Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

860lacov · 2020-05-02 20:04:26

I've just installed Arch on my Lenovo t410 (intel i5 M520)

Before asking, I RTFM myself and I've found https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/In … stallation
Quite straightforward message 'Install the mesa package, which provides the DRI driver for 3D acceleration.'
But I have problem with: For the DDX driver (which provides 2D acceleration in Xorg), install the xf86-video-intel package. (Often not recommended, see note below.)
Intel specification says that my gpu is 'Intel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors'. I don't know what previous generation mean.

I'm stuck on
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/In … stallation
and
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg#Installation
and
https://jlk.fjfi.cvut.cz/arch/manpages/ … esetting.4

And don't know how to connect this into one piece.

Currently, I have xfce and mesa. System works but I don't know if I should do something more or maybe something less.

Last edited by 860lacov (2020-05-02 20:05:08)

Xabre · 2020-05-02 20:47:50

These days modesetting driver provides everything you need regardless of the generation.

Trilby · 2020-05-02 21:01:48

If it aint broke, don't install a broken driver!

That said, the best way to know whether xf86_video_intel or modesetting will be better for your specific hardware would be to try it out. My money's on modesetting, but it's trivial to install the intel driver and check for yourself.

EDIT: how to actually "check" which one is better? There are various tools that other people know much better than I do to actually profile graphic driver performance. Glxgears is one you could get a quick check with. But for me the test is if you open a couple of your regular programs and do some normal work/play on your system you should notice a difference. If you can't tell any difference, then don't bother with the additional bug-surface provided by the intel driver.

Last edited by Trilby (2020-05-02 21:03:24)

860lacov · 2020-05-02 21:29:12

So not installing xf86-intel-video is enough
like this advice:
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 1#p1731411

Or do I have to create 20-intel.conf and fill it with
Section "Device"
Identifier "devname"
Driver "modesetting"
BusID "pci:bus:dev:func"
...
EndSection

With proper data?

Trilby · 2020-05-02 22:00:29

You do not need any xorg.conf (nor 20-intel.conf).

latalante1 · 2020-05-02 22:23:38

I use a very similar i5 M450, only with xf86-video-intel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_I … eration)_2
Why? Tearing with modesetting is unacceptable at any level of browser usage (video playback, screen scrolling, this applies mainly to chrome). I see a big improvement with the situation from half a year ago, far from ideal.
Test both. In my case it can be a matter of using a different memory, different matrix, resolution 1366x768, etc.

Generally, you don't need any configuration file.
Although I use.

cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf

Section "Device"
  Identifier "Intel Graphics"
  Driver "intel"
  Option "DRI" "2"
  Option "TearFree" "true"
EndSection

Simple screen tearing test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfL_JkcEFbE

Last edited by latalante1 (2020-05-02 22:48:52)

kevku · 2020-05-03 05:31:06

Only thing that fixed Intel tearing/glitches for me was kwin-lowlatency.

860lacov · 2020-05-03 09:05:13

latalante1 wrote:

I use a very similar i5 M450, only with xf86-video-intel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_I … eration)_2
Why? Tearing with modesetting is unacceptable at any level of browser usage (video playback, screen scrolling, this applies mainly to chrome). I see a big improvement with the situation from half a year ago, far from ideal.
Test both. In my case it can be a matter of using a different memory, different matrix, resolution 1366x768, etc.
Generally, you don't need any configuration file.
Although I use.
cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf

Section "Device"
  Identifier "Intel Graphics"
  Driver "intel"
  Option "DRI" "2"
  Option "TearFree" "true"
EndSection
Simple screen tearing test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfL_JkcEFbE

I did test with mesa only. Without any configuration tearing test on YouTube showed that it's not good.
So I made config file (like latalante1 said). After reboot system didn't start.

I assume that 20-intel.conf is for xf86-video-intel only. Am I right?

At the end I installed xf86-video-intel. Combined with 20-intel.conf

Section "Device"
  Identifier "Intel Graphics"
  Driver "intel"
  Option "DRI" "2"
  Option "TearFree" "true"
EndSection

This config gave me almost tear free video on yt.

Is anything more that I can test?
Let say that there is no 20-intel.conf and no xf86-video-intel. Is that mean that this is modeprobe way?

latalante1 · 2020-05-03 09:51:36

860lacov wrote:

Let say that there is no 20-intel.conf and no xf86-video-intel. Is that mean that this is modeprobe way?

Yes.
You mistake names, not 'modprobe', but modesetting.

This configuration is the default.

Section "Device"
  Identifier "Intel Graphics"
  Driver "modesetting"
EndSection

V1del · 2020-05-03 10:00:23

Yes that config is for xf86-video-intel and falls back on quite a bit of old API to not generally break.

There's in general very little need for all of this speculation, look at your xorg log.

If you want to fix tearing with modesetting set up a compositor. I've seen too many xf86-video-intel issues that I wouldn't recommend it to people that don't specifically need it, but it's your system and you can do whatever, and we apparently have at least one person were it works better.

latalante1 · 2020-05-03 10:26:10

During eight months of use xf86-video-intel I did not experience any issues.
Maybe because I prefer minimalism - i3, notion. No compositors, no kde, no gnome.

Sometimes I jump to sway.

When using modesetting while scrolling the screen in the browser I have such effects.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------/
/
/
/----------------------------------------------------------------------------->

Some people forget what this Westmere architecture can do. Well not many. It is compatible with OpenGL 2.1.
Even alacritty will not start.
People who use Skylake on a daily basis, Coffee Lake should not advise too much about what is better from their perspective.

Last edited by latalante1 (2020-05-03 11:14:56)

860lacov · 2020-05-03 13:27:31

V1del wrote:

Yes that config is for xf86-video-intel and falls back on quite a bit of old API to not generally break.
I wouldn't recommend it to people that don't specifically need it, but it's your system and you can do whatever, and we apparently have at least one person were it works better.

I don't do things only because I can.
Choosing a wallpaper is a subjective thing.
Wrong hardware configuration is a little bit different.
If there is objectively better way to do something then doing it differently is a bad or even stupid idea unless you know at 100% what you are doing.

As you can see I don't know.
That's why I asked the question.

Lone_Wolf · 2020-05-04 11:16:50

Choosing between xf86-video-intel and X modesetting driver is not about hardware configuration.
Both methods work and have advantages & disadvantages .

Choose what works best for your needs.

860lacov · 2020-05-04 17:17:11

V1del wrote:

Yes that config is for xf86-video-intel and falls back on quite a bit of old API to not generally break.
There's in general very little need for all of this speculation, look at your xorg log.
If you want to fix tearing with modesetting set up a compositor. I've seen too many xf86-video-intel issues that I wouldn't recommend it to people that don't specifically need it, but it's your system and you can do whatever, and we apparently have at least one person were it works better.

Could you please help me with this?
Shout I install compiz and look for settings there?

V1del · 2020-05-04 17:36:59

You did mention xfce, it should come with it's own compositor, see: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xfwm#Video_tearing for a few available options and try them out. From what I'm hearing you should prefer xpresent.

860lacov · 2020-05-04 23:44:00

V1del wrote:

You did mention xfce, it should come with it's own compositor, see: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xfwm#Video_tearing for a few available options and try them out. From what I'm hearing you should prefer xpresent.

It helped. There is some tearing but it's much better than before.
Thank you a lot.

I did:
xfconf-query -c xfwm4 -p /general/vblank_mode -s xpresent

Is it saved anywhere?

Arch Linux

#1 2020-05-02 20:04:26

Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#2 2020-05-02 20:47:50

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#3 2020-05-02 21:01:48

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#4 2020-05-02 21:29:12

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#5 2020-05-02 22:00:29

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#6 2020-05-02 22:23:38

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#7 2020-05-03 05:31:06

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#8 2020-05-03 09:05:13

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#9 2020-05-03 09:51:36

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#10 2020-05-03 10:00:23

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#11 2020-05-03 10:26:10

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#12 2020-05-03 13:27:31

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#13 2020-05-04 11:16:50

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#14 2020-05-04 17:17:11

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#15 2020-05-04 17:36:59

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

#16 2020-05-04 23:44:00

Re: Do I need xf86-video-intel for Intel I5 M520?

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