does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

[kapil]

hi,
i am searching for a new laptop to buy.
my current laptop has nVidia graphics and runs kubuntu 3d and transparent windows etc. graphics pretty well.
i was wondering if someone can tell me if onboard intel graphics media accelerator will handle the 3d graphics.
i know that only nVidia provides the propitiatory driver. haven't heard same for ATI or intel.
thanks.

[Yuri sss]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

i am searching for a new laptop to buy.
my current laptop has nVidia graphics and runs kubuntu 3d and transparent windows etc. graphics pretty well.
i was wondering if someone can tell me if onboard intel graphics media accelerator will handle the 3d graphics.

Avoid Intel onboard graphics, it's garbage. From what I've read here and in other problems, people frequently have problems with getting it to work.
Also better avoid nvidia chips, they run very hot and often overheat. Recently, there has been a major incident where literally thousands of notebooks overheated because of faulty nvidia chips. Instead of owning up for that, nvidia blamed it on Oems and end users:
Nvidia plays the meltdown blame game

How would you feel if you paid lots of money for a notebook, then it overheats because of a faulty nvidia chip, but then you're refused repaid or replacement because nvidia lays the blame on you? Not so good, I bet.
Nvidia's main partners, Apple and HP, both suffered a great hit from that because they then had to deal with the sh!tstorm created by thousands of angry customers. Apple eventually decided to drop nvidia because of that:
Apple does kick nvidia to the curb

i know that only nVidia provides the propitiatory driver. haven't heard same for ATI or intel.
thanks.

Where did you hear that nonsense?
Of course Ati provides proprietary drivers, and they work absolutely fine.
If you just want compositing (3D and transparent windows etc.) and don't care about games or other demanding 3D apps, the open radeon driver will suffice already.

[sithlord48]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

it depends on the chip set it self.. most ati/intel cards should work out of the box, there is a properaity driver you can get but for the most part its not needed (unless you need opengl 3 right now).im not sure if intel makes a properitary driver. look in to the gfx chip of the machine to be sure.

as for ati, i have desktop effects on the following chipsets (no drivers needed , but disable functions check is need for them to be enabled at start up on newer kde versions (its a temp blacklisting)) both are the laptop versions of the chipset (radieon mobility 3200HD and radieon mobility 4200HD and the Radieon 4830 in my desktop also works correctly w/ the opensource driver.

the only intel chipset i can say for sure works, is the 945GM since its whats in my netbook. again it works out of the box. but its a bad chip in general.

i would get an ATI card, since they are working w/ the community to make an opensource driver, unlike Nvidia... and unlike intel they don't make junk video cards.

[Yuri sss]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

i would get an ATI card, since they are working w/ the community to make an opensource driver, unlike Nvidia... and unlike intel they don't make junk video cards.

That's true, Ati is putting good effort into working on the open drivers, while nvidia doesn't give the slightest damn, and the open drivers there have to be reverse engineered because of complete lack of any support.

[GreyGeek]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

My Sony VAIO VGN-FW140E has an Intel Mobile Express Series 4 chip (GM45). It is a midrange chip which gives about 25-40 fps on Stellarium without the desktop enabled. With the desktop about 6 to 12.
SecondLife runs at about 12-20 fps.

All things considered, it gives an adequate performance for what I paid.

[kapil]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

oh thanks.. seems i ll redo the search. for ATI instead of amd this time.
but u know what.. there isn't a good notebook which suffice my needs.
so simple requirements.
0. a must must free DOS or _windoze free_
1. 2+GHz intel processor (as AMD overheats),
2. (now)ATI graphics card,
3. 2gb+ RAM,
4. 200gb+ HDD, i just wish some one would make affordable SSD notebooks (@USD 1000)
5. light weight
6. bonus points if without cd drive.. gosh.. really.. when was the last time u used a cd. (i used it last time to install windoze a year back). cd drives are good for nothing. just increasing weight.

has _anyone_ got such notebook please reply back. it would be gr8.
i am coming up with new thread about good laptop for linux in a weeks time anyways

[dibl]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

I have a Toshiba* NB205 netbook, running Debian Sid with KDE 4.4.5, 4 virtual desktops with desktop effects and it has been running great for over a year now -- very nice "island style" keyboard, compared to the "chiclet" style keyboards on most netbooks. It has the Intel 945GME GPU. That model of Toshiba is no longer available, but if I were looking to buy one, I'd look hard at this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834114918

Add $40 for one of these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145228

and you're still well under your budget.

The GMA 3150 will run KDE 4.5 with no problems. Other niggles with the NB305 are covered here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1382481

If you go to the next-to-last post on the thread, it appears there are no significant issues with this netbook and *buntu.

You can use clonezilla and, booting for the first time with a Live CD (USB stick or external USB optical drive), just image the Windoze partition and save it somewhere (why, I dunno ... but you might want to reinstall it and sell it some day). Then you can install Linux.

The one issue I've had, which I'm about to fix, is that Toshiba designs their own hard drives with power-saving firmware that causes the drive to "fall asleep" in the absence of either a Windows driver (obviously n/a in Linux) or some kind of I/O activity to keep it going. With the KDE desktop running it's no problem, but on a tty console it will "freeze" in a few minutes if you don't tickle the mousepad or touch the spacebar or something. I just ordered a SSD for mine, so that should be the end of that particular annoyance.


*BTW, Toshiba obviously does not give a fig for Linux users -- just so you're clear on that point.

[Yuri sss]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

oh thanks.. seems i ll redo the search. for ATI instead of amd this time.
but u know what.. there isn't a good notebook which suffice my needs.
so simple requirements.
0. a must must free DOS or _windoze free_

It's near impossible to buy a notebook without Windows, as you'll pretty much always have it forced down your throat, if you want it or not.
The Windows on the laptop is *never* free, you *always* pay for it (even if some should wrongly claim that it's free).
I don't see why you would absolutely want to have a Windows with your laptop?

1. 2+GHz intel processor (as AMD overheats),

You got that wrong - it's nvidia that overheats frequently, not Amd. Amd doesn't have any overheating problems.
I'd definitely pefer an Amd, as Intel is just overpriced. It generally runs hotter than Amd, too.

2. (now)ATI graphics card,
3. 2gb+ RAM,
4. 200gb+ HDD, i just wish some one would make affordable SSD notebooks (@USD 1000)
5. light weight
6. bonus points if without cd drive.. gosh.. really.. when was the last time u used a cd. (i used it last time to install windoze a year back). cd drives are good for nothing. just increasing weight.

has _anyone_ got such notebook please reply back. it would be gr8.
i am coming up with new thread about good laptop for linux in a weeks time anyways

Here are two picks for you: (prices from price comparison site)

1. HP Compaq Presario CQ61-406sa (£ 359.99)
- 2.3 GHz Dualcore
- Ati Radeon HD 4200 onboard graphics with shared memory
- 15.6" WXGA glare TFT (1366x768)
- 3 GB Ram
- 320 GB hard disk
- 2.68 kg
- Windows 7 Home Premium

2. Acer Aspire 5542G-304G64MN (£ 467.40)
- 2.0 GHz Dualcore
- Ati Radeon HD 4570 dedicated graphics card with 512 MB memory of its own (extendable with shared memory)
- 15.6" WXGA glare TFT (1366x768)
- 4 GB Ram
- 640 GB hard disk
- 3.0 kg
- Windows 7 Home Premium

[kapil]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

@yuri: i always thought it was amd. good that u made that point.
Now its good ol amd64 (yey) and ati. these 2 are associated.. that would be nice combo
though i must say, i have found some if not many notebooks without windoze.
i will get the list prepared and post in forum asap.
but oh i wish there was a notebook (not netbook) without cd drive. would take some grams off the laptop.

[sithlord48]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

i just got that compaq(well a very similar one, her's came w/ 2Gb ram and single core proc) for my GF. unless you put maverick on it you might have issues w/ the non-free firmware package. seams HP/Compaq has messed w/ the acpi table, although she is now running maverick with no issues. it did not work correctly w/ lucid. please see my post about it here

1. HP Compaq Presario CQ61-406sa (£ 359.99)
- 2.3 GHz Dualcore
- Ati Radeon HD 4200 onboard graphics with shared memory
- 15.6" WXGA glare TFT (1366x768)
- 3 GB Ram
- 320 GB hard disk
- 2.68 kg
- Windows 7 Home Premium

+1 amd is awesome!

[ardvark71]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

Avoid Intel onboard graphics

Hi all...

I would agree with the above statement as far as linux is concerned but I'm a little surprised to hear the comments regarding Nvidia. I've never had any problems with chips overheating and from what I understand, ATI's linux drivers aren't as good as Nvidia's. Does this have to do with the difference between the open source drivers versus the proprietary ones?

Regards...

[Snowhog]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

If you are into 3-D gaming, the Intel GPU really isn't up to the task. However, if you aren't into 3-D gaming, and are just interested in the 'eye candy' of the KDE Plasma Desktop, it does okay. Look at my signature below to see that I have an Intel GPU in my laptop. I am able to use almost all of the effects offered - almost all. I can run all of the ones that I am concerned about.

[kapil]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

@Snowhog: No i am not into gaming at all. but like the eyecandy stuff in kubuntu alot. so was looking for simple video card to start with.
and i have completed the analysis: http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3113974.0
pity i could not get a single laptop as per my need.
msi x slim laptop was something that would suit me.. but it comes with windoze and has a crappy mouse touchpad.

[Yuri sss]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

Avoid Intel onboard graphics

I would agree with the above statement as far as linux is concerned but I'm a little surprised to hear the comments regarding Nvidia. I've never had any problems with chips overheating

Consider yourself lucky. Nvidia has always had problems with chips running too hot and tending to overheat. Just read the article I linked above about the recent incident where many thousands of notebooks overheated due to faulty nvidia chips. The incident was very serious, otherwise a big notebook manufacturer like Apple wouldn't have terminated its long-term nvidia-only usage and switched to Ati instead over that.

from what I understand, ATI's linux drivers aren't as good as Nvidia's. Does this have to do with the difference between the open source drivers versus the proprietary ones?

Wrong for both drivers, proprietary ones and open ones. For proprietary ones, many years ago (10 or so), Ati drivers weren't quite as good as nvidia ones. This however is a thing of the past, present Ati drivers are at least as good as nvdia drivers since quite a while already. nvidia drivers certainly do have a good amount of problems.
This is especially true for the open drivers, where the Ati drivers are a lot better, because Ati actively supports them with documentation and such and also actively helps to develop and improve them. Not so nvidia - nvidia doesn't even do as much as twitch the pinky finger in order to help the open drivers, neither with documentation nor with anything else. The open nvidia driver is entirely the result of reverse engineering, without any support whatsoever.

[The Liquidator]

Re: does intel graphics media accelator sufficiant for kubuntu 3d graphics?

I don't know if they export to India but there is a company that sells laptops without an operating system (and has a linux forum to boot). Next laptop I buy will be from them.

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/l...ge/xplora.html

The model there is the entry level with AMD Dual core and ATI graphics, although it seems to be an old card that may not be properly supported.

As I said I don't know whether they export and, if they do, what the cost is.