[Discuss] Intel CedarView GPU driver, can one make it work?

[dsr at randomstring.org (Dan Ritter)]

On Mon, Dec 17, 2012 at 11:49:02PM -0800, Rich Braun wrote:
> This particular generation of Intel chips came out in Nov 2011, and includes a
> much-faster CPU core along with a GPU called CedarView 3650.  I got the

This is the successor to the justly maligned GMA500 GPU, a
design Intel purchased from another vendor. It's crap. I'm sorry
you're finding out post-purchase rather than pre-.


> attracted me was the promise of normal PC-like performance in a set-top box
> enclosure burning 14 watts total.  (I'm now paying /serious/ cash for
> electricity, 33 cents/kWH adds up fast on all my 24x7 hardware).

Other bits in this post suggest that this is at home rather than
at a datacenter -- why are you paying so much?

> A week into it, I've long since concluded that the best thing to do is run
> back to the store for a trade-in.

Yes.

> The *only* GPU vendor that matters in the
> Linux world, 20 years into this whole graphics-card driver debacle, remains
> NVIDIA.

Nah. There are perfectly good reasons for buying Intel graphics:
any of the systems with proper open drivers. If it's supported
here: http://intellinuxgraphics.org/ you can rely on it for
basic desktop support, and by choosing the right CPUs, you can get
accelerated video, too.

I'm using the integrated graphics on an i3 and an i5 for MythTV
and general desktop stuff, and it's fine.

> So if you read no further into this posting, remember this next time
> you're enticed by a snazzy new PC.  Your first question shall be: is the GPU
> from NVIDIA?  No?  Fuhgeddaboutit.

For accelerated video support, you need to be careful what
you're buying from NVIDIA, too. Cards in the 7xxx and earlier
series are no longer supported by MythTV, for instance. Buy a
new high end card and you may not get support from an
installable kernel.

(The GT220 is more or less optimal for MythTV, and has apparently been
discontinued.)

> May y'all find similar Linux challenges to fill your time during Christmas
> week and during the coming year.  Though this one was vexing and not yet
> successful, it kind of reminded me of what I was up to 20 years ago this
> month:  downloading 0.98pl5 boot/root and recompiling all my favorite apps. 
> The Christmas gift I chose for myself that year was a Zoom 14.4K modem.  That
> modem cost about $10 more than the computer I just bought, not even taking
> inflation into account.  Truth be told, I think the modem delivered more
> satisfaction. ;-/


That makes it 20 years for me, too. 0.98pl12, as I recall, and
installation on my powerful 486DX33 with 4MB RAM.

-dsr-