Hi, as you can from see from my previous posts I installed Linux in all my machines. Now I have a PC with an I5 6500 (with Mint on it) and I’m upgrading the GPU. So, do I just open it put the new one and connect the cables? Or do I have to do some thing first? Thank you for all your help.
Really only depends on how new the new GPU is vs. how old the Kernel is.
example: If you’re running Debian Stable and trying to put in an RTX 5090, you’ll likely have a bad time, since neither the kernel nor Mesa support blackwell on Trixie without backporting.
If you’re using a rolling release distro, just update first but you’ll probably be fine already. If you’re using a point release distro, make sure that release supports your hardware first.
If you’re buying some older (but new to you) hardware, you’ll probably be fine.
You’ll be fine with anything AMD or Intel even on debian stable, since they’re both active in developing their linux support, where nVidia doesn’t support FOSS drivers.
If you’re buying nVidia that new/powerful, you’ll be better served by their proprietary drivers you can install - just keep in mind you won’t be able to run very recent (and certainly not bleeding edge) kernels with the proprietary nV drivers.
Not strictly true any more. There are Nvidia open drivers, but they may not be in Debian yet. In fact, Nvidia recommend using the open drivers for cards it supports, which if I recall correctly, is Turing and newer.