DukeOfURL: Linux Buyer’s Guide #9

[ Thanks to Patrick
Mullen for this link. ]

“With another month, we’ve seen Linux advance even further
with Linux 2.4.2 (which fixes some KT133A problems, among other
things), as well as the release of many new pieces of hardware such
as the NVIDIA GeForce3, ATI Radeon SE and LE, the VIA Apollo Pro
266, not to mention the flood of DDR SDRAM to the market. All of
these developments are also very relevant to Linux, as it is
quickly becoming a trend to support Linux out of the gates
now.“

“Probably the most interesting new piece of hardware is the
GeForce3, which although isn’t quite on the retail/on-line market
yet, it has made a few appearances both on various technical sites
and computer expos. Quite possibly the coolest new feature about
NVIDIA’s GeForce3 is that it is programmable via DirectX 8.0. This
obviously doesn’t bode well for Linux, but undoubtedly, NVIDIA will
find a way to make this work for Linux, as they have shown quite a
level of dedication to their Linux drivers as of late.”

“There has also been the release of two new Radeon cards from
ATI, the Radeon SE, which sports 4.5 ns memory, and the Radeon LE,
which is a stripped-down version of the ATI Radeon that removes
HyperZ, they bandwidth-expanding technology that makes the Radeon
such a great performer. I would like to issue a warning on this
particular card, as the GeForce2 MX is a much better performer than
the Radeon without HyperZ, so make absolutely sure you’re getting a
card that is not an SE! If you ask me, ATI is really making things
difficult for consumers. How you ask? Let me break it down.”

Complete
Story