Linux 3.12 Brings Big AMD Radeon Improvements - 90% Improvements

LtMatt · 14 Oct 2013 at 19:31

None of this makes any sense at all to me, but i assume this is good.

"Over the weekend I released benchmarks showing the Linux 3.12 kernel bringing big AMD Radeon performance improvements. Those benchmarks of a Radeon HD 4000 series GPU showed the Linux 3.12 kernel bringing major performance improvements over Linux 3.11 and prior. Some games improved with just low double-digit gains while other Linux games were nearly 90% faster! Interestingly, the AMD Radeon Linux developers were even surprised by these findings. After carrying out additional tests throughout the weekend, I can confirm these truly incredible performance improvements on other hardware. In this article are results from ten different AMD Radeon graphics cards."

The Linux 3.12 kernel when released in the coming weeks will bring a number of new features and improvements to AMD Radeon graphics cards, including faster performance. For many Linux games tested the Radeon Gallium3D OpenGL frame-rates were making double-digit gains through upgrading the Linux kernel.

Full Article
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=amd_linux312_major&num=1

shankly1985 · 14 Oct 2013 at 20:58

Very good to hear. In the next year or so we could all very well be using steamos so this is good news.

Cd0gz · 14 Oct 2013 at 21:07

Orangey · 14 Oct 2013 at 21:21

They can't figure out why, LOL.

panyan · 14 Oct 2013 at 21:26

the Linux 3.12 kernel

are we talking about linux, the OS, here?

or is it something like the gpu bios?

Orangey · 14 Oct 2013 at 21:30

panyan said:
are we talking about linux, the OS, here?

or is it something like the gpu bios?

They are talking about the difference from the 3.11 kernel. They said they use the Ubuntu distro for their testing.

It's weird because it shouldn't have much effect just updating the OS, let alone 90%.

nicnik · 14 Oct 2013 at 21:40

This proves Windows is the problem!

andybird123 · 14 Oct 2013 at 21:46

we're excited about radeon 4000 series benchmarks? really?

pgi947 · 14 Oct 2013 at 21:51

Orangey said:
They are talking about the difference from the 3.11 kernel. They said they use the Ubuntu distro for their testing.

It's weird because it shouldn't have much effect just updating the OS, let alone 90%.

Its a Kernel update rather then an OS update:

In other words its vastly improved the way hardware and software interact with each other

I think the last linux kernel I used was 2.6.2, all those about to get a nice comfy distro in SteamOS with first party video drivers should be forced to experience configuring X.Org before they use it

panyan · 14 Oct 2013 at 22:16

pgi947 said:
Its a Kernel update rather then an OS update:

In other words its vastly improved the way hardware and software interact with each other

so its the linux equivalent of a driver update?

Gregster · 14 Oct 2013 at 22:20

By the looks of it, I am so glad I never tried Linux. I thought installing a sound card into windows 95 games was bad enough....

Orangey · 14 Oct 2013 at 22:23

pgi947 said:
Its a Kernel update rather then an OS update

I know, Mr Tips.

imginy · 14 Oct 2013 at 22:40

So AMD 4000 series cards are now better at Linux gaming than they were before?

Who cares?

pgi947 · 14 Oct 2013 at 22:43

panyan said:
so its the linux equivalent of a driver update?

Yes and no, more like an update to the heart of the way linux works. The OS is called what ever the distro choose, ubuntu, Debian, SteamOS etc... the actual kernel is called Linux. All operating systems have a kernel, it just so happens that the Linux kernel is open to everyone to do what they want with, the only thing that stays the same is the heart, or in this case the kernel

I suppose in a way we could call it a driver update, as its what drives the OS.

Windows 95 - ME = Windows 9x kernel
Windows NT/2K - 8.1 = Windows NT kernel
Mac/BSD/some others most likely = Unix/Darwin kernel
Ubuntu/Debian/SteamOS/Mint/Linspire etc.. = Linux

Actually, take a look at the pic Orangy posted, it explains it a little better then I ever could.

Gregster said:
By the looks of it, I am so glad I never tried Linux. I thought installing a sound card into windows 95 games was bad enough....

It should be a whole world better now, certainly made massive strides in the last 6 years or so, the tablet/smart phone market has been a huge boost to linux development as its forced major players to take it seriously.

Orangey said:
I know, Mr Tips.

Actually pretty much a spot on explanation.

I for one an very very excited for SteamOS, if it wasn't for me getting back into gaming I would still be using some variant of Debian now.

Edit: Also what did they feed that 6870 besides 3.12? Its rocketed ahead of everything!

Orangey · 14 Oct 2013 at 22:57

Pretty sure Windows kernel updates with service patches, that would be the Windows equivalent term.

pgi947 · 14 Oct 2013 at 23:05

Yep that sounds about right

So looking at it as a service pack would be a better way of putting it.

My knowledge on kernels and the likes is minimal at best these days, used to spend hours on end testing out different distros and all I can remember is X.Org = the devil.

panyan · 14 Oct 2013 at 23:10

pgi947 said:
Windows 95 - ME = Windows 9x kernel
Windows NT/2K - 8.1 = Windows NT kernel
Mac/BSD/some others most likely = Unix/Darwin kernel
Ubuntu/Debian/SteamOS/Mint/Linspire etc.. = Linux

oh right, i get it now - so its deeper than just a driver update

EDIT: I wonder if you can do that from within the OS? or does it need to be flashed from some other utility

MaxP779 · 15 Oct 2013 at 00:01

****!

This should improve radeon 5xxx and 6xxx as well no? They are of a similar architecture arent they? VLIW4/5

shankly1985 · 15 Oct 2013 at 00:20

panyan said:
so its the linux equivalent of a driver update?

Every OS has its own kernel even windows. The kernel is the middle man. The better he his the better hardware and software get on.

pgi947 · 15 Oct 2013 at 06:31

panyan said:
oh right, i get it now - so its deeper than just a driver update

EDIT: I wonder if you can do that from within the OS? or does it need to be flashed from some other utility

It shoild just be a download and update job these days, it used to be recommended to do a clean os install but I believe the whole process is a grest deal smoother now.

MaxP779 said:
****!

This should improve radeon 5xxx and 6xxx as well no? They are of a similar architecture arent they? VLIW4/5

The tests were hd3xxx to hd6xxx, so yes. Have to also remember that these gains were from the new kernel only, drivers still need to be tweaked on top of this

It would be like windows 8.1 giving double figure gains over 8.