Thinking about getting linux.

l337_GuY · #1 October 16th, 2006, 04:46 AM

Hi, Today one of my mates with a similar pc to me told me that SLi runs better on linux because the drivers are open source, can someone verify that..? And also if i were to get linux which one out there supports :
SLi
AMD64 (64 bit OS)
and can run most games ? (F.E.A.R , Games of steam etc)
AND can be setup on RAID0 as bootable.

im probably asking for abit too much, but im really sick of windows

**kage** · #2 October 16th, 2006, 05:13 AM

I can't verify if SLi runs better on Linux or not, as I don't have a machine that has SLi. I have noticed, and read, many graphics cards have better 3d accel under linux then under windows.

Your question about if most games run on linux is a tough one to answer, most games do not run on linux. With some effort, you can get them to run using something like cedega, but you'll have varied success in actually getting games to work.

You shouldn't have any problems getting Raid to work /bootable.

l337_GuY · #3 October 16th, 2006, 05:32 AM

Ok thanks for that.
Can you guide me were to find a version of linux that supports x64 ? (if there even is one..)

**kage** · #4 October 16th, 2006, 05:46 AM

Most linux distributions have a 64-bit version.

From my experience, the 64-bit versions of linux run much better then the 64-bit version of windows. Check distrowatch for more information.

l337_GuY · #5 October 16th, 2006, 06:02 AM

I see alot of different versions, But I have no idea what so ever about which would be best for my system. You sound pretty pro at this stuff so im going to ask you, What would you reccomend for my system? - Im very new to linux

**kage** · #6 October 16th, 2006, 06:22 AM

Ubuntu seems to be all the rage for beginners lately. It is Debian-based, and actually is quite easy to use. It comes in 3 different versions, being Ubuntu (default, comes with the Gnome desktop environment), Kubuntu (comes with KDE), and Xubuntu (which comes with XFCE4).

If you don't care for Ubuntu, you should look into Suse, which is designed by Novell. A free demo of Suse is available for download, but you would need to pay for upgrades/support. A completely free version is available at OpenSuse.

l337_GuY · #7 October 16th, 2006, 11:39 AM

Thanks, Iv decided and am currently downloading ubuntu

Just another quick question, My friend has a 300gig HDD formatted NTFS with all his data on it and windows is installed on his 10gig, If he reformatted and put ubuntu on his 10gig would he still be able to access files on the NTFS hdd? Maybe some sort of extension required..?
Thanks again for all the help

l337_GuY · #8 October 16th, 2006, 11:56 AM

It wont let me edit previous post so il just post again.....
The requirements for Cadega are
* Linux Kernel 2.4 or higher
* XFree 86 4.0 or higher (4.3 is recommended) or Xorg
* glibc 2.2 or higher
* Suficient hard disk space for the installation of games plus 60MB for Cedega
* nVidia GeForce class video card (recommended)

Does Ubuntu 6.06LTS meet these requirements? (the bottem 2 are all good)

- AND one more thing (i hope lol) .. Can windows live messenger or MSN 7.5 be run on ubuntu? And is it possible to still "LAN" with a computer on windows XP ?

Yet more questions, lol. - Is there anything similar to cadega thats free??
Not in the mood for paying for anything

yllek · #9 October 19th, 2006, 12:43 PM

To answer your questions about Live Messenger or MSN, you can get programs that work with MSN protocols etc, though not actually MSN.

For instance, if you are running Ubuntu, chances are you have a program called GAIM. You can use GAIM to talk to other people using MSN. Load it up, and just put in your MSN account details. If you don't like GAIM, you can download aMSN which is a Linux replacement for MSN. It looks like MSN, it runs like MSN and it connects with MSN. It practically is MSN...

As for 'LAN'ing with a Windows XP computer, I assume that you are asking if you can network the computers together even though one is Linux and the other Windows XP? It's certainly possible, though this isn't a point I'm particularly strong on, and I believe you would use a program like Samba.

If you're worried about your games being compatable on Linux, you can always Dual Boot (ie run Windows and Linux on one HDD, choosing which you wish to access at start-up). Theres more info on this in this thread.

Hope that's helpful.