I have a gaming system connected to a CRT monitor and currently triple-boot Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 11. It uses an overclocked i5-4690K, 16 GB of fast DDR3, an MSI GTX 980 Ti Golden Gamer, and an X-Fi Titanium sound card. The 980 Ti is important because it is one of the fastest graphics cards with Windows XP driver support, and its DVI-I output works well with my CRT. I also use it for modern games at CRT resolutions, where the extra performance is helpful. Windows 11 runs despite the system not being officially supported, but I am considering Linux for gaming instead. I only play single-player games, so multiplayer compatibility is not a concern. How well are the GTX 980 Ti and X-Fi Titanium supported under Linux, and does the experience vary significantly between distributions?
3 Answers
The GTX 980 Ti should work well with Nvidia's proprietary 580-series driver, which is currently the final supported branch for that GPU. Avoid the 580 open-kernel driver and use the regular proprietary package instead. Distribution availability can vary, so some systems may require an older package or an additional driver repository. Nouveau is an option, but it generally offers worse gaming performance.
Pretty much. It should be fine for this card's capabilities, although once Nvidia ends support for that branch, an LTS kernel or community-maintained patches may become necessary.
The card is not a major problem on Linux. Install the standard proprietary Nvidia driver rather than nouveau if gaming performance matters. Arch-based distributions commonly provide the needed package, while Debian-based systems may require checking which driver versions their repositories carry. The exact setup and long-term support will definitely depend on the distribution and kernel.
The X-Fi Titanium has kernel support through the snd_ctxfi driver, so basic playback should work. Some of the card's advanced features may need manual configuration or may not be available, but things such as EAX are unlikely to be worth worrying about if you can boot Windows XP for older games. For ordinary gaming audio, it should be usable.
That is fine with me. I mainly need basic sound, and I can use XP whenever I specifically want the older effects.
So the older driver mainly means missing newer optimizations rather than the card being unusable?