[gentoo-amd64] OT - graphic card for dual-monitor high-resolution graphic station

[gentoo-amd64] OT - graphic card for dual-monitor high-resolution graphic station

[Piotr Pruszczak]

Hi,

I have real problem which graphic card to choose
for 64-bit Linux

It should perfectly work with dual-monitor configuration, my customer 
wants to try me to configure machine for uStation-J (Bentley GIS software)

Price is NOT so important. Problem is this should WORK good @ 
high-resolutions, full colours && optimum performance on 64-bit system.

Do you have any ideas ??

Many thanks... I know it's almost off-topic, but I have no idea which 
card to choose..

Perfect would be 256MB, with fast GPU. and NOT Matrix - as it is NOT 
well supported for LInux since it has new Parhelia cards (as I heard)


Regards,
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Re: [gentoo-amd64] OT - graphic card for dual-monitor high-resolution graphic station

[Neil Stone]

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Piotr Pruszczak wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I have real problem which graphic card to choose
> for 64-bit Linux
> 
> It should perfectly work with dual-monitor configuration, my customer
> wants to try me to configure machine for uStation-J (Bentley GIS software)
> 
> Price is NOT so important. Problem is this should WORK good @
> high-resolutions, full colours && optimum performance on 64-bit system.
> 
> Do you have any ideas ??
> 
> Many thanks... I know it's almost off-topic, but I have no idea which
> card to choose..
> 
> Perfect would be 256MB, with fast GPU. and NOT Matrix - as it is NOT
> well supported for LInux since it has new Parhelia cards (as I heard)
> 
> 
> Regards,

How do you define "High resolution" personally I get 1280x1024 on 2 17"
TFT Screens on a 256mb Nvidia card using twinview.(6600). My screen res
is restricted by the screens, not the card which seems fast enough.

- --
Neil Stone

Systems Administrator
FlashTek UK

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Re: [gentoo-amd64] OT - graphic card for dual-monitor high-resolution graphic station

[Paul de Vrieze]

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On Tuesday 30 May 2006 23:43, Piotr Pruszczak wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have real problem which graphic card to choose
> for 64-bit Linux
>
> It should perfectly work with dual-monitor configuration, my customer
> wants to try me to configure machine for uStation-J (Bentley GIS
> software)
>
> Price is NOT so important. Problem is this should WORK good @
> high-resolutions, full colours && optimum performance on 64-bit system.
>
> Do you have any ideas ??

Optimum performance means probably one with a dual dvi output. Then it 
depends on what the customer actually wants. Is 3d performance important? 
Is support for the latest features important? Basically there is the 
choice between ati and nvidia chipsets. If you want 3d and dual monitor, 
the 2048x2048 virtual screen limitation for the opensource ati driver 
probably counts it out. I don't know whether that limit exists in the 
closed driver, or in the nvidia driver. In maturity the nvidia closed 
driver probably is better than the closed ati driver.

Paul

-- 
Paul de Vrieze
Gentoo Developer
Mail: pauldv@gentoo.org
Homepage: http://www.devrieze.net

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Re: [gentoo-amd64] OT - graphic card for dual-monitor high-resolution graphic station

[Piotr Pruszczak]

> 
> Optimum performance means probably one with a dual dvi output. Then it 
> depends on what the customer actually wants. Is 3d performance important? 
> Is support for the latest features important? Basically there is the 
> choice between ati and nvidia chipsets. If you want 3d and dual monitor, 
> the 2048x2048 virtual screen limitation for the opensource ati driver 
> probably counts it out. I don't know whether that limit exists in the 
> closed driver, or in the nvidia driver. In maturity the nvidia closed 
> driver probably is better than the closed ati driver.

Does it mean, that probably NVidia GF 7600 256MB DDR3 with closed-source 
binary drivers is good choise??

On the other hand, I think - all community waits for open-source graphic 
card with dual DVI output && drivers in kernel ;)) - as many people 
start to look at Linux-based workstations for professional use..

Anybody knows WHEN it could be available? I heard the project was in 
development, estimated price was about 200Euros..
> 
> Paul
> 


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Re: [gentoo-amd64] OT - graphic card for dual-monitor high-resolution graphic station

[Marcus D. Hanwell]

Piotr Pruszczak wrote:
> It should perfectly work with dual-monitor configuration, my customer
> wants to try me to configure machine for uStation-J (Bentley GIS
> software)
>
> Price is NOT so important. Problem is this should WORK good @
> high-resolutions, full colours && optimum performance on 64-bit system.
>
> Do you have any ideas ?? 
I am using an nVidia 6600GT with dual DVI outputs, TwinView and the
nVidia binary driver. It has improved a lot in the last year and is now
very stable (this was not always the case for me at least). I use it
with two 17" TFTs at 1280x1024 and it works great. I couldn't afford 21"
TFTs with 1600x1200 displays and so I really cannot comment on that. I
do use a laptop with ATI drivers that do not perform very well at all
for me and I am currently using the open driver again.

So my recommendation would have to be nVidia 6600GT or above with dual
DVI outputs. Neither cards really have decent open source drivers that
will provide satisfactory 3D performance as far as I know.

If I could get it then I would buy an open card, but nothing exists
right now...

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[gentoo-amd64] Re: OT - graphic card for dual-monitor high-resolution graphic station

[Duncan]

Piotr Pruszczak <p.pruszczak@pro.onet.pl> posted
447CBC6A.1080809@pro.onet.pl, excerpted below, on  Tue, 30 May 2006
23:43:06 +0200:

> Hi,
> 
> I have real problem which graphic card to choose
> for 64-bit Linux
> 
> It should perfectly work with dual-monitor configuration, my customer 
> wants to try me to configure machine for uStation-J (Bentley GIS software)
> 
> Price is NOT so important. Problem is this should WORK good @ 
> high-resolutions, full colours && optimum performance on 64-bit system.

I've had very good luck with the Radeon 92xx series, running dual monitors
in merged framebuffer mode, up to 2048x1736 each, using the native xorg
freedomware drivers.  That's the top of the line with full freedomware
support.  The merged framebuffer will support up to 4096x4096 in
accelerated 2D, altho accelerated 3D is limited to 2048x2048, so 1024x768
each if side-by-side or 1280x1024 (or 1280x960 if you want square pixels
on 4:3 ratio monitors) stacked.  Those run <$100 for the dual output
versions, last  I checked.

Normal resolution here is 1600x1200 stacked (I decided 2048x1736 was too
much for 21" CRT monitors, after running it for awhile) for 1600x2400 full
resolution.  3D acceleration still works on the upper monitor and the top
part of the lower one, but once the 3D accelerated window extends below
that 2048 cutoff, updating in the window freezes until you move it above
the cutoff again.

If all you need is 2D, you could try Matrox's DualHead2Go expanders,
plugged one into each of the card's outputs, and two monitors into each
DualHead2Go.  With proper modeline config, xorg should then see two
monitors at up to 4096x1736 each, stacked, for up to 4096x3472 total screen
area over the four physical monitors.  I've been contemplating doing that
as I normally only use 2D, but haven't tried it yet.  I'm also not
positive the DualHead2Gos actually work on Linux, altho there's no reason
they shouldn't.  Those DualHead2Gos are also a bit pricey, $200 each I
believe.

Matrox recently introduced the TripleHead2Go as well ($300), which would
let you run three heads on any single output card.

Previously, when I still ran slaveryware, I had an older NVidia card
(GForce 1, IIRC) dual output/twinview.  I ran it and an old S3 Virge PCI
card (really old, 4M card =8^) for triple monitor using dual cards,
1280x1024 each monitor IIRC. However, I hadn't had any luck getting dual
Radeon 92xxs (one PCI one AGP) to function together, as of the first xorg
(6.7) or the last xfree86 on Gentoo.  I've been going to try it again with
xorg 7.0 or now 7.1 (yes, I'm running the masked for testing 7.1 already,
compiled with the then masked gcc-4.1.0, tho 4.1.1 is  now ~arch), but
haven't yet, mainly because since I upgraded to 21" monitors and run them
1600x1200 or even 2048x1736 each, the need for more than two is somewhat
decreased so it's not as urgent as it once was.  However, with the right
cards and drivers, it's certainly possible, without resorting to
Dual/Triple-Head2Gos @ $200 or higher each, even.



-- 
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"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

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Re: [gentoo-amd64] Re: OT - graphic card for dual-monitor high-resolution graphic station

[Hemmann, Volker Armin]

On Wednesday 31 May 2006 13:26, Duncan wrote:
> Piotr Pruszczak <p.pruszczak@pro.onet.pl> posted
> 447CBC6A.1080809@pro.onet.pl, excerpted below, on  Tue, 30 May 2006
>
> 23:43:06 +0200:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I have real problem which graphic card to choose
> > for 64-bit Linux
> >
> > It should perfectly work with dual-monitor configuration, my customer
> > wants to try me to configure machine for uStation-J (Bentley GIS
> > software)
> >
> > Price is NOT so important. Problem is this should WORK good @
> > high-resolutions, full colours && optimum performance on 64-bit system.
>
> I've had very good luck with the Radeon 92xx series, running dual monitors
> in merged framebuffer mode, up to 2048x1736 each, using the native xorg
> freedomware drivers.  That's the top of the line with full freedomware
> support.  

*lotsofDuncanblabladeleted*

he said 'optimum performance' not 'free drivers'.

And the 92XX series is very low performance, so it is out of the game from the 
start.


He should look at the double dvi cards from Nvidia. Maybe the quadro series I
t seems, that the system will be used for professional software - quadro 
series might be the best choice. It is the best choice, if you want support 
from nvidia - they listen much more carefully to quadro users than the gaming 
crowed.
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[gentoo-amd64] Re: OT - graphic card for dual-monitor high-resolution graphic station

[Duncan]

Piotr Pruszczak <p.pruszczak@pro.onet.pl> posted
447D62B7.9000800@pro.onet.pl, excerpted below, on  Wed, 31 May 2006
11:32:39 +0200:

> On the other hand, I think - all community waits for open-source graphic 
> card with dual DVI output && drivers in kernel ;)) - as many people 
> start to look at Linux-based workstations for professional use..
> 
> Anybody knows WHEN it could be available? I heard the project was in 
> development, estimated price was about 200Euros..

AFAIK (as of early March this year), it's still a couple years out in ASIC
(traditional production level chip) form, but an initial PCI/FPGA (hardware
developer project board) version is targeted at late this year.  They
announced the initial schematic, soliciting comments from the community,
on February 28.  The idea is to produce the FPGA version first and use it
to work out the bugs and actually more importantly, to get some income and
demonstrate the viability of the project to potential investors, as
fabbing the ASIC version will cost some big money. It'll be the only FPGA
board of its kind, bigger and more complex than many, and with video
output hardware that few have. As such, it's a commercial project in its
own right, in a lower volume more expensive per unit market, with
apparently no direct competition, perfect for a first product to
demonstrate commercial viability to the various investors, as well as
provide some income.

March 7, 2006, LWN coverage of the initial proposed FPGA schematics post:
http://lwn.net/Articles/174615/

Earlier LWN/KernelTrap coverage of the early Oct. 2005 status report:
http://lwn.net/Articles/154423/

Obviously, I'm rooting for the project too, hoping to buy an ASIC based
card when the time comes.  Unfortunately, I'd not know what to do with the
FPGA card if I had it.



-- 
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"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

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