[Tfug] video card recommendations

[Ryan Cresawn]

I specifically selected the Intel integrated graphics chip when I
bought my Dell Vostro laptop.  Dell refers to the chip as Intel X3100.
 All the Xorg drivers for this chip know it as Intel 965GM.  I had
high hopes that it would be a great card because of Intel's
reputation; however, my experience hasn't been perfect.  I never got
the graphics working in the correct resolution in Ubuntu 7.04.  In
Ubuntu 7.10 and 8.04 the resolution is fine but the card enters a very
strange crash loop if you attempt to render any scene in Blender.
That means Blender is unusable.  The card also has problems with
Desktop Effects (Compiz/Beryl) which cause the computer to freeze in
every way except for the mouse pointer.

At work I have an old Intel 810 chip on an HP desktop that works great
with Compiz/Beryl.

I believe I read recently that Via has open sourced a driver for the
integrated graphics chip.  This is found on the Everex gPC2---the $200
Wal-Mart PC.  I don't know what features work with it and which don't.

Ryan