Intel's Linux Sandy Bridge Graphics Still Troubling

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Intel's Linux Sandy Bridge Graphics Still Troubling

When Intel launched their newest "Sandy Bridge" processors earlier this month there were no Linux benchmark results available. We were not seeded with any CPU in advance and the other publications that have flings with Linux were unable to get the Linux graphics support working. There is no "out of the box" Sandy Bridge support under Linux with Ubuntu 10.10 and other distributions released in the past few months. It was not until the time that Sandy Bridge launched that there was the releases of Linux 2.6.37, Mesa 7.10, and the xf86-video-intel 2.14 DDX that are the versions reported to play well with the new Intel graphics. Because of the lack of "out of the box" Linux support, there was a very scathing review at SemiAccurate.com that went as far as calling Sandy Bridge the biggest disappointment of the year. The code was said to be ready, but there is a challenge in installing open-source GPU drivers by many Linux users.

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=15634

[Viper_Scull]

I was looking forward to buying precisely a 2500K cpu but with a P67 mother and an external GPU (probably gtx460)

If i got it right , there's no problem withn this combination and the problem occurs with SB + H67, right??

[Michael]

I was looking forward to buying precisely a 2500K cpu but with a P67 mother and an external GPU (probably gtx460)

If i got it right , there's no problem withn this combination and the problem occurs with SB + H67, right??

With a P67 mobo and this CPU I have had great results, I love the CPU in that configuration. My results there will likely be published next week.

[indezign]

Wait for the Mesa developers to provide a OpenGL 3.3 compatible API backend for DRI open source driver development.

If they claim an OpenGL 2.1 compliant Intel DRI 3D Mesa driver that works on Sandy Bridge IGPs, I'll give it a go with a game like Alien Arena 2011.

[hoaxzs]

Since this is my first post... Hello Phoronix board! New here and new to Linux

If i got it right , there's no problem withn this combination and the problem occurs with SB + H67, right??

My question is similar.., I want to build a mini itx system and there are only h67 mini itx boards available. If I add a graphics card to the h67 would I have any problems?

[Kano]

When you add a pci-e gfx card then the integrated gfx solution is disabled. Should be problem when you add a simple nv card for a while...

[hoaxzs]

When you add a pci-e gfx card then the integrated gfx solution is disabled. Should be problem when you add a simple nv card for a while...

Since I wouldn't be using the integrated gfx, you mean it shouldn't be a problem, right?

[sc4bbk]

Michael, in future articles will it be possible to use the new Youtube embed code style for videos so that they can be accessed directly in the article with HTML5 playback instead of Flash? Thanks.

[allquixotic]

This is not news. I have tried various Nvidia, ATI and Intel open source drivers since 2007 -- everything from i915 to i965, nouveau, r600{c,g}, etc.

Unless you're using a 5+ year old r300, it's a miracle when 2d accel and compiz work without rendering issues, without crashes, and with reasonable performance on current or previous-generation hardware. Expecting anything more than 2d accel, compiz, and maybe video playback, is foolhardy. These drivers have always had these sorts of problems -- from the lockups, rendering issues, and on and on. Working drivers are an exception to the rule, and you generally find such "working" drivers (e.g. in Ubuntu 10.04) in a sad state feature-wise, where more advanced 3d accel is entirely broken, and features such as performance are wiped off the table.

I won't go into the reasons why this happens, because we all know why; but this article does not provide any new information. Par for the course: open source graphics drivers are, at the best of times on ideal hardware, early alpha quality, and they will never graduate past this because they can't keep up with the rate of new hardware introduction, and major rewrites of the graphics stack keep things in a constant state of flux and brokenness.

[indezign]

You can get GigaByte's GA-P67A-UD5 or ASUS P8P67 Deluxe. The Asus SABERTOOTH P67 seems pretty wicked.