ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600 and Linux

Since ATI has not released a driver for this GPU, I'm wondering if anyone has gotten the GPU fully functional, 3D and all in Linux.

I've read reports of people using Envy, for some it worked, for others it didn't.

I've also found this Mini-How-To, but it's geared to a specific distro, and I'm not sure how to translate it over to a different one, and if so I don't know that it would even work.

http://www.cyberarmy.net/library/article/1777

I'm considering buying a new notebook with this GPU in it, but I don't want to buy one and then find out the hard way that this GPU won't work with Linux for me.

Do you think ATI will ever release a Linux driver for this GPU?

Does anybody have some experience, tips, or information to share on this?

 

who knows, i stumbled over a page that described a complete workaround, but at that time i did not see any use, so i didn´t bookmark it.

but maybe this could help you a little further in this matter

http://www.cyberarmy.net/library/article/1777

 

Thanks, but I already had that link in my post.

 

oops, sorry, didn´t see that.

but here is another one :

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=570391

but most of these guys are using envy too.

 

Thanks, I've read through that one too. Envy worked for some, and not for others. I've pretty much exhausted Google on the topic.

I wish ATI was on the ball with Linux support. They're getting better, but they're still not "there" yet. This is so frustrating.

 

just an idea, but since ati offers their firegl models for linux, they are updating the drivers more recently.

the last one i´ve seen is from 20 december ( probably the same version as the windows driver 8.44).

firegl cards are basicly the same as the consumer cards ( hd 2xxx series)
all you would need to do here is add the hd 2600 to the driver.

 

It would have to be specifically the Mobility version though, and this seems to be where they are really dragging their feet.

ATI has really started to move on Linux finally, and things are moving along, they just need to get the mobile GPUs handled for the most part.

 

hmm, afaik it does not have to be the mobility version. you can add a device id to the driver manually. all you would be missing is the powersaving schemes . and i think there are clocking behaviours for several power states in the graphics cards bios. so actually there is no need of a software switch for changing the powersettings when on battery or on ac/dc

in windows drivers you just need to let the driver know of your device id. same goes for the linux drivers. the site with the workaround i found was just about that procedure.
if i remember this correctly google gave me the link, but i don´t know actually the exact search terms, but it must have been a combination of these (xp64, firegl, ati2mtag.sys... ) thats what i´ve been searching for at that time.

 

I input a support ticket with AMD on this, and all I received back was a stupid auto-response that offered no pertinent information at all, and to add insult to injury, they provided a knowledge base link that's dead. I've updated the support ticket, I'll post back with what happens next.

Here's the dead link.

https://support.ati.com/ics/support/defaul%20t.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&questionID=28041

I'm not impressed!

 

Scoober, you don't even own a laptop with the 2600HD, why do you care?

 

Because like I said in my first post, I'm considering the purchase of one, and Linux compatibility is a prerequisite to my purchase.

 

I thought you already bought an HP 8510p and returned it

 

I did, the first one had a grainy Samsung screen, and the one they sent me as an exchange was even worse. Now I'm still notebook hunting, and I've come across some that use the ATI GPU.

 

Like me

Oh, well I guess I lucked out, my screen rocks

 

Well, I think I ended up with the bad screens because I ordered it custom configured from HP with the WXGA 1200x800 screen, which is the only resolution I can stand on a 15.4" notebook. I'm sure had I just ordered the standard configuration screen it would have been fine.

Glad you got a good one!

 

Well, I got another unhelpful reply from AMD.

"Thank you for contacting ATI Technical Support.

For laptops and branded systems we recommend using drivers from the manufacturer of the system. If the graphic card is a generic one and was installed in the system as additional componet or replacement please try provided suggestions on manual driver package installation: http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html"

Way to pass the buck AMD!

 

I installed using envy. it works pretty well. i have been having problems with compiz though. I wish they would just come out with a driver. linux in general has been a pain for my asus f3ka.

 

Dear Soob and friends,

http://ati.amd.com/support/drivers/linux/linux-radeon.html

This driver will simply work if you have, for whatever the distro, all headers installed. the installer will in fact build the driver, and the most recent installers have almost flawless package maintenance.

all good wishes,

martin

 

The Mobility Radeon HD 2600 is not supported by the driver there. I guess it will come sometime in the future. AMD really needs to get on this, it's getting ridiculous.

https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206/0/www2.ati.com/drivers/linux/catalyst_82_linux.html#172394

 

poor documentation - the driver does, indeed, work...
chip is chip -

on asus g2k series, debian, 2.6.23 kernel, fglrx 8.45.5 builds, loads, runs 3d

best,
m