Hardware-Specific Information and Troubleshooting

DRI User Guide : Hardware-Specific Information and Troubleshooting
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8. Hardware-Specific Information and Troubleshooting

This section presents hardware-specific information for normal use and troubleshooting.

8.1. 3dfx Voodoo3

8.1.1. Configuration

Your XF86Config file's device section must specify the tdfx device:

        Section "Device"
            Identifier  "Voodoo3"
            VendorName  "3dfx"
            Driver      "tdfx"
        EndSection

The Screen section should then reference the Voodoo3 device:

	Section "Screen"
	    Identifier  "Screen 1"
	    Device      "Voodoo3"
	    Monitor     "High Res Monitor"
	    DefaultDepth 16
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       16
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
        EndSection

The kernel module for the Voodoo3 is named tdfx.o and should be installed in /lib/modules/KERNEL-VERSION/misc/. It will be automatically loaded by the Xserver if needed.

The DRI 3D driver for the Voodoo3 should be in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/tdfx_dri.so. This will be automatically loaded by libGL.so.

8.1.2. Troubleshooting

3D acceleration for Voodoo3 is only supported in the 16 bit/pixel screen mode. Use xdpyinfo to verify that all your visuals are depth 16. Edit your XF86Config file if needed.
The /dev/3dfx device is not used for DRI; it's only for Glide on older 3dfx hardware.

8.1.3. Performance

Normally, buffer swapping in double-buffered applications is synchronized to your monitor's refresh rate. This may be overridden by setting the FX_GLIDE_SWAPINTERNVAL environment variable. The value of this variable indicates the maximum number of swap buffer commands can be buffered. Zero allows maximum frame rate.
The glTexEnv mode GL_BLEND is not directly supported by the 3dfx hardware. It can be accomplished with a multipass algorithm but it's not implemented at this time. Applications which use that mode, such as the Performer Town demo, may become sluggish when falling back to software rendering to render in that mode.

8.1.4. Known Problems

Glide cannot be used directly; only OpenGL-based programs are supported on the Voodoo3.
SSystem has problems because of poorly set near and far clipping planes. The office.unc Performer model also suffers from this problem.

8.2. Intel i810

8.2.1. Configuration

Your XF86Config file's device section must specify the i810 device, and specify a usable amount of video ram to reserve.

        Section "Device"
            Identifier  "i810"
            VendorName  "Intel"
            Driver      "i810"
	    VideoRam    10000
        EndSection

The Screen section should then reference the i810 device:

	Section "Screen"
	    Identifier  "Screen 1"
	    Device      "i810"
	    Monitor     "High Res Monitor"
	    DefaultDepth 16
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       16
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
        EndSection

The kernel module for the i810 is named i810.o and should be installed in /lib/modules/KERNEL-VERSION/misc/. It will be automatically loaded by the Xserver if needed.

The DRI 3D driver for the i810 should be in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/i810_dri.so. This will be automatically loaded by libGL.so.

8.2.2. Troubleshooting

3D acceleration for the i810 is only available in the 16 bit/pixel screen mode at this time. 32bpp acceleration is not supported by this hardware. Use xdpyinfo to verify that all your visuals are depth 16. Edit your XF86Config file if needed.
The i810 uses system ram for video and 3d graphics. The X server will ordinarily reserve 4mb of ram for graphics, which is too little for an effective 3d setup. To tell the driver to use a larger amount, specify a VideoRam option in the Device section of your XF86Config file. A number between 10000 and 16384 seems adequate for most requirements. If too little memory is available for DMA buffers, back and depth buffers and textures, direct rendering will be disabled.

8.3. Matrox G200 and G400

8.3.1. Configuration

Your XF86Config file's device section must specify the mga device:

        Section "Device"
            Identifier  "MGA"
            VendorName  "Matrox"
            Driver      "mga"
        EndSection

The Screen section should then reference the MGA device:

	Section "Screen"
	    Identifier  "Screen 1"
	    Device      "MGA"
	    Monitor     "High Res Monitor"
	    DefaultDepth 16
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       16
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
        EndSection

The kernel module for the G200/G400 is named mga.o and should be installed in /lib/modules/KERNEL-VERSION/misc/. It will be automatically loaded by the Xserver if needed.

The DRI 3D driver for the G200/G400 should be in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/mga_dri.so. This will be automatically loaded by libGL.so.

8.3.2. Troubleshooting

3D acceleration for the G200 and G400 is only supported in the 16 bit/pixel screen mode at this time. 32bpp will be supported in the future. Use xdpyinfo to verify that all your visuals are depth 16. Edit your XF86Config file if needed.

8.3.3. Performance

No data at this time.

8.3.4. Known Problems

Multitexture is currently disabled on the G400 to work around a hardware lockup bug. This should be restored in a subsequent release.

8.4. ATI Rage 128

8.4.1. Configuration

Your XF86Config file's device section must specify the r128 device:

        Section "Device"
            Identifier  "Rage128"
            VendorName  "ATI"
            Driver      "r128"
        EndSection

The Screen section should then reference the Rage 128 device:

	Section "Screen"
	    Identifier  "Screen 1"
	    Device      "Rage128"
	    Monitor     "High Res Monitor"
	    DefaultDepth 16
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       16
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
	    Subsection "Display"
		Depth       32
		Modes       "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
		ViewPort    0 0
	    EndSubsection
        EndSection

The kernel module for the Rage 128 is named r128.o and should be installed in /lib/modules/KERNEL-VERSION/misc/. It will be automatically loaded by the Xserver if needed.

The DRI 3D driver for the Rage 128 should be in /usr/X11R6/lib/modules/dri/r128_dri.so. This will be automatically loaded by libGL.so.

You may also set your screen depth to 32 for 32bpp mode.

8.4.2. Performance

While PCI Rage 128 based cards are supported, they do not yet support PCI GART, so they will not perform as well as their AGP counterparts.

8.4.3. Known Problems

DGA is not yet supported in the ATI Rage 128 X server. This feature will be added in a future release.

8.5. 3DLabs Oxygen GMX 2000

The driver for this hardware was experimental and is no longer being developed or supported.

DRI User Guide : Hardware-Specific Information and Troubleshooting
Previous: General Trouble Shooting
Next: Limitations and Known Bugs