Intel Graphics Benchmarking Weekend
I long suspected something to not be 100% correct with Intel’s Linux drivers for Graphics, so before this weekend I set out to do some benchmarking. Here’s what happened before:
I chatted briefly with people in #Intel-gfx on FREENODE earlier this week, understandably they thought I was bitching, I can’t blame them ;) A couple of days earlier I tried XBMC+projectM @1080p on my Mac Mini that I won @ DevCon (Thanks Boxee!). I did this test, because I’m VERY disappointed with the 5 (five) FPS I get on XBMC+projectM on my more powerful Aopen MiniPC using Ubuntu 8.04.1
So I tested projectM on OSX, and I got a mindblowing 20-60fps (30-40 average)FPS! I had heard that OS X had better drivers for Intel Graphics than Linux, but this was just ridiculous.
Some days later, some chaps in #intel-gfx suggested I did a little benchmarking. First someone suggested q3a (Quake 3 Arena) but this game is so old it won’t even install in OS X 10.5. Someone then suggested Nexuiz, a FOSS game that runs on Linux, OS X & Windows.
Here’s what my testing resulted in:
Now I need to find a good way to let Intel Linux Driver Developers know about these results. If you got any tips, please email or leave a comment
Both CPU and GPU Linux benchmarking can easily be done with Phoronix Test Suite.
“The Phoronix Test Suite is the most comprehensive testing and benchmarking platform available for Linux and is designed to carry out qualitative and quantitative benchmarks in a clean, reproducible, and easy-to-use manner”
http://www.phoronix-test-suite.com
Phoronix.com community forum and IRC channels could also be the right place to get support (or bitch) on video device drivers for Linux.
http://www.phoronix.com
You’re probably right Gamester17, BUT I set out to compare drivers on VARIOUS platforms. You say Phoronix is for Linux. Great!, But are there also versions for OS X and Windows ? Else I’m afraid point is moot :)
Phoronix Test Suite is only for Linux:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoronix_Test_Suite
an alternative (again Linux only) is Inquisitor:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisitor_(hardware_testing_software)
I’m looking to build a HTPC here shortly, and i’m still in the parts picking stage.
this info kind of spooks me, has anyone tested vs an AMD of similar spec? is it any better?
Shane go with nvidia. The drivers are not open source but they work great.
FYI; the release of xf86-video-intel 2.5 driver is planned for later this month. The first release candidate of this new open-source Intel driver is already available, but more test releases are expected before it’s officially released. Following the release of xf86-video-intel 2.5.0, work will be underway in preparing for a 2.6 release in December.
Intel’s Linux and Windows driver development teams are working together in sharing their video code between the two platforms. Intel video playback on Linux should improve as a result, but first they’re waiting on permission to release some of the Intel 965 video code that’s more structured on the Windows side than their current Assembly-based implementation.
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=search&q=xf86-video-intel+2.5
Note though that Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) to be released on the last of October 2008 is scheduled to contain much better Intel graphics device drivers (2.5.0), and also other related updated graphics dependencies like Mesa (7.1), X.Org (7.4), X Server (1.5.0), and Linux Kernel 2.6.27, …hopefully together sorting out this issue with Intel graphics hardware currently has under Linux.
FYI; Mesa 7.2 has now been released and should address some of these issues as it contains GLSL support for the Intel 965, and various other improvements:
http://www.mesa3d.org./relnotes-7.2.html
I do not know though if this will ship with Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) or not.