Intel vs Nvidia in linux

Simple question looking for straight answer!

Are there any advantages to using intel integrated vs nvidia discrete?
I'm looking to narrow down my choices of laptops and this factor looks to be major given how many ATI threads I've come across here..

If you have advice on which generation within the manufacturers to avoid, pls share too. (Like any issues with GMA 4500MHD vs x3100 vs 950?)



Intel:
pros:
Thomas - no driver install needed, works out of box
yuio - max desktop effects supported

cons:
Bog - card specific issues (see below)
DetlevCM - ends up in Photoshop crashes and the like in gpu assisted computing (windows, see below)


Nvidia:
pros:
Bog - better driver support than intel
DetlevCM - Officially supported by photoshop (windows)

cons:
yuio, FarmersDaughter - card specific issues (see below)



-[Intel GMA]-
950 issues:
-Freezes few mins into suspend in ubuntu 9.04

x3100 issues:
-Freezes few mins into suspend in ubuntu 8.10
-Photoshop crashes with gpu assisted computing in windows

4500MHD issues:


-[Nvidia]-
8800GT issues:

102M issues:
-Not working in Ubuntu, fine in Crunchbang

 

Well, the advantage intel's have, is that you don't have to install drivers. They aren't nearly as powerful as a dedicated GPU, though.

 

Intel support is not very good atm under Linux. Stick with Nvidia, as they actually provide decent Linux drivers for their GPUs.

 

I disagree. Ubuntu 9.04 LOVES my Intel IGP. no driver installation needed, it runs the desktop effects at max perfectly! I had all kinds of issues with my nvidia 8800GT. and for the love all that is good don't buy ATi Graphics it can work but its alot more trouble than its worth.

 

http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/904#Performance regressions on Intel graphics cards
Performance regressions on Intel graphics cards
Display freezes with Intel graphics cards

Apparently Ubuntu doesn't share the love across all Intel chips.

 

Ubuntu disliked my nvidia graphics card and atheros wireless. Crunchbang worked fine with it on the other hand. I think it depends on the card. Nvidia does have plenty of drivers and lots of information.

 

Thanks for the tips guys and gals, I've updated the first post to reflect the opinions here. Can I get opinions on 3D performance? I'll update as this thread grows.

 

NVidia's drivers are closed source. Every time you install a new kernel, your machine will boot to a terminal and you will have to reinstall the drivers.

The Intel cards have some interesting Linux issues. Mine works fine except when I come back from lunch and take my machine out of power saving, my external monitor flashes. If you shut the monitor off, and turn it back on, it stops. I implemented the fixes in the Ubuntu thread and it hasn't happened since.

For me, I'd rather have the Intel card with better battery life and a 1 time fix as opposed to worse battery life and having to re-compile drivers all the time.

 

Hm, could you elaborate on the intel 1 time fix? Do you need to boot into terminal and reinstall the same way as nvidia?

Also about recompilation how do we recompile nvidia drivers if they are closed source? Plus do intel drivers come in non-source code form? As a newbie I'm a little confused by this, expecting the opposite (i.e. closed source not needing user compilation)

 

I hope you are joking. You can't put "Intel", "Integrated" and "3D" in the same sentence.

 

lol, not quite, but no need any gaming figures, the last I tried linux it didn't have desktop effects standard or 3D desktop for that matter. The ATI threads around here talk about fglrx vs radeonhd having different 3D performances if it manages to work at all. So naturally I'd like to know if nvidia or intel drivers have similar issues since having 3D desktop is a cool thing and a must have in the age of win7.

 

i'd go for nvidia, that's it.
As for reinstalling the compiled modules like virtualbox or nvidia - there is dkms (dynamic kernel module support).
eg:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1036788

 

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1130582&highlight=intel+4500

and no terminal needed.

Because nvidia doesn't allow the drivers to be included in the kernel, you have to recompile them into the kernel every time it's changed. The Intel drivers are included in the kernel.

 

Nvidia...installing the drivers is a non-issue.

 

Nvidia is the way to go.

Support for Intel stuff should improve in the next go-round but those cards just don't have the snort.

 

Nvidia HANDS down! Yes I know every-time there is a major update on my Ubuntu box, I have to recompile the drivers. Its not hard and it takes maybe 5 minutes for the whole process to be done. Whatever you decide don't get a notebook with a ATI card in it if you ever want to play 3d games on it.

 

It's a good question. You are correct that most of the nvidia driver is closed source, and therefore you can not recompile it. When you install the nvidia closed source driver, what gets compiled is the code that provides an interface between the kernel driver api and the closed source nvidia driver. Now the kernel developers will not accept this interface code into the kernel source tree because it has to be all open source code.

The reason the intel driver does not need to be compiled is because it is open source, therefore the kernel developers would accept the driver into the kernel tree, and your choosen distro can compile the driver (saving you the trouble) and remain true to the spirit of only supporting open source.

 

If intel cards improve...great!

ATI keeps promising better drivers...we can only hope.

Until then nvidia stuff seems to work the best.

 

Cheers guys, you've given me a clearer picture of which platform is preferred as well as how drivers are installed in linux. Even scripts to help the task!

I've decided to wait for Q1-2010 for arrandale + ibexpeak-m + nvidia 40nm. Would hybrid gpu systems like those or even those out now pose a chellenge to driver installation or have less developer support?

 

Logarith, my next laptop will be a linux only machine. I will order it from system76. You should take a look to see what they offer, and they have both intel and nvidia variants in laptops. Im just waiting for the next generations of video cards to come out, there isnt much of an increase from a 9800 GTS to a GTX260 so not worth it for me to upgrade.

 

Nice to see they have linux preloaded machines, I'm not from the states though. Some of the g200m cores have opencl and directx compute listed:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-G-210M.17638.0.html

The non-rebranded g9x cores that is. I'll be dual booting with win7, most probably getting a vt-x enabled ultralight with one of those.

 

ATI's drivers are improving, very quickly. They're working with the kernel developers to get an infrastructure like Intel has, only with hardware that actually performs pretty well. Right now, they have OpenGL 1.4 compatibility up to the R500 chipsets (the x1XXX cards) and KMS in the 2.6.31 kernel, and if you don't mind compiling patches and running new kernels, they have KMS and the same 3D level working for all their cards, I believe. Nexuiz and other open-source games are being reported as working at minimum, as well as games like HL2 through wine (with the wine caveats).

There are some major shakeups going on in the world of open-source graphics acceleration, and Nvidia avoids that by essentially throwing all that out and putting their driver in instead. That works, but it really doesn't fit with the open-source philosophy, and it loses you nice features like KMS which allows only one driver to set the display mode, instead of the kernel, the X driver and the 3D driver all working independently.

Point is, if you want working, fast 3D performance now, get an Nvidia chip. If you're willing to wait 6 months to a year for it, ATI has some very good things in the pipeline, and I have been watching them improve very quickly.

 

Have they finally figured out how to make compositing work properly?

 

That has been working for a week or two now with the R600/700(2xxx/3xxx/4xxx) lines, much longer with the R500 and older (X1xxx). For the . If you want to see what's happening on the bleeding edge, check out the Phoronix open-source ATI forums