I'm thinking about purchasing a second-hand laptop to run Linux Mint or Ubuntu and escape the frustrations that come with Windows. My main concern is whether the Nvidia GEFORCE GTX 970M graphics card will work smoothly with Linux. I've heard mixed reviews about Nvidia's compatibility issues in Linux, and I'd like to game and do some audio/video processing on it. Should I expect problems with this GPU?
5 Answers
In my experience, older Nvidia graphics cards generally work just fine with Linux. I have a GTX 1650 Super, and I’ve used it with several distros like Mint and Pop!_OS without any issues. From what I've seen, the real headaches tend to emerge with newer cards rather than older ones.
I have a newer card, the 5070, and have faced no significant issues with drivers on Linux. The trickiest part nowadays is tuning the cards for overclocking or undervolting. For average daily use, the compatibility is pretty solid, and you can always fall back on the open-source drivers if needed.
While the GTX 970M might work, it's still a bit of a gamble due to its age. You might have to make some compromises when it comes to performance. If you can, I'd suggest aiming for something newer to avoid potential headaches. If you're already set on the 970M, just be prepared to tweak things a bit.
For the GTX 970M, you'll want to use the 580.xx driver. Just a heads-up, Mint is pretty outdated now, so you might run into issues there. If you opt for Ubuntu, make sure it's at least version 25.10. Otherwise, consider switching to something like Arch Linux or Fedora, as they generally offer better support for newer hardware.
I've found that older hardware often has better support, but the 970M is starting to show its age. The drivers are available, so you should be okay, but don’t expect it to support all the newest features. Nvidia's situation has improved compared to a few years back, so you're likely to have a better time now.
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload