Hello Comrades,
Thanks for all your advice about setting up Linux. It was a success. The problem is that I’m now I’m intrigued and I’d like to play around a bit more.
I’m thinking of building a cheap-ish computer but I have a few questions. I’ll split them into separate posts to make things easier. Note: I won’t be installing anything that I can’t get to work on Linux.
Do I need a dedicated graphics card? I’d like to run an HD display as a minimum. (I don’t have a 4k monitor at but I wouldn’t mind upgrading later if I can save up for one.) Mostly, I’ll be streaming or playing videos.
I wouldn’t mind playing some games but is a dedicated GPU needed?
If I should look into a GPU (I can always add it in later), what should I look for? (I’m not really interested in the latest AAA games). I wouldn’t mind playing HOI4 or Victoria 3 as I hear so much about them.
What are your thoughts on second-hand GPUs? This will obviously cut costs but is there anything to watch out for?
To be honest, it doesnt matter if its about a linux distro or windows, to answer your questions.
You need a dedicated GPU, if you have tasks, that requiere one. And this depends, how powerfull is your iGPU. There is actually nothing special about iGPU, despite missing dedicates vram. You can easily compare their performance an decide.
More important about this is to use hardware accelerarion if watching videos. vdpau or vaapi are recommended. Check this out here.
What is your actual gpu? There is no general answer.
It depends what you are trying to do. Look at the minimum system requierements of the game you want and than buy. Look here for HOI4.
I prefer AMD GPUs on Linux, because the drivers from NVIDIA are not that great. I use a AMD RX580. Its few years old, but enough to play most games prior to 2021 on 1080p with high settings. My Notebook has a RX Vega 10 iGPU, which is very usefull.
I would not buy a GPU which was used in mining rig. Those GPUs worked full time on heavy load and have probably a lower life span.
Edit: Typo