howto improve 3D performance PC-BSD 1.4, Radeon 9700pro

[mrhbit]

Hi@
I had wait for new PC-BSD 1.4 release, especially for Xorg7.2, which includes the former R300 project.
Well, 3D works, but the performance is slow and the simplest games are bucking.
How can I improve the 3D performace ?

best regards
Soeren

[mal.exe]

I think the only real solution is to wait for amd/ati. Unlike nvidia, ati are not providing good drivers for the video card...

[angryfirelord]

Unfortunately, ATI doesn't even support FreeBSD, so you're stuck with the open-source driver at this point. There were attempts to port the fglrx driver over to FreeBSD, but the necessary 3D modules don't build.

Honestly, I would write to ATI. Tell them that you're pleased (or not) with their card, but it doesn't work under your favorite operating system. Since AMD got ATI's act together for the Linux driver, they'll probably do something for the other operating systems at some point in time.

[jduped]

Honestly, I would write to ATI.

Good Suggestion :) Here's what I wrote.

I've been building computers for almost ten years now, small operation for mostly friends and family occasional friend of a friend, and over the years I typically pick AMD chips in combination with ATI for graphics usually because of price versus performance. With Windows this has never been an issue and of the machines I've made other then regular issues that I've seen in windows I have not had any major complaints (other then the windows related sort).

That being the past, Over the last year I've moved a majority of the computers I work on into the open source realm and have had very disappointing results. Not only am I limited in the o/s's I can run but the function and features are to the point where I can out perform the card I'm running with the out dated integrated graphics on my gf's computer. In the last month I finally find myself with a working ati videocard with real 3D acceleration in a Linux environment. Not perfect in that I am still limited in terms of the distro I run.

I can run without issue in a Debian base, Fedora and OpenSUSE. And I would like to thank you for the efforts even if they are extremely belated. Now the issue is I want to experiment in the BSD world and again I'm finding I'm limited by my videocard. I would like to emphasize the frustration that I feel running this ati videocard and how turned off I am in ever suggesting one or buying one again. This feeling is not limited to myself as I've had this same dissatisfied conversation many times with many co-workers, colleagues, and friends.

Rather then just continue this rant of discontent I'll get to the point. I would like things to be better, I would like both AMD and ATI to gain market share and be good enough that I personally recommend it knowing 100% I won't get negative feedback. One of the steps in this path has been started, I'm suggesting along side with developing stable drivers for Linux, that BSD be granted this same service, in other words taking some of the development team and get a nice working port over going. Either that or offer up the code and allow the work that's been put in to spawn something more universal.

If this email is in the wrong place, if you could please forward this to somewhere it could be acted upon other then the electronic trash bin, I would appreciate it.

[angryfirelord]

Excellent e-mail jduped. I like how you were able to make a point without being super critical, which I believe gets the reader to read your letter rather than send it to the deleted folder. Now all we need is a Slashdot article and we're in business. :D

[mal.exe]

I wrote the Ati in the past asking if a version of their driver would eventually be available for FreeBSD. And they told that is was not in their project. But that was before AMD bought them :P

[mrhbit]

Hi@

At first thanks for your replys :!: .

Well, now I have a better 3D performance with my radeon card. The main problem was, I had updated to 1.4 from the latest 1.3x version. After a clean install of 1.4.1, the 3D perfomance is really better like before.

regards Soeren