Getting New Graphic Card - What Should I Be Aware Of
 

Hi,

I have an nvidia geforce 7600 gt, and I'm upgrading to an 8600; all I want to know is when I switch it around and start up my computer is will it still work, will it not load at all, will it at least give me a command line and how I go about removing my old drivers and installing the new ones (I'll download new one in a .run package I can use via 'sh').

Thanks! Preparing for the worst :P

I don't know if this will be the same for you, but I've gone from ATI to Nvidia cards and Linux kind of threw a sh*t fit. You should be able to boot up without any problems. It'll probe the new hardware and try to configure it itself. If it can't, and it gives you the error that it can't start X, here's your fix. You'll have to edit the xorg.conf file which is located at /etc/X11/xorg.conf (note the capitalization, it's pertinent). You can use any editor of your choice. I prefer nano. So, you'd pass this command (as root): and then scroll down to the part where it says 'driver', change that to "nv" (for Nvidia) and if it doesn't like that, "vesa". Start X, download the necessary driver and install.

Regards,

Brandon

To install the driver for the new card you just need to run the nvidia .run file. It will automatically uninstall the old module. I went from MX420 to 6800GT with no problems at all.

Of course I edited xorg.conf to get me a better resolution that the new card is capable of but that is all.

You shouldn't have to change anything at all, it should just work, the drivers are exactly the same, unless you just feel like updating them to be safe.

If you are using the nvidia driver then xorg needs to be set to 'nvidia' not 'nv' as noted above.

Dive,

Is there a difference between 'nv' and 'nvidia'? By default, Fedora set mine to 'nv'. I have an Nvidia card (GeFroce 8500GT), and logic tells me that 'nv' stands for Nvidia.

Thanks,

Brandon

nv is the open source driver, nvidia the proprietary one. Nv tends to get picked by default because, well, it's already installed. But it has more limitations than the proprietary one. Even plain 2D looks a lot better with the proprietary driver, at least on my system.

@Virtuality
yes, it should work just fine. Just don't expect any miracles, I hear that the 8600 is not all that much faster than the 7600gt.