Subject: Re: OpenGL Video Card Supported under XFree86
To: c5666305 <c5666305@comp.polyu.edu.hk>
From: Michael L. VanLoon -- HeadCandy.com <michaelv@MindBender.serv.net>
List: current-users
Date: 02/02/1998 08:12:26
>I am going to get a video card for my i386 (1.3b) system and the sales 
>person at my city (Hong Kong) told me that the OpenGL Video Card is the
>fastest one.  I would like to know is there anyone using the said video
>display card under XFree86. If so, will you please tell me more information
>like brand chipset and so on.  Thanks.

Your salesperson is very confused.  OpenGL is a 3D API, not a video
card brand.

While it may be adventageous to see if your video card is supported by
OpenGL (And where do you check for it?  Supported by XFree86 OpenGL?
Supported by Windows NT OpenGL?  Supported by genuine SGI OpenGL?),
unless you are doing serious hign-end real-time 3D rendering, OpenGL
is probably not important to you.  One of the highest performance 3D
video cards on the PC platform, the 3Dfx VooDoo, doesn't have any
OpenGL support that I am aware of (and it probably also wouldn't make
a good XFree86 card -- but it makes a kick-ass gaming card).

You need to find a card whose capabilities match what you want to do
with it.  And listening to salesmen is probably the last thing you
should do.  You need to read reviews in magazines and find one that
matches your desired usage.  You also need to check the XFree86 web
site, instead of asking us to check it for you, and find what's
supported to what capacity: http://www.xfree86.org/.

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  Michael L. VanLoon    mvanloon@exmsft.com    michaelv@MindBender.serv.net
      Contract software development for Windows NT, Windows 95 and Unix.
             Windows NT and Unix server development in C++ and C.

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