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Intel Linux Driver Now Nearly As Fast As Windows OpenGL Driver

Posted by timothy on from the picture-parity dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Intel's open-source Linux graphics driver is now running neck-and-neck with the Windows 8.1 driver for OpenGL performance between the competing platforms when using the latest drivers for each platform. The NVIDIA driver has long been able to run at similar speeds between Windows and Linux given the common code-base, but the Intel Linux driver is completely separate from their Windows driver due to being open-source and complying with the Linux DRM and Mesa infrastructure. The Intel Linux driver is still trailing the Windows OpenGL driver in supporting OpenGL4."

9 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. woo by nomadic · · Score: 4, Funny

    This should convince anyone that open source linux software can compete with windows, given 22 years.

    1. Re:woo by epyT-R · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This has little to do with the architecture and mostly to do with vendor support. This has always been a problem for non-windows OSes. Even apple's opengl isn't exactly the best in terms of performance. Linux easily outperforms it when using nvidia's driver.

    2. Re: woo by tysonedwards · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Microsoft blew its right foot off with Windows 8.
      They went to the doctor to get it reattached with Windows 8.1 only to wake up to find out that a second left foot was attached in place.

      --
      Thirty four characters live here.
  2. Intel by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Someone smells a game plaform....

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:Intel by beelsebob · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Bear in mind that today's 5000 series actually does compete pretty bloody well with nVidia and AMD. It's near impossible to get a faster GPU in a thin and light laptop. The GeForce 740m is the same speed as it, the 750m is getting into power brackets that can't be put in a thin and light, and is only about 10-20% faster than the 5200 pro.

      For me, Intel is doing a pretty impressive job of catching up. We've gone from intel being no where in terms of GPU performance to being able to equal the best nVidia and AMD can do at least in the power constrained market.

    2. Re:Intel by mrbluze · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We're also hitting diminishing returns with game graphics. It used to be generational differences between games was huge but these days can you really tell the different between this years shooter and last years shooter?

      Barely.

      You mean they might actually start to give a toss about playability?

      --
      Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
    3. Re:Intel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Punctuation is what triggers the bug!!!

  3. Thank you Gabe Newell by Dega704 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hence why even non-gamers were so excited about Valve's gambit. Even with the few games released so far, it has brought tons of much-needed development effort to the areas GNU/Linux was lacking in. Imagine how things will be if SteamOS & Co. succeed and it becomes a major gaming platform. Free software purist or not, everyone is going to benefit.

  4. Re:Linux DRM by Guy+Harris · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is the problem with using DRM and other 3-letter acronyms in the article body; they become quite ambiguous.

    Yup. Direct Rendering Manager, not Digital Rights Management.

    (Having worked on Server Message Block protocol implementations, seeing "SMB" stand for "Small and Medium Businesses" gives my brain heartburn. :-))