that you should jump to the assumption that I
did not read the accompanying pdf file.

You see, I installed the latest SuSE 8.1 which told me to go get the
NVIDIA driver from nvidia's website.
I got the two RPM's and installed them.
Now the nVIDIA (vga) logo appears just before I log into X. This did not
happen before, and I don't mind.
However, I still cannot 3D accelerate the card, since SuSE tells me to go
use YOU to get the drivers.

<smile>
This is very common in German humour, I know, I spent 9 years in Germany.
</smile>

Even though I have a certain command of the English language used in the
README stuff.

SuSE 8.0 at least couldn't not figure this out
either, since the correct soft links were not made and the installation
hat do be hand crafted.

Regards,

Well, now you managed to convince me you didn't read it -
as it is in plain text format, not PDF ;-)).

Quote:> You see, I installed the latest SuSE 8.1 which told me to go get the
> NVIDIA driver from nvidia's website.
> I got the two RPM's and installed them.
> Now the nVIDIA (vga) logo appears just before I log into X. This did not
> happen before, and I don't mind.

This is clear evidence the nvidia_drv.o _is_ being used.

Quote:> However, I still cannot 3D accelerate the card, since SuSE tells me to go
> use YOU to get the drivers.

> Even though I have a certain command of the English language used in the
> README stuff.

The 2960 release did include a German translation of the README,
but 3123 does not.

Quote:> SuSE 8.0 at least couldn't not figure this out
> either, since the correct soft links were not made and the installation
> hat do be hand crafted.

Ah yes, I didn't mention this: the recommended "SuSE way" after
installation of the 2 RPMs (or, after linking driver and kernel
module from "source" tarball) is:
- verify your 3D setup by the "3DDiag" script.
- execute the appropriate script to setup the symlinks, i.e.
  "switch2nvidiaglx" in this case (as recommended by "3dDiag").
- maybe verify again w/"3DDiag", or e.g. "glxgears", "glxinfo".
- enjoy your HW 3D acceleration.

This time, this is fully covered in the printed SuSE manual(s).
RTFM is somewhat useful, sometimes... (SCNR).

Juergen

njoy your HW 3D acceleration.

Quote:

> This time, this is fully covered in the printed SuSE manual(s).
> RTFM is somewhat useful, sometimes... (SCNR).

> Juergen

You are so funny!

So the 3DDiag, good idea as it may be, wasn't going to help me.

The 'helpful' YAST2 "don't you worry, I'll point YOU to nvidia's website
- you guessed it, didn't.

What DID help me was this:

1. download the two correct RPM's from nvidia.com
2. rpm -qa | grep 'NVID'
3. remove the 4/FOUR installed drivers
4. install the new nvidia kernel rpm
5. install the new nvidia glx rpm
6. check that /etc/XF86Config is ok
7. boot to X
8. NOW, you see, yast2->modules->hardware->graphics card and monitor
   could see that my card was 3D accelerated.
9. However, that STILL wasn't enough. I had to 'configure' it in YAST2.

Now, this wasn't very hard. Just wish SuSE or NVIDIA had somehow told me
in a terse (like the above) form.

Cheers,

Don't bother to reply, you're now in my killfile

OK, case was wrong; it's called "3Ddiag"...

Quote:> Don't bother to reply, you're now in my killfile

Tit for tat. I do have better things to do than trying
to help someone who apparently is too lazy to read and
think...

Juergen