Best silent AGP card for Linux?

Tirian · Post by **Tirian** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:59 pm

I'm looking for a good, silent video card for Linux. My Radeon 7000 just ain't cutting it, and the Nvidia has a really loud fan. I'm looking for something that works fairly well in Linux silently in the $30-$70 range.

Any suggestions?

scaryduck · Post by **scaryduck** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:40 pm

Depends how much power you need. An ATi 9000/9200/9250 is fanless, has open-source DRI (3D) drivers and cheap. Anything newer, and you'd have to use ATi's proprietary Linux drivers - which have a bad reputation. But to be fair, I've never owned an ATi card, nor used their drivers myself.

If that's not enough, I'd suggest a nVidia 6200 (fanless). A 6500 is even better, if your budget will stretch to it. nVidia's proprietary Linux drivers have never failed me.

diver · Post by **diver** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:48 pm

Generally, Nvidia has beter Linux support than ATI. How about a Geforce 5200. No fan, AGP, dirt cheap and probably supportd by lots of Linux distros.

http://www.directron.com/fx5200td128lf.html

gasganet · Post by **gasganet** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 2:21 am

Nvidia has good drivers for Linux and some distros can install them automatically for you.

shadestalker · Post by **shadestalker** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 3:07 pm

I'm using an nvidia fx5200 (fanless, an XFX I believe) for mythtv under debian sarge, no problems to report. They'll typically run you USD $35 - $40 from newegg.com or the like.

VERiON · Post by **VERiON** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 2:02 am

I have asus nvidia 6200 agp
- fanless
- cool running
- you can play quakeIV/doom3 @ 640x480 AAx2, mid details

- 2D/3D different voltage levels (lower voltage @2D)
- nvidia linux support
- nvidia UNDERCLOCKING/overclocking linux program (I've only read about it , didn't try myself)

pony-tail · Post by **pony-tail** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 2:30 am

I was running an fx 5600 with a zalman hp cooler fully passive - no problems.
newer faster cards are harder to cool but it can be done.
It depends on how quiet "quiet" is to you and how much time effort and money
that "quiet" is worth to you. There are as many soloutions as there are consumers.
I am now running an X800pro with a Zalman hp cooler - but if I am gaming
I need to use a fan at very low speed to assist in cooling it (5v Panaflo-nmb)
But the proprietry driver was a pig to set up and get working right - I had to get
help from the Debian forum to do it . So Nvidia is possibly a better way to go -
depending on your linux skills (mine pretty well suck but I get there)