Hi,

I'm a Linux newbie and have a laptop with ATI mobility Radeon 9600 card (and AMD64-bit CPU) that does not work properly.

Does anyone know if and how this can be configured to work properly on SuSE 9.1?

Thanks,

K.

Hy. I can solv your problem. You must dopwnload and install linux drivers from ati driver site.

To upload-3,

Have tried this to no avail. Still unable to install correct ATI mobility driver via YAST control centre.

Anyone have any suggestions?

K.

Well, first of all are you sure that tou downloaded the correct version for your Xfree version...

if not try this:
and post the results.

another possibility is that you install it directly, w/o using Yast...
Greets
G.

Geronimo,

Thanks. Tried your suggestion with the following result:

linux:~> X -version

This is a pre-release version of XFree86, and is not supported in any
way. Bugs may be reported to XFree86@XFree86.Org and patches submitted
to fixes@XFree86.Org. Before reporting bugs in pre-release versions,
please check the latest version in the XFree86 CVS repository
(http://www.XFree86.Org/cvs).

XFree86 Version 4.3.99.902 (4.4.0 RC 2)
Release Date: 18 December 2003
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0, Release 6.6
Build Operating System: SuSE Linux [ELF] SuSE
Current Operating System: Linux linux 2.6.4-52-default #1 Wed Apr 7 02:15:23 UTC 2004 x86_64
Build Date: 06 April 2004
Changelog Date: 29 February 2004
Before reporting problems, check http://www.XFree86.Org/
to make sure that you have the latest version.
Module Loader present

Is this supported by ine of the three linux drivers available?

K.

AFAIK ATI only created drivers up to the 4.3. version.... and as you are using already a 4.4 version (though on a RC), it doesn't work....

I think that the esiest way is to downgrade your XFree to version 4.3... the thing is that is going to be very nasty.
Check out if Yast offers any possibility to downgrade....
If not:
Download all Xfree Stuff from here and start installing. You probably get a lot of conflicting packages, just uninstall the conflicting ones, 'cause they belong to the "old" unwanted stuff.

I don't know which package comes first; just try and pray! A friend of mine just upgraded his KDE on a SuSE 9.0, and it was quite a mess, but in the end it worked

If you don't want to risk it, just google a bit around, and you'll (hopefully) get some results....

Greets
G.

Sorry, my mistake, forget what I wrote...
Well, it wasn't entirely wrong, but way to risky. Yesterday I ran across this which - i think - should be the drivers you need...

tell me if it worked

Greets
G.

Kibosh said he has an AMD-64 CPU.

If you are using it in 64 bit mode you are out of luck, since the fine folks at ATI release their binary drivers neither for AMD-64, nor for kernel 2.6 (not to speak of the 4 GB VM patch), nor for XFree86-4.4.

My understanding is that a XFree86-4.4 should drive this card in 2D mode just fine. Is that not the case?

True; but from the X -version output Icould see that he is using a x86_64 version, which is IIRC a sort of mix between the two platforms...
...
...
and my link points to the wong place... trying to get correct location.... currently failed.... get back to you later
....

His 2D mode is fine, what he wants - at least that is what I understood - is to get the 3d running... short: he needs a fglrx driver working on XFree 4.4_rc2 with a x86_64 architecture.

tell me if I am wrong, but SuSE should at least create some drivers if they release such *crap* . I don't get it: to put a RC into a commecrcial product is just nuts... Sorry, lost my temper, hope I haven't offended someone...

Greets
G.

Err, how can it be Suse's fault that ATI isn't coming over with drivers? And neither with docs to write drivers.

I hate to remind people, but if you buy ATI you are bound to get screwed one way or another, Linux or Winoze. Just my impression but has been true every time.

thats interesting that you should say that.... is nVidia any better ?

i'm looking at a choice between the two: ati or nVidia and one way or another i want 3d acceleration under Linux...

Dell Laptops

- perry

OK, backtrack, 3D options under Linux and notebooks:

1) For both ATI and NVidia you have full 2D drivers in XFree86, in source

2) Both offer binary drivers

3) ATI's binary drivers are less stable, less featureful, not available for AMD64, kernel 2.6, kernel with 4 GB VM or XFree86-4.4. ATI's binary drivers don't support old cards. The oldest supported is the 7500 IIRC.

4) NVidia's driver supports all of the above and all cards, back to Riva stoneage mama 1.0

5) For older ATI chips you have free 3D support in DRI. That is up to the Radeon 9200. However, this driver isn't as good as the binary ATI driver which in turn is not as good as the NVidia one
http://www.xfree86.org/4.4.0/radeon.4.html

6) ATI used to do funcy stuff like not supporting TV out etc but with this relase apparently they do.

7) Both binary drivers do have binary cores and source buffers around them so that you can change the kernel around the binary core. NVidias buffer is far more flexible. In fact, a person without NVidia's help could make the 2.4 driver work on 2.6 before NVidia officially did so. With ATI you get neither a 2.6 driver nor a sufficiently flexible buffer to do it yourself

8) The integrated Intel chipsets "Intel Extreme Graphics" and "Intel Extreme Graphics 2" have full 3D support in DRI. However, they are orders of magnitude slower than NVidia and ATI mobile chipsets and even under WIndows lack some features (e.g. fog tables, one of two ways to get fog).

9) In my option, ATI has often been deceptive with their designations, which is the primary reason why I hate them. At the time I looked at a notebook with "Rage mobility" their webpages was only listing those which were their newer chips. I bought the notebook, finding a crappy mach64 whose existence their webpages denied. That is after I researched their full website. Cheat me once, shame on you, cheat me twice.... won't happen.

I leave it to the reader to judge...

I greatly appreciate your input, I have one of those ATI Rage Mobility P cards and I'm told from Dell and DirectX (under 98, not 2K) that I have 3D hardware acceleration.... while the card seems to work beautifully for 2D support, it's like I'm fighting a one man battle to find 3D support for it under Linux... (any help other than what you have provided would be greatly appreciated btw)

and if my Visa was paid off i'd be looking at another Dell Laptop, but thanks to help from people like yourself, i don't think i'll waste my time on one with a newer fancier ATI card... looks like smoke and mirrors as if they can't easily provide support for their legacy cards, much less help out those who want to, then i might as well patroinize someone who will...

thanks

- perry

There is an extra branch in the DRI tree for the 3D support in these chips. Somewhere you can download binaries of that branch, and building isn't that bad either.

However, the chips still suck ROYALLY because they have so few RAM that you can only do 3D in 800x600, which is not what I want my desktop to be under

I ended up running 2 X11 servers, one for editing and then Control-Alt-F11'ing to the 3D screen when I needed to see 3D output.

Just don't do ATI is my motto these days...

Somewhere I have a list of current notebooks with > 1024x768 displays and NVidia cards.

Wow, seems like I've got a brother in arms!

It's a damn shame to see such pitiful support from the ATI people. They had better smarten up or they'll get to watch an upstart take over their business.

You mentioned that your running 2 X11 servers. Assuming enough of meaningful documentation exists, is it possible to have 3D hw support with X11, I was under the impression that they didn't support 3D at all. in fact, i was thinking of switching back to XFree just for that reason (like there's that much of a diff).

Also, in Win98 mode, I can get up to 1024x768 with 3D support with my card, or at least, thats what DirectX tells me and the game seems to work better.

Is there a limitation with the card, dri or is there a number of tricks being playing with Win98? As DirectX under Win2K shows no support for 3D at all.... weird but true!

And it's a damn shame about ATI as all the slick hot looking Dell machines are coming out with these really really cool chipset descriptions (like the Dell 9100) thats enough to make anyone's mouth drool and from what i'm seeing is that it's probably a very bad idea.... kinda sux!

There again, i make it a point to never buy anything brand new anymore, this time next year the 9100 will be a museum piece....

Incidentally, thanks for the Rageon link, it seems the more I read up on XFree/X11 documentation the more i understand and begin to appreciate the configuration files.... now if we can only get open source for all these really cool looking 3D ATI cards (and everything else)....

- perry