The 4200 is a fine card for GEM right now. It will run really well and you won't be missing any of the linux features - the really advanced stuff is still a short while away. Offhand I don't recall if that generation GPU supports ARB_vertex or ARB_fragment_program or not. Probably by this time next year those will be indispensable features for GEM, but the Nvidia cards that I know support them are either total crap FX5200/5600 or way over-priced 5900. ATI is definitely the way to go hardware wise but the Linux drivers make Nvidia a better choice on that platform. The drivers aren't open, but Nvidia is at least making an effort to support the platform and they are legally entitled to protect their IP. Their drivers are also pretty easy to install as they make available binaries for popular distros like RedHat and Suse to ensure compatibility. As mentioned by others, the NV drivers do support TV out and dual-head displays. So you have the choice of ok hardware with good drivers (Nvidia) or good hardware with questionable drivers (ATI). Tough one, but probably the former is better if you want fewer hassles.
cgc
Hi people i am just about to get a new video card (and system) and i was wondering if there was a choice video card for gem style graphics and pd. i'm using linux, kinda a noob, so it would good to see if anyone has had any good experiences. i'm looking at a "palit geforce4 ti 4200 128mb with tv out" because it's cheap and on special but if there is a better option i would like to hear it. thanks clever ones. tom
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