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The open source OpenGL driver AMD radeonsi is now extremely close to having full OpenGL 4.4 support, and OpenGL 4.5 is now complete.
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, the progress on open drivers in the past year has been pretty amazing.
Recently “GL_ARB_query_buffer_object” was added in for radeonsi (OpenGL 4.4), leaving only “GL_ARB_enhanced_layouts” left for full OpenGL 4.4 support.
The radeonsi driver already has OpenGL 4.5 support, as the last extension “GL_KHR_robustness" was implemented on the 5th of October.
Hopefully once the last OpenGL 4.4 part is finished, the developers can then focus on performance edge cases. This would be especially nice, as it would then enable game developers, like Feral for one example, to better support AMD GPU’s with their Linux ports.
You can track the level of support any time on the MesaMatrix website. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, the progress on open drivers in the past year has been pretty amazing.
Recently “GL_ARB_query_buffer_object” was added in for radeonsi (OpenGL 4.4), leaving only “GL_ARB_enhanced_layouts” left for full OpenGL 4.4 support.
The radeonsi driver already has OpenGL 4.5 support, as the last extension “GL_KHR_robustness" was implemented on the 5th of October.
Hopefully once the last OpenGL 4.4 part is finished, the developers can then focus on performance edge cases. This would be especially nice, as it would then enable game developers, like Feral for one example, to better support AMD GPU’s with their Linux ports.
You can track the level of support any time on the MesaMatrix website. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Feral even fixes things directly in Mesa! https://cgit.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/commit/?id=e33f31d61f5e9019f8b0bac0378dfb8fd1147421
And radeon vulkan support just got merged :DNon conformant though, but the seem to fix things damn fast!
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ElectricPrism Oct 7, 2016
Just be sure to thank them when you see them pop into a Reddit thread and express your appreciation - that shit really does go far in developer world.
In fact I did just that earlier this week and expressed how I kicked $800 of Nvidia to the curb in favor of MESA and RX 480 -- because it's important to me that they know what people like me are doing and how we're thinking so they can better service us and we can service them with $$$.
Last edited by ElectricPrism on 7 October 2016 at 9:03 am UTC
Feral even fixes things directly in Mesa! https://cgit.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/commit/?id=e33f31d61f5e9019f8b0bac0378dfb8fd1147421
And radeon vulkan support just got merged :DNon conformant though, but the seem to fix things damn fast!
Just be sure to thank them when you see them pop into a Reddit thread and express your appreciation - that shit really does go far in developer world.
In fact I did just that earlier this week and expressed how I kicked $800 of Nvidia to the curb in favor of MESA and RX 480 -- because it's important to me that they know what people like me are doing and how we're thinking so they can better service us and we can service them with $$$.
Last edited by ElectricPrism on 7 October 2016 at 9:03 am UTC
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In fact I did just that earlier this week and expressed how I kicked $800 of Nvidia to the curb in favor of MESA and RX 480 – because it's important to me that they know what people like me are doing and how we're thinking so they can better service us and we can service them with $$$.I'm still waiting for Vega to replace my aging HD7970 :D
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I thought the Radeonsi nomenclature was dropped ? or am i getting confused with the huge amounts of AMD driver naming conventions 
Last edited by on 7 October 2016 at 10:24 am UTC
Last edited by on 7 October 2016 at 10:24 am UTC
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boltronics Oct 7, 2016
> Hopefully once the last OpenGL 4.4 part is finished, the developers can then focus on performance edge cases.
Not exactly. If you look down the bottom of https://mesamatrix.net/ there's still a bunch of extensions that need implementing. There's also OpenGL ES 3.2 support which is missing three extensions. And of course improving Vulkan conformance is probably the biggest priority.
Still, it's both amazing and awesome that we are at a point where we are even having this discussion. :)
Not exactly. If you look down the bottom of https://mesamatrix.net/ there's still a bunch of extensions that need implementing. There's also OpenGL ES 3.2 support which is missing three extensions. And of course improving Vulkan conformance is probably the biggest priority.
Still, it's both amazing and awesome that we are at a point where we are even having this discussion. :)
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> Hopefully once the last OpenGL 4.4 part is finished, the developers can then focus on performance edge cases.While you're right, that's a different point entirely here. I'm talking OpenGL main spec, not assorted extensions that don't belong to a particular version. As for OpenGL ES, as far as I am aware that's more for mobiles, not desktop which is what we focus on here.
Not exactly. If you look down the bottom of https://mesamatrix.net/ there's still a bunch of extensions that need implementing. There's also OpenGL ES 3.2 support which is missing three extensions. And of course improving Vulkan conformance is probably the biggest priority.
Still, it's both amazing and awesome that we are at a point where we are even having this discussion. :)
Anyway, OpenGL ES 3.2 is quite close to being 100% on AMD too, looks like only three bits remain for basic full compatibility.
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boltronics Oct 7, 2016
My understanding was that OpenGL wouldn't be releasing new versions, and will just be adding extensions.
In the past, publishers could list the minimum required OpenGL version on the system requirements, and you would know that you're good if your card and software meets that spec. Going forward, if that's not going to be an easy thing for the user to check, having those extensions supported will likely become even more important.
In the past, publishers could list the minimum required OpenGL version on the system requirements, and you would know that you're good if your card and software meets that spec. Going forward, if that's not going to be an easy thing for the user to check, having those extensions supported will likely become even more important.
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ElectricPrism Oct 7, 2016
In fact I did just that earlier this week and expressed how I kicked $800 of Nvidia to the curb in favor of MESA and RX 480 – because it's important to me that they know what people like me are doing and how we're thinking so they can better service us and we can service them with $$$.I'm still waiting for Vega to replace my aging HD7970 :D
And maybe me too depending on the performance difference of Polaris and Vega.
Polaris has turned out to be a good time to switch to Red Team for me.
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In fact I did just that earlier this week and expressed how I kicked $800 of Nvidia to the curb in favor of MESA and RX 480 – because it's important to me that they know what people like me are doing and how we're thinking so they can better service us and we can service them with $$$.I'm still waiting for Vega to replace my aging HD7970 :D
And maybe me too depending on the performance difference of Polaris and Vega.
Polaris has turned out to be a good time to switch to Red Team for me.
Just waiting for AMD freesync to happen. Not only that, waiting for a decent QHD/UHD Freesync monitor with high refresh, most serious gaming monitors seem to use g-sync.
On a side note, if you buy a g-sync monitor your not guaranteed to be able to run higher refresh settings through AMD cards using the g-sync display port. Some work, some do not and thats on windows. adding linux drivers into the mix might actually limit your monitor choice to one vendor only.
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boltronics Oct 7, 2016
Just waiting for AMD freesync to happen. Not only that, waiting for a decent QHD/UHD Freesync monitor with high refresh, most serious gaming monitors seem to use g-sync.
I use the BenQ XL2730Z which is QHD 144Hz with FreeSync, and I love it. Another popular option is the Asus MG279Q which is very similar but with an IPS panel, 4ms GTG response time (vs 1ms GTG for the BenQ), but only supports FreeSync between 30-90Hz. There are also monitors on the market with FreeSync at better resolutions, although not at 144Hz.
On a side note, if you buy a g-sync monitor your not guaranteed to be able to run higher refresh settings through AMD cards using the g-sync display port. Some work, some do not and thats on windows. adding linux drivers into the mix might actually limit your monitor choice to one vendor only.
Not amazed. G-Sync is Nvidia's proprietary technology, and Nvidia hates you doing anything with their hardware they don't approve of. G-Sync needs to die.
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My understanding was that OpenGL wouldn't be releasing new versions, and will just be adding extensions.No, OpenGL isn't in maintenance mode yet. Khronos made it very clear that the Vulkan launch didn't mean OpenGL would stop evolving. There will be new extensions, and any deemed fit for core will be pulled into or influence future versions of the spec, same as always. Unless you've heard otherwise?
I have no doubt development focus has shifted towards Vulkan though. Some smart Vulkan-based abstraction libraries or shims could basically make OpenGL (not ES) irrelevant at some point, but Vulkan need to mature a bit for this to happen.
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Probably referring to this speculative piece from phoronix: http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Mesa-OpenGL-Version-SpoilerMy understanding was that OpenGL wouldn't be releasing new versions, and will just be adding extensions.No, OpenGL isn't in maintenance mode yet. Khronos made it very clear that the Vulkan launch didn't mean OpenGL would stop evolving. There will be new extensions, and any deemed fit for core will be pulled into or influence future versions of the spec, same as always. Unless you've heard otherwise?
I have no doubt development focus has shifted towards Vulkan though. Some smart Vulkan-based abstraction libraries or shims could basically make OpenGL (not ES) irrelevant at some point, but Vulkan need to mature a bit for this to happen.
Last edited by Liam Dawe on 7 October 2016 at 12:16 pm UTC
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Just waiting for AMD freesync to happen. Not only that, waiting for a decent QHD/UHD Freesync monitor with high refresh, most serious gaming monitors seem to use g-sync.
I use the BenQ XL2730Z which is QHD 144Hz with FreeSync, and I love it. Another popular option is the Asus MG279Q which is very similar but with an IPS panel, 4ms GTG response time (vs 1ms GTG for the BenQ), but only supports FreeSync between 30-90Hz. There are also monitors on the market with FreeSync at better resolutions, although not at 144Hz.
On a side note, if you buy a g-sync monitor your not guaranteed to be able to run higher refresh settings through AMD cards using the g-sync display port. Some work, some do not and thats on windows. adding linux drivers into the mix might actually limit your monitor choice to one vendor only.
Not amazed. G-Sync is Nvidia's proprietary technology, and Nvidia hates you doing anything with their hardware they don't approve of. G-Sync needs to die.
That looks almost perfect. I have a 32" 1440p right now which is useful for editing but i was wanting a smaller 24" 1440p 144hz / 165hz with freesync for gaming. 27" is just a bit too big for fast gaming imo you need the whole frame in view, but that's just a preference.
Last edited by on 7 October 2016 at 12:33 pm UTC
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Larabel's speculation is what it is, mostly based on speculative (or hopeful?) comments from a couple of Intel developers who are influential but do not decide these things. We'll see. OpenGL-based games and software are being worked on, and will be for a long time still. If there's enough demand for a new version at some point, it will happen. I would be happy if the industry took a clean break and shifted towards Vulkan, but there are several reasons why this is unlikely in the near future.Probably referring to this speculative piece from phoronix: http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Mesa-OpenGL-Version-SpoilerMy understanding was that OpenGL wouldn't be releasing new versions, and will just be adding extensions.No, OpenGL isn't in maintenance mode yet. Khronos made it very clear that the Vulkan launch didn't mean OpenGL would stop evolving. There will be new extensions, and any deemed fit for core will be pulled into or influence future versions of the spec, same as always. Unless you've heard otherwise?
I have no doubt development focus has shifted towards Vulkan though. Some smart Vulkan-based abstraction libraries or shims could basically make OpenGL (not ES) irrelevant at some point, but Vulkan need to mature a bit for this to happen.
0 Likes
In fact I did just that earlier this week and expressed how I kicked $800 of Nvidia to the curb in favor of MESA and RX 480 – because it's important to me that they know what people like me are doing and how we're thinking so they can better service us and we can service them with $$$.I'm still waiting for Vega to replace my aging HD7970 :D
And maybe me too depending on the performance difference of Polaris and Vega.
Polaris has turned out to be a good time to switch to Red Team for me.
Same here - will chuck the RX480 in another machine here if Vega's fast enough :)
Experience on Polaris has been just freaking amazing tbh (against my old GTX660)...
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In fact I did just that earlier this week and expressed how I kicked $800 of Nvidia to the curb in favor of MESA and RX 480 – because it's important to me that they know what people like me are doing and how we're thinking so they can better service us and we can service them with $$$.I'm still waiting for Vega to replace my aging HD7970 :D
Couldn't wait and replaced my 7970 1Ghz with a RX480 and couldn't have been happier.
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As an AMD user I'm extremely happy about this!
The development is constantly improving and thanks to the open-sourceness we can enjoy and incorporate many other projects and external improvements, such as Gallium Nine or the mentioned Vulkan.
If they can get closer to the Nvidia performances and provide us a good Nvenc counterpart, then for sure maaaany people would switch to AMD!
The development is constantly improving and thanks to the open-sourceness we can enjoy and incorporate many other projects and external improvements, such as Gallium Nine or the mentioned Vulkan.
If they can get closer to the Nvidia performances and provide us a good Nvenc counterpart, then for sure maaaany people would switch to AMD!
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