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Old 01-05-2004, 06:32 PM   #1
randman35
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Location: Yukon, Oklahoma
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Unhappy Very slow 3D on OpenGL games with geForce3 and Mandrake Linux 9.2


Hello,

First of all I need to say that I am very much a Linux Newbie. My ultimate goal is to learn to set up a Linux OS with programs that will do everything that can be done in Windows, and completely break free from the money-grubbing Microsoft machine. I was well on my way to doing this when I ran into a big problem with my geForce3 Ti200 card (after installing Mandrake 9.2 Download Edition). First of all, here is my system configuration:

AMD Athlon XP 2000+
ABIT mainboard using the VIA KT333 chipset
512MB PC2100 DDR RAM
Chaintech geForce3 Ti200 64MB DDR video card
Maxtor 40GB 7200rpm HDD
Creative Sound Blaster Live! value (not the 5.1)
Linksys LNE100TX NIC

I am running a dual-boot configuration between Linux and Windows XP pro.

I was very happy with the way Mandrake 9.2 detected my hardware for the most part, but my problems started when I tried to run the 3D Games that are included, which use OpenGL. First of all, I am having no problem with 2D. I can run in either 16 or 24-Bit with very good color. The only problem I have is when I run an OpenGL game. Mandrake detected the video card correctly as a geForce3 Ti200, and was using the "nv" driver. On running any of the 3D games, these are the symptoms I noticed:

> VERY slow framerate, about 1 frame every 2 seconds. The problem is so bad that in Tuxracer the mouse will not move normally, but can only be moved in 2-second increments, jumping from one location to the next. The performance is just as bad or worse in the other games.

So, having these symptoms, I figured that what I needed was the nVidia drivers. So, I found the NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-5328 on nVidia's website. As recommended, I stopped X, then ran the sh command to begin the installation. It told me that I needed to install "binutils", so I went back and installed that from the installation CD, then ran NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-5328 again, and it seemed to successfully complete. I then edited the XFree86 Config file, replacing the "nv" with "nvidia". Also, I checked to make sure "glx" was set to load, and that "dri" and "GLcore" were NOT being loaded, per nVidia's recommendation. After starting X again (and seeing the nVidia logo at Logon) and trying some games, I found that the problems did not get better at all. Still basically the same, as I described above.

However, being a very persistent person, I did not let this stop me. Here is a list of the troubleshooting steps I took, all of which of course did not help:

> Followed the instructions in the nVidia Linux driver README to check to make sure all of the necessary driver files were in their proper directories (they were).

> Added the NvAGP = "0" option to the config file
> Added the NvAGP = "1" option to the config file
> Checked to make sure the nVidia logo was appearing
> GREPped XFree86 0 log to make sure the nVidia drivers were being used.

In short, all seems to be OK on the surface, but there is obviously something wrong, because despite everything looking OK, the same problem remains. The nVidia drivers are obviously active and being used, but SOMETHING is slowing down the 3D to a massive extent. Let me note again that neither the generic "nv" driver nor the "nvidia" driver ever worked correctly. So my questions are these:

> Could there be a bug or incompatibility relating to my specific video card?
> Could there be a problem with the KT333 chipset (in HardDrake, it shows that I have a KT266)?
> Is it possible that I need to delete or rename some files that could be conflicting?
> Do just need to go back and somehow remove the nVidia drivers and use a different installation method?

Any help from anyone would be appreciated, because I have definitely hit a brick wall and can't think of anything else to do.
 
Old 01-05-2004, 10:02 PM   #2
kilgoretrout
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What fps are you getting in glx gears? Also, several people have reported problems with the new nvidia drivers(5328), particularly, extremely slow fps in glxgears. It seems to work just fine for others. Try the 4496 driver if your getting low fps. That generally corrected the problem for people with this problem. You can get the 4496 driver here:

ftp://mandrake-forum.org/pub/Nvidia

Last edited by kilgoretrout; 01-05-2004 at 10:04 PM.
 
Old 01-05-2004, 11:47 PM   #3
indeterminate
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Hmm. It could be that direct rendering might not be working for some reason. If you haven't already, check 'glxinfo'. Most of it is greek to me, but a line near the top should say "direct rendering: Yes". If it says no, there should be some kind of warning or error message in /var/log/XFree86.0.log that's a little more specific about why it's not enabled. If direct (hardware) rendering's not enabled, X will fall back on software rendering, and you'll get really slow OpenGL.
 
Old 01-06-2004, 11:13 AM   #4
randman35
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Quote:
Originally posted by indeterminate
Hmm. It could be that direct rendering might not be working for some reason. If you haven't already, check 'glxinfo'. Most of it is greek to me, but a line near the top should say "direct rendering: Yes". If it says no, there should be some kind of warning or error message in /var/log/XFree86.0.log that's a little more specific about why it's not enabled. If direct (hardware) rendering's not enabled, X will fall back on software rendering, and you'll get really slow OpenGL.
The direct rendering is definitely not working. I checked glxinfo, and it said "direct rendering: No". I checked the log file that you mentioned, and there were no warnings, other than something about "(WW) Option "XkbOptions" requires an string value".

Anyway, here is where I'm at: I removed the nvidia 5328 driver, and it caused my X to fail to come up after rebooting. Yes, I re-edited the XF86Config-4 file to go back to the original "nv" driver, rebooted again, and the same thing happened; X would act like it was trying to come up, the screen flashed several times, and then it simply returned me to the evil command prompt. I didn't know what else to do, so I booted up with the Mandrake 9.2 install CD, chose the "Upgrade" option, let it do its thing, and when I rebooted, all was well again, and the "nv" driver was again active.

Then, explicitly follwing nvidia's instructions, booted the system into the non-graphical multiuser mode (inittab option 3), and ran the nvidia installer for 4496. It gave me several error messages relating to the kernel (wrong kernel version, cannot find correct kernel headers, etc), and the install aborted without completing. So then I said, what the heck, I'll try the 5328 drivers again. Those installed without a hitch, I edited the XF86Config-4 file again, rebooted, got the lovely nvidia logo, tried to run Tuxracer, and it was the same old deal, maybe 1fps. So I then went through the process of uninstalling these drivers, got a message saying they were uninstalled successfully, rebooted, and then found that my system had been ruined again, and I again had to do the "Upgrade" from the install CD to get things to work again.

Any ideas on how to get the 4496 drivers to install? Or maybe I should abandon Mandrake and go with Red Hat?
 
Old 01-06-2004, 11:18 AM   #5
randman35
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Quote:
Originally posted by kilgoretrout
What fps are you getting in glx gears? Also, several people have reported problems with the new nvidia drivers(5328), particularly, extremely slow fps in glxgears. It seems to work just fine for others. Try the 4496 driver if your getting low fps. That generally corrected the problem for people with this problem. You can get the 4496 driver here:

ftp://mandrake-forum.org/pub/Nvidia
Please advise on how to run "glx gears" (I told you I was a real newbie)!

However, I have a feeling that when I do run it, it will give me a very low fps. I have discovered that when I run "glxinfo", it tells me "Direct Rendering: No" (see my reply to the other post).

It seems like I'll have to recompile my kernel or something in order to to use the previous (4496) nvidia drivers. If anyone has a clue on this, please advise...

Thanks.
 
Old 01-06-2004, 11:31 AM   #6
kilgoretrout
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You have to have the kernel source installed to do the 4496 install. Unfortunately the kernel source is not included on the download addition of 9.2(I know it totally sucks!!!).

First check which kernel you are using by running:

$ uname -a

The standard kernel is 2.4.22-10mdk. If that's the one you have, you can download the kernel source here:

ftp://ftp.cs.uu.nl/mirror/Linux/Mand.../Mandrake/RPMS

The package you want for the standard kernel is:

kernel-source-2.4.22-10mdk.i586.rpm

Once the kernel source is installed, the 4496 driver should install.

By the way, to run glxgears, just open a console and run:

$ glxgears

A little window will open up with spinning gears and if you let it run you'll get a fps prinout in your console. It's a standard 3D performance benchmark in linux.
 
Old 01-06-2004, 12:20 PM   #7
Johnnus
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Maybe, randman35, you need to install some development tools too (gcc, libraries and other things that somebody more experienced in linux than me could tell to you) because I suspect that the standard installation of Mandrake don't do, maybe for the same unknown (or known? anybody can tell us?) reason they don't include kernel sources.

After that, the installation of newer (and older too) drivers become possible and you should solve your problems.

As an alternative you can try the patch you can find here
http://www.sh.nu/download/nvidia/lin...-5328-pkg0.run
for the 5328 version of the nvidia drivers (this worked for me, but this also require kernel sources and development tools, I think)

Johnnus, a ... in english writing too!
 
Old 01-06-2004, 02:29 PM   #8
randman35
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Question

OK, this is real weird. I have not yet acted on the newest replies (recommending to download the kernel source and so on). Currently, I have the original "NV" driver installed. I ran "glxgears" as recommended, and it appears from the results that I am getting blazing framerates, around 250 fps:

[randman@localhost randman]$ glxgears
Xlib: extension "XFree86-DRI" missing on display ":0.0".
1455 frames in 5.0 seconds = 291.000 FPS
1200 frames in 5.0 seconds = 240.000 FPS
1232 frames in 5.0 seconds = 246.400 FPS
1280 frames in 5.0 seconds = 256.000 FPS
1280 frames in 5.0 seconds = 256.000 FPS
1280 frames in 5.0 seconds = 256.000 FPS
1280 frames in 5.0 seconds = 256.000 FPS
XIO: fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server ":0.0"
after 18727 requests (6212 known processed) with 0 events remaining.
[randman@localhost randman]$

So WHY won't my OpenGL games work right??
Note the "Xlib" notation above. Could this be what is causing all my problems?

BTW thanks for all the help.
 
Old 01-06-2004, 02:47 PM   #9
tarballedtux
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Ouch on those results.

I noticed that my kernel was not configured for DRI. I'm not sure if there is a way to check that with a compiled kernel. But I when I enabled it on my kernel I was sitting pretty.

Your results should be at least 2000 FPS on glxgears. I'm not sure of the ti200 but the 9600XT had thse results.

14434 frames in 5.0 seconds = 2886.800 FPS
15213 frames in 5.0 seconds = 3042.600 FPS
15188 frames in 5.0 seconds = 3037.600 FPS
15205 frames in 5.0 seconds = 3041.000 FPS
15216 frames in 5.0 seconds = 3043.200 FPS
15189 frames in 5.0 seconds = 3037.800 FPS
15210 frames in 5.0 seconds = 3042.000 FPS
15194 frames in 5.0 seconds = 3038.800 FPS

I've seen similar on lesser cards arund here so it should be alot higher than the 200 range.

--tarballedtux
 
Old 01-06-2004, 02:50 PM   #10
kilgoretrout
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Those fps suck; you should be getting well over 1500 with that card and the proper nvidia driver. Remember, this is just a benchmarking tool which runs a grapic in a small window. It's all relative. This bears little resemblance to what you'll get running games full screen.
 
Old 01-06-2004, 03:56 PM   #11
randman35
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Thumbs up

S U C C E S S ! ! !

Ok, I finally got the 4496 drivers properly installed (thanks to the help of the people here) and now my 3D is working GREAT!!! All of my sample games (ArmageTron, Tuxracer, Cannon Smash, etc.) run smooth as silk now. For all interested parties who may be having troubles such as mine, here is what I had to do to accomplish this:

> Downloaded the kernel source file for my kernel version (used the link from one of the replies to this post) and placed it in the /tmp/ directory.
> Logged in as root, changed my /etc/inittab default runlevel to 3
> Tried to install the rpm (# rpm -Uvh filename.rpm), and I got a "failed dependencies" message, and it gave the names of the stuff that had to be installed, which were:
glibc-devel
ncurses-devel
gcc
> changed my /etc/inittab default runlevel to 5, rebooted
> Went to "rpmDrake" and managed to find and install the above (from CD's)
> Logged in as root, changed my /etc/inittab default runlevel to 3
> Installed the kernel rpm again, and got no dependencies error this time, and successfully installed the kernel source
> Ran my nvidia installer for 4496 again (NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-4496-pkg2.run, and got the message that there was no precompiled kernel interface, so that the installer would have to build one. Since I had installed "glibc", etc., the installer successfully built the kernel interface and the installation completed successfully.
> Went to /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 and changed the driver name "nv" to "nvidia" (using "emacs").
> Went to /etc/inittab and changed the default runlevel to 5 again.
> Rebooted, got the lovely nvidia logo at startup, and this time it actually worked!

I thought I might never solve this problem; thanks to all who replied and helped!
 
Old 01-06-2004, 03:59 PM   #12
randman35
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By the way

BTW I ran "glxgears" again and am getting about 2500 on framerates.
 
Old 01-06-2004, 06:37 PM   #13
kilgoretrout
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Good on ya randman; glad it worked.

By the way, mandrake has a tool called urpmi for installing packages. From the command line you do the following to install a package:

# urpmi <package name>

If there are any unmet dependencies for the package, they will be automatically installed. You get prompted to insert the cd with necessary packages to meet the dependencies and are informed what's being installed. It works pretty cool. You can also set up urpmi sources for repositories on the internet. here's a link explaining it:

http://urpmi.org/easyurpmi/

Once set up, urpmi will search not only your install cds but also the internet repositories for any package or unmet dependencies. If the stuff is on the internet repositories, it will automatically download it and install.

Most people set up a "contrib" and a "plf" site as additional sources.

Also, you can just click on an rpm package and the graphical front end for urpmi called rpmdrake will do the install along with any dependencies.
 
Old 01-06-2004, 07:01 PM   #14
randman35
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Lightbulb Thanks for the info

Thanx for the info, Kilgoretrout, it will help I'm sure when I go to install some new programs.

Randman
 
Old 01-06-2004, 11:47 PM   #15
Dimples
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This is a great thread, I had pretty much the same setup here with the same problems. Not only got tuxracer running properly learned a few things!

thank you much!
 
  


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