AMD GNU/Linux drivers -- Am I missing something?
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 6:49 am
Sorry if this has been re-hashed in the recent past. I tried a search but didn't find much SPCR input on the topic
TLDR: Why are GNU/Linux framerates 1/3 the Windows framerates on my A4-3300M (AMD Llano fusion) laptop? Should I not be using the 11.8 catalyst binary blob?
Background: I've long stuck with nVidia cards for my GNU/Linux builds, as I've had excellent driver experiences (better FPS than Windows XP with WINE in certain games, eg Source engine). I've heard that the ATI/AMD drivers have been rapidly improving in recent years, and that the open source ATI offering is now superior to the nVidia open source drivers.
What I am doing: I recently purchased an HP laptop based on the AMD A4-3300M Llano chip. It was $400 (microcenter back-to-school sale with $50 mail rebate), and runs all of my games in Windows with alacrity.
What I am concerned with at the moment is maximum GNU/Linux performance, and therefore I think (?) the binary blobs are the way to go. Phoronix seemed like they had some good results, so I was surprised to find that framerates with WINE were unbearable, whereas the Windows framerates were acceptable.
Do you think this is just the usual waiting game for decent driver support? Does anyone have an old ATI/AMD card and a Windows/WINE comparison? Should I expect my drivers to stabilize to near-Windows performance purely through tweaks/optimizations, or is this a widespread problem with the ATI/AMD driver blob which may be around for a while?
Thanks for any insights!
TLDR: Why are GNU/Linux framerates 1/3 the Windows framerates on my A4-3300M (AMD Llano fusion) laptop? Should I not be using the 11.8 catalyst binary blob?
Background: I've long stuck with nVidia cards for my GNU/Linux builds, as I've had excellent driver experiences (better FPS than Windows XP with WINE in certain games, eg Source engine). I've heard that the ATI/AMD drivers have been rapidly improving in recent years, and that the open source ATI offering is now superior to the nVidia open source drivers.
What I am doing: I recently purchased an HP laptop based on the AMD A4-3300M Llano chip. It was $400 (microcenter back-to-school sale with $50 mail rebate), and runs all of my games in Windows with alacrity.
What I am concerned with at the moment is maximum GNU/Linux performance, and therefore I think (?) the binary blobs are the way to go. Phoronix seemed like they had some good results, so I was surprised to find that framerates with WINE were unbearable, whereas the Windows framerates were acceptable.
Do you think this is just the usual waiting game for decent driver support? Does anyone have an old ATI/AMD card and a Windows/WINE comparison? Should I expect my drivers to stabilize to near-Windows performance purely through tweaks/optimizations, or is this a widespread problem with the ATI/AMD driver blob which may be around for a while?
Thanks for any insights!