Configuring 3D Acceleration for ATI Video Card on Laptop

ngjunkie0011 · 07-10-2005, 07:07 AM

I recently installed linux on my laptop and it's up and running however I've been unable to make the 3D acceleration work. Any games that require 3D either don't work or they work incredibly slow(tux racer).

Also, when I try to play a game that requires a 3D accelerator, I get a message saying that my video card doesn't support OpenGL.

I have an ATI RADEON 9000 Mobility graphics card.

According to this web page, I think there is 3D acceleration supported for my video card.:

http://www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/linux_8.8.25.html

However, I've been to the ATI website and can't find the drivers for my video card. I've also went to HP and they don't have the drivers for linux.

leadazide · 07-11-2005, 03:57 PM

Your card must be supported by Xorg DRI drivers.
Make sure there's a line
"Load" "dri"
present in your X server config.

Guvnor · 07-11-2005, 06:53 PM

I installed SuSE on my laptop. I have an ATI Radeon Mobility 9700 in there.

After a bit of searching, I found SuSE had already handled it: ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/supplementary/X/ATI/

Nice simple walkthrough. Worked perfectly for me with 9.2.

This is probably the one you want: ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/sup...fglrx/8.14.13/

ngjunkie0011 · 07-12-2005, 08:47 PM

-----------
Nice simple walkthrough
-----------

Have I've mentioned I'm still a newbie!

Basically I'll have to download the files and just install them using RPM, right??

As such:

rpm -Uhv [FILENAME].rpm

----------------------
Make sure there's a line
"Load" "dri"
present in your X server config.
-----------------------
I have a "server" running in my Laptop??!!?? Have I've mentioned I'm a newbie??

vinbob · 07-13-2005, 02:38 AM

The SuSE guide is slightly out of date, as nowadays ATI has a graphical installer package available which cuts out all that bs and has consistantly given me better results, I often had some bizarre OpenGL problems with my Mobility 9000 when having manually installed/upgraded using the SuSE guide.

All ATI Drivers available from here

leadazide · 07-13-2005, 09:45 AM

Quote:

I have a "server" running in my Laptop??!!??

Yes. It's a X Window System server, or just X is a program which enables the GUI and allows the Desktop Environment or Window Manager to run.
The X server config is the file called /etc/X11/XOrg.conf or /etc/X11/XF86Config

Quote:

Have I've mentioned I'm a newbie??

No, you didn't

BTW it'd be better if you tell us what distro do you use.

ngjunkie0011 · 07-13-2005, 08:14 PM

--------------------------
BTW it'd be better if you tell us what distro do you use.
-------------------------

I have SuSE 9.1 up and running in my laptop. So far I've been able to install yahoo messenger and enabled xine to play encrypted DVD's all on my own. Neat, dont u think? LOL! Hey, I have to start somewheres!

So how do I enable 3D in my laptop that's using an ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 IGP??

I downloaded the rpm's that Guvnor told me to download but the "readme" file has a lot of instructions in it that I'm not familiar with and it's all just to install a simple file using rpm.

So should I jusst install the rpm files using "rpm -Uhv"???

Anyone know??

leadazide · 07-14-2005, 06:10 AM

First of all, you don't need any additional drivers for a 9000 IGP. The open source drivers provided with the distribution should support the 3D acceleration for all Radeons up to 9200. Either edit your /etc/X11/XF86Config and add "Load" "dri" there where other similar lines already are or fire up Sax2, make sure it uses "radeon" or "r200" driver and Enable 3D Acceleration in the appropriate window.

filipuce · 07-14-2005, 07:43 AM

hello

Do you try to use the kernel module radeon only!
It works well for my radeon 9000 pro.

I'M FED UP WITH TRYING TO INSTALL ATI DRIVERS.
The driver included in the kernel is certainly not the best but i got about 2100 fps in glxgears with it whereas the installation of the ati drivers totally disables the 3d acceleration and i got 150-200 fps in glxgears.

And when i see the glxgears rates of people who have ati drivers installed they're around 2000 fps
(i see 2800 fps for a radeon 9800 on a web site but rad9800 >> rad9000)

And yet i spent long time searching on the internet how to enable this 3d acc.

So now i have a preconfigure kernel for my radeon and i works well lke that.
I'm under slackware 10.1 with kernel 2.6.10

Bye

ngjunkie0011 · 07-14-2005, 12:25 PM

--------------------------
make sure it uses "radeon" or "r200" driver
---------------------------

Sax2 has quite a few "R200" drivers.

The video card on my laptop is a Radeon Mobility 9000 IGP.

Do you know which of the following is the one I'm supposed to use: "R200 BB", "R200BC", or "R200 QL".

------------------------
Do you try to use the kernel module radeon only!
----------------------
How would I go about doint that?

filipuce · 07-14-2005, 01:16 PM

To use the kernel module

compile it with
CONFIG_FB_RADEON=m

there is a special configuration but i don't remember (i did that a few months ago!)
but here is my configuration

Code:

--- character devices
<*> dev/agpgart
<*> Direct Rendering manager
    <*> ati radeon

--- graphics support
<*> support for frame buffer device
    <M> ati radeon display support

make sure you have that in your xorg.conf

Code:

Section "Module"
    Load       "glx"
    Load       "dri"

Code:

Section "Device"
    Driver      "radeon"

and add this section

Code:

Section "dri"
        Mode 0666
EndSection

restart X and then i should works well

I can play well Torcs, Cube, and UT2003 (for wide map in 1024*768 in 16bit/pixel it's limit)

IN THE PAST, I COULD ONLY APPLY THIS "WAY" WITHOUT ANY OLD INSTALLATION OF PROPRIETARY ATI DRIVERS. When i had already installed them and even if i uninstalled them, i failed in getting again the acceleration even with this "way" (but it was only with rpm's at this time) (How are we saying "méthode" in english???

)

SORRY FOR MY HESITATING ENGLISH --> I'M FRENCH

ngjunkie0011 · 07-14-2005, 02:07 PM

--------------------
compile it with
CONFIG_FB_RADEON=m
----------------------

My friend, you make too many assumptions here. I'm still a newbie!!!

And your english is just fine!!

The first thing I would have to figure out is what I have to compile and where I would go and find it.

In between, if you know of any websites where I can go and read some more I will greatly appreciate it.

------------
To use the kernel module
-------------

Im not really sure what you mean about this. Im thinking it has to do with the Linux module??

OK so far I think I'm supposed to compile some files but I'm not sure which ones and where I can download them.

After that I would have to add the lines you just mentioned to my X configuration.

Am I following this correctly??

filipuce · 07-14-2005, 03:58 PM

Well

i'm not explaining very well!!!

-------- SIMPLY EDIT YOUR FILES

as root, edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf like i said it before ("section" dri .... driver "radeon" ....)

and restart your X server by typing Ctrl-Alt-F1, logging in, killing your X server ("ps aux" and "kill $pid"), restarting the server by "startx"
try to see if accelerationis on --- "glxinfo | grep render" if direct rendering: Yes it works if no it doesn't

OR ----------- RECOMPILE YOUR KERNEL

Just search on the internet something like "howto compile kernel"
here is one address :

http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Compile_a_Kernel_Manually

To compile your kernel, you must have the kernel source : it is in /usr/src/linux-2.6.* with your kernel number
Then change these options i mentioned.

Perhaps it will work

ngjunkie0011 · 07-15-2005, 07:53 AM

---------------
i'm not explaining very well
-------------

Youre explaining just fine, the problem is I'm still a Newbie, thank you for being patient with me.

I made the above changes and they didn't work. This is because the driver I'm currently using doesn't support 3D acceleration.

Furthermore, I ran sax2 and it tells me my hardware doesn't support 3D acceleration which isn't true because I ran FIFA 2005 under windoze and it ran just fine.

Thanks for the help but I think recompiling the kernel is beyond the scope of my abilities for the moment being. Plus, I have SuSE 9.1 and there's a lot of stuff that I need to learn before I try to do something major like that.

I think Guvnor's would have a better idea of what I'm supposed to do since from what I read in the files he told me to download covers my video card, I'm just not sure if I have to recompile the kernel and if I did I wouldn't know how to do it.

I'm going to try to do an online update of my system and hopefully I'll be able to because the Internet Cafe where I hook up my lapto in is extremely slow.

Anyone seen Guvnor lately??

leadazide · 07-15-2005, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ngjunkie0011
--------------------------
make sure it uses "radeon" or "r200" driver
---------------------------

Sax2 has quite a few "R200" drivers.

The video card on my laptop is a Radeon Mobility 9000 IGP.

Do you know which of the following is the one I'm supposed to use: "R200 BB", "R200BC", or "R200 QL".

That doesn't matter. You look into the wrong place. Noth the CARD should be called r200 but the driver should be called r200 or radeon. And by the way Suse's kernel does already have the radeon drm module so you may skip the step with recompiling the kernel.
And check the 3D acceleration checkbox in Sax2. I suppose you already found it.