I am interested in installing Mandrake 10.1 Official, however, I don't want to pay for the club until I can play with it and test it out.

So DL version it is for me. But I've heard something on Slashdot that really turnds me off. They say that the DL version is not as optomized. I was going to install this version as it has 3D support for my Radeon (or so I hear... true as well?) and I want to run UT2004 in it. The lack of 3D support is why I got rid of Fedora Core 3.

So is the DL version slower in 3D performance due to lack of optimizations? How comparable is the Linux performance to the Windows performance in games (most notably UT2004).

Thanks in advance!

The free download version does not contain any propriety drivers (Ati, Nvidia). These driver are included with the power packs. Installing the Ati driver after the install can be a real pain. This is why I switched all my Video Cards to Nvidia. At least Nvidia supports Linux more than Ati who's in M$ back pocket.

I agree with the ATi/M$ BS! But I am stuck with this Radeon until January at least. Hopefully, I can scrounge up some money for a new video card on my birthday the 13 on next month.

Argh! So no 3D support for me yet, and I am not paying for Mandrake!

Argh!

Well, do you happen to know if Mandrake 10.1 Official runs a version of XFree86... if so, what version? Is there an ATi driver out that I can install (somewhat simply, I am a n00b!) for 3D support until I can jump off of their wagon?

Thanks for the quick reply, please tell me that I am not out of luck!

Blast, I see that XFree86 has been discotinued for X.org?

Well, I might just go with Fedora. It worked great for me on all aspects, but I got rid of it due to no 3D. Guess, there won't be any 3D with Mandrake either, so I guess I can throw that idea out of the window.

Please post if I am wrong, it sure as hell wouldn't be the first time!

Any news on ATi getting an X.org driver out sometime soon? What about an XFree86 v4.4 driver (as this is also used by some newer releases, including FC3)?

Thanks again.

I belive the one out for XFree will work for X.org but will be a bear to Install ethier way. Somebody correct me if Im wrong.

... it depends how much work you want to put into it. The drivers provided on ATI's site do work if you follow the instruction on their webpage. The install for Xfree and Xorg are the same except, you have to copy the Xfree config file to the Xorg config file, I think. I'm running Mandrake 10.0 and was able to get the ATI drivers working on a Dell Latitude D600 laptop with the Mobility 9 chipset. I play Neverwinter Nights and Quake 3 just fine. There are quite a few articles regarding installing the ATI drivers located in this forum. Be sure to read up on it if you decide you want to give it a try.

FWIW: The default DRI (Open Source) drivers that are installed with the DL version of MDK 10.1 give me better fps than the "official" ati drivers that come with Powerpack.

Of course, I don't do any 3D gaming, but for everything else, at least, it works great! (I have a radeon 9000 pro, btw.)

I found using the framebuffer gave me some 3d, just not as fast as the proper drivers.
Hope it helps

x.org is now the defacto in most linux distributions, even Fedora. The thing is if you are getting something for free then you should realise that it won't be necessarily the same as buying the packaged versions. Frankly speaking though most of the stuff thats not in the paid versions can be added without much fuss, but in your case, ATI can be a pain to install as mentioned by others. I have been using official for a while now and I think it's quite a decent distro.