AMDGPU-PRO 16.50 actually released, with FreeSync and wider GPU support

So as a long time Nvidia devotee on Linux, can someone explain to a relative AMD outsider- are their cards ready for no-fuss Linux gaming support? Is the driver install process as simple as Vvidia? I ask as someone looking at alternatives for my next GPU upgrade.

AMD is aiming for out-of-the box support with open source driver, so you doesn't need to install proprietary driver (also lately it tend to be slower than open driver).

Quoting: liamdaweWindows driver got a big update with a bunch of new shiny stuff and we didn't really see much.

Will we ever though ? Im not sure but id imagine most of their shiny features (VSR, Radeon ReLive, LiquidVR Multi-GPU, Multi-res rendering (adaptive resolution) are opensource. Nvidia has had a habit of using opensource technology but not sharing their own and that gives them an unfair advantage. Will we ever even get a control center? Since the suggestion of releasing a control panel for the AMDGPU driver was mooted by an AMD employee on another site (I won't mention) stated that this was only a very slight possibility and did his best to douse those flames.

IDK of course, there is now free-sync and im sure the 8k support on the new driver will also happen. Still, in the end most of that stuff isn't really needed. It's like buying a sports car only to admire the radio, have a foldable roof and a slightly louder exhaust. The important part is the driving.

As an old AMD fan - I ask the question;
Is AMD ready to power my new gaming experiences on Linux?

History;
I used to be a huge fan of AMD, I swore by their K6-II and was one of the few people who had a K6-III before the Athlons came out (which I converted all my friends to using at ole LAN parties). However many years of work and a decision quite a few years ago that I would go full Linux for all my family eroded my support for my old love AMD!
I for one love the fact my next gen console -PS4 are AMD and Linux powered- but still have missed out on gaming that last few years. My wife has a 780 GTX and she shares my games with Steam Family (on Linux of course) and my old 6XX served me well for the last few years (I thought it was a 620 when I bought it but driver says 610) - plays WoW/old games well on WINE at least.

Question;
I don't have very high expectations when it comes to eye candy, just that it plays nicely like my PS4 does, but on my Steam PC games. I'm looking for the best supported AMD GPU model for the money for gaming on Ubuntu 16.04. (may get a AMD cpu/mobo too)

Any advice?


Last edited by Xelancer on 9 December 2016 at 12:47 am UTC

@Xelancer

It depends on whether you are set on using Ubuntu 16.04. If you absolutely want 16.04 and want to use the open drivers today, you may want to go for a GCN 1.1 card for the best out of the box experience. I have a R7 260X on Mint 18 (Ubuntu 16.04 based) and that runs very nicely out of the box.

If you are prepared to use a more up to date distro, then the RX470 is quite good for the money. I have one running with Korora 25 and most games run very nicely. The main things you need for the best open source driver support are:

1. Latest kernel (4.7 was the kernel were the support for the RX400 series of cards was added. Ideally you want kernel 4.8 or 4.9).
2. Latest Mesa (13.0.2 ideally, but 12.0.X will also work with the RX400 series).
3. Latest llvm (3.9.0 is the latest and is needed for higher OpenGL level support. Without it, you will only have OpenGL 4.1 instead of OpenGL 4.3).

If you are prepared to use the AMDGPU-PRO driver, then the RX470 on 16.04 should work out quite well.

@gabsd84: and you also need DC (DAL). At least if you want HDMI/DP audio.
It will be some time before it's merged, because of some fundamental issues with the code. But it paves the way for HDMI 2.0, Freesync, HDMI audio (etc?). Currently, this is the missing part of the "out of the box" experience.

Quoting: artvandelay440So as a long time Nvidia devotee on Linux, can someone explain to a relative AMD outsider- are their cards ready for no-fuss Linux gaming support? Is the driver install process as simple as Vvidia? I ask as someone looking at alternatives for my next GPU upgrade.

We are getting there. With open source drivers there is no install process at all, your Linux distribution does the work for you. Just out of the box good gaming performance. Big step for Linux on the desktop!

However, we are not completely there yet:
* Some users will want DAL for 3 monitor support, Freesync, HDMI audio etc.
* Some users will want Vulkan support
* Some users will like the better performance of the properietary stack

At the moment, unless you have a supported Linux distribution, AMDGPU-PRO is the "compile your own stuff" user experience.

I am currently in the process of migrating from a HD6670 to an RX460. That it is a process rather than an event says a lot: PC's are disgustingly complex devices and you run always into something. You encounter all kinds of small issues, some not at all related to software, for example, an unpleasant surprise was that my DVI-I cables, perfectly capable of handling digital signals, don't fit into the RX460. But also the software config with my 3 monitor desktop needs DAL and therefore work. That's more than just drivers, things like installing a newer kernel, also fall into this category. So during the last weeks, I had my HD6670 inside during weekdays when I needed my computer and during the weekends tried to make the RX460 setup acceptable. Getting there, this week was the first week that I used my RX460 completely.

But it all depends on your needs. For many users the full open-source stack provides everything they need and then there is the "zero fuss" experience. If the open-source stack doesn't provide what you need, there is, unfortunately, still some fuss, but it's also smoothing.

(Response to someone wondering about whether AMD cards are any good):
It might seem silly, but I prefer using as much free and open source software as possible on my system (even though it is full of closed source games ^___^'), and thus I am quite happy with my GCN 1.1 Mullins AMD GPU (1gb VRAM). With open source drivers it manages TF2 on very low settings perfectly, most other 3d intensive games run pretty badly, but I prefer graphically more abstract games anyway, lets me use my imagination. Quadrilateral Cowboy, Duskers, Hot Tin Roof, Hearthstone, TIS-100, Caves of Qud, Odallus (via Wine), Cave Story, Icewind Dale etc etc etc all run very well.

My only complaint is that the naming conventions are eternally confusing, I can never be sure what my card corresponds to when reading system reqs for games for example.

My next laptop (in many years prob) will probably be something like Tehnoetic T500 Laptop with Libreboot and GNU/Linux-libre, the GPU is pretty crappy, but should let me play my more graphically simpler games at least.

It's an interesting inner conflict there, I am really all for the free software movement, as soon as I can I will surely join as a member of the FSF, at the same time my system is smack full of closed source games. I guess working at a publicly financed institution that has totally locked itself in closed source (MS) software for seemingly all eternity resulting in gigantic (public) costs for garbage software has made me want to keep as free as possible myself, while still enjoying games.

Grabbed this already, My lad has a 390 + freesync monitor. I'll get him to see what it's like regards the FS stuff.

Nice to see they also think of non *buntu distros now :D

Thanks to everyone for some of the feedback on AMD;
these AMDGPU-PRO drivers are definitely a step in the right direction! Excited to see where it goes...

Its true was buenaventura said that the AMD naming conventions are certainly weird, but all gamers should research before you buy anyway! I have my new setup, downloading some of the bigger games in my account in anticipation of a Merry Xmas!

Quoting: artvandelay440So as a long time Nvidia devotee on Linux, can someone explain to a relative AMD outsider- are their cards ready for no-fuss Linux gaming support? Is the driver install process as simple as Vvidia? I ask as someone looking at alternatives for my next GPU upgrade.

I bought an RX480 a while ago for testing AMD's new drivers, but I'm still using my Nvidia 750Ti on my main system. Nvidia currently offers the best performance, compatibility, feature support and ease of use (if using the proprietary drivers PPA).

AMD are quickly catching up with their new AMDGPU & AMDGPU-PRO drivers though. For now I would recommend using the AMDGPU-PRO driver if you have an AMD graphics card, as it offers the best compatibility and feature support between the two (performance is about the same overall I think - some games run better on AMDGPU, some run better on AMDGPU-PRO).

To use the open source AMDGPU drivers you will need to upgrade the kernel to 4.8+/the latest available and install an updated version of Mesa (I recommend using the new stable Mesa PPA: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/ubuntu-now-has-a-community-built-ppa-for-stable-versions-of-mesa.8688 )

To use the AMDGPU-PRO hybrid driver, download it from AMD's website and follow their instructions to install it. AFAIK there is currently no convenient PPA for updated stable AMDGPU or AMDGPU-PRO like there is for Nvidia's proprietary drivers.


Last edited by adamhm on 9 December 2016 at 3:26 pm UTC

Concerning DAL(DC) support on AMD. It looks like AMD's latest code wasn't accepted in the mainline linux.
https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=AMDGPU-DC-DRM-No

Quoting: redshiftConcerning DAL(DC) support on AMD. It looks like AMD's latest code wasn't accepted in the mainline linux.

So much FUD spreading on this topic. Firstly, I have to note that it was a request for comments, not an actual pull request.

The answer was pretty clear: No Hardware Abstaction Layer (HAL). They got some comments, at least. DC will be included sooner or (way) later, by AMD or by the community, but not in its current form :)

For those interested in following the discussion on the DC code, see this thread on the AMDGFX list:

https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/amd-gfx/2016-December/003863.html

The follow up responses provide a lot of context on what is going on. It seems from reading through the lengthy posts that the DC code has been reworked quite a bit already with the total lines of code dropping from about 90K to somewhere around 60K. There are still issues to be resolved (mainly the hardware abstraction layer code), but overall things are heading in the right direction. Some of the responses from the AMD devs also provide an insight on what is happening in the organisation. It seems that Linux driver development is becoming more integrated into their new hardware bring up and they are trying to achieve the same performance and power efficiency on Linux as they have on Windows.