AMD drivers in Linux (split topic from another discussion)

[buster]

" Be careful about using it if have to use extra video drivers."

Just curious -  would this be mostly nvidia drivers? My machines tend to need Radeon drivers, and the open source ones seem to work very well. So I assume there would be no problem for my driver updates and the kernel. Am I correct in that assumption?

[Jason]

" Be careful about using it if have to use extra video drivers."

Just curious -  would this be mostly nvidia drivers? My machines tend to need Radeon drivers, and the open source ones seem to work very well. So I assume there would be no problem for my driver updates and the kernel. Am I correct in that assumption?

Yes, it can be a problem with binary-only drivers. There is an open source one for nvidia, too. It just doesn't do 3D support if I recall correctly or at least doesn't do it as well.

I think AMD has binary-only drivers, too. So they're the ones that you have to download separately as they don't come with the distro. With Ubuntu, this is available in "Drivers" program. With AMD, you use what you get unless you go to their drivers website.  But I don't really know AMD that well. I tend to avoid it when possible because I've heard of potential problems with Linux, just ask Mike. It's not that AMD doesn't work with Linux, it's just that you may have to get separate drivers which isn't necessarily a problem, to get the best performance.

They're usually tied to particular kernel series like 4.4.x which is why these drivers (at their websites) say particular version numbers of distros like Ubuntu 16.04, for example. If you're using a rolling release distro, you're going to always get the latest kernel version (unless you prevent it) and if the binary-only driver is tied to a minor kernel and you update to a newer minor kernel number (i.e. the .10 in 4.10.x), it may break.

[fox]

My problem with Radeon cards is limited to my newer iMac, which has an AMD Radeon R9 M395 graphics card. Something about it conflicts with the boot-up sequence such that it takes 4-5 minutes to get past the problem unless you use the "nomodeset" boot up option (which disables resolution setting options and makes for shaky window movement). The older iMac with a Radeon HD 6770M card doesn't have this problem. In the case of the newer Mac, the closed source driver solves the problem, but it only works on Ubuntu 16.04 and two versions of Red Hat; it bombs if you try to install it on the later kernel of Ubuntu 17.10 and it doesn't work on other Debian-based distros. For some reason, the open source driver works ok on Mint 18 on that machine - no bootup delay and window movement is smooth. On Mint 18, update the 4.8 kernel and you get the problem. So I see what Jason is getting at.

[buster]

"It's not that AMD doesn't work with Linux, it's just that you may have to get separate drivers"

My rule of thumb - never download for drivers while in Linux, often get the AMD site drivers when in windows. No problems over the years. Just saying.

[Jason]

"It's not that AMD doesn't work with Linux, it's just that you may have to get separate drivers"

My rule of thumb - never download for drivers while in Linux, often get the AMD site drivers when in windows. No problems over the years. Just saying.

That may because you're not a gamer. But ask your son, if you get the chance about AMD support for 3D games in Linux.  Besides Penguin Racer