OK, so I'm thinking of buying a new video card (a GeForce FX) and I was wondering which brands would be able to work with Linux. It seems that the only brand that will work is NVidia itself. But I go check the drivers on the system and I see drivers that are generic for the different kinds of GeForces. Does this mean that I can use another brand beside NVidia, or does it just mean drivers that apply to all the different models of the same card?

Hello there,

If the brand of video card you hope to use is fitted with a nVidia chipset then the nVidia drivers will work fine. In respect of the 'generic' driver, the way nVidia have designed their Linux driver means that it will cover most (95% I think) of their chipsets - this is a good thing! Basically, if you buy a video card with a nVidia chipset, it's practically guaranteed to work with the Linux driver. And the driver itself is relatively easy to install - just make sure you read the instructions and you'll be fine. It's certainly easier than ATI's offerings - from experience, I'd go with nVidia any day!!

nvidia themselves don't manufacture cards anyway, they just do the chipsets.