Is it normal for ATI Linux Drivers to have High CPU Usage?

pjpeter · 10-09-2004, 11:30 PM

BZFlag: 100%
TuxRacer: 93%

Is it normal for these games to take that much CPU computational power to do their stuff? I think its the fglrx driver I have installed that is the problem (3.14 from http://xoomer.virgilio.it/flavio.sta...installer.html). The only alternative though seems to be the radeon module that came with the 2.6.8-1 kernel but it goes at about 8 fps in games while BZFlag runs at 354 fps and smooth with fglrx - TuxRacer barely works with radeon.

Unless I'm doing something wrong?

Thanks,
Peter

Nz_Boy_2004 · 10-09-2004, 11:36 PM

Ther is drivers on the ATI web site.

pjpeter · 10-09-2004, 11:37 PM

I'm in Debian.

Nz_Boy_2004 · 10-10-2004, 01:38 AM

Ok so u use apt-get, i dont know neva tryed debian.

pjpeter · 10-10-2004, 10:02 AM

ATI releases rpm packages - you can't use those in Debian. Flavio converts them to Debian packages. I don't know of any other places to get such packages - if someone knows them please tell me

Xenoeye · 10-10-2004, 11:06 AM

Yes it's pretty common for games to use a lot of CPU power because they want to use as much of the systems power as they can to maintain high frame rates etc. However the ATI linux drivers are also particularly bad although they're promising improvements.
I know TuxRacer is a lot more complex but it's still a huge jump in framerates between the two games, perhaps it's just a config issue with TuxRacer?

pjpeter · 10-10-2004, 08:51 PM

Possibly. but its mostly BZFlag I'm worried about - in Tux I can't even pass race #1 lol.

8 fps on bzflag is unplayable definately, and with the ATI drivers my laptop becomes almost untouchable after only a few minutes due to the heat. And the fan goes insanely fast very worrying.

It shouldn't take a 2.66GHz P4 to play BZFlag : ( - (reference note, BZFlag barely takes 20% of CPU to run in Windows XP, with all options enabled)

Peter