AMD Developers Begin Making Open-Source FreeSync/AdaptiveSync Plans

[Guest]

At this pace it seems i will be getting a vega2 instead of vega. I won't go with them as long as there is no proper driver support. And open source driver support is main reason to go with AMD over Nvidia.

Might be true. But, AMD have had prepared opensource driver at the release of Vega. They did mistake by trying to do HAL, which is unacceptable for kernel drivers. It seems, they are working hard to fix it, and deliver proper opensource drivers. And, I really like that.

[Xicronic]

At this pace it seems i will be getting a vega2 instead of vega. I won't go with them as long as there is no proper driver support. And open source driver support is main reason to go with AMD over Nvidia.

Small correction - AMD's open source driver for Vega is out there, it's just not upstreamed yet; it is open source and usable, it's just not out-of-the-box

[Azpegath]

When the support lands in the open driver, I'll get a 4K, wide screen, FreeSync screen.

[L_A_G]

At this pace it seems i will be getting a vega2 instead of vega. I won't go with them as long as there is no proper driver support. And open source driver support is main reason to go with AMD over Nvidia.

Do you have dyslexia or something because the article mentions that proper open source Vega support (which is only lacking display stuff) is being mainlined with 4.15 right in the first sentence and that's supposed to be released before the end of the year.

I get a feeling that somebody is complaining for the sake of complaining, not because there's something to actually complain about.

[profoundWHALE]

FreeSync/AdaptiveSync as a reminder

Minor nitpick, but this should either be:

FreeSync/AdaptiveSync, as a reminder to those who don't remember,

or

As a reminder, FreeSync/AdaptiveSync

etc.

[Brisse]

When the support lands in the open driver, I'll get a 4K, wide screen, FreeSync screen.

Just a little something to be aware of:

Freesync works best if the upper refresh rate limit is at least 2.5 times higher than the lower limit. This pretty much excludes 60hz monitors (and thus current 4k displays, because they tend to be only up to 60hz so far).

Why 2.5 times higher you ask? Because that's the minimum requirement for Low Framerate Compensation ( https://www.amd.com/Documents/freesync-lfc.pdf ).

This means you will want a 1440p display with at least 90hz.

I'm sure 4k displays with similar refresh rates will come eventually.

[bridgman]

Might be true. But, AMD have had prepared opensource driver at the release of Vega. They did mistake by trying to do HAL, which is unacceptable for kernel drivers. It seems, they are working hard to fix it, and deliver proper opensource drivers. And, I really like that.

Just to be clear, the HAL was not a "mistake", it was a core part of what DAL/DC is supposed to deliver (a cross-OS / cross-platform package of very HW-specific code).

Additional work was required to define and implement with a solution that could bypass the HAL sufficiently to be acceptable for Linux, but that work had to be done while still being able to maintain a HAL for all of the other OSes/platforms. If you want to look for something to call a "mistake", it would not being sufficiently clear in early emails that we understood additional work would be required before we could go upstream.

[humbug]

So once this is out will the community be able to study how it works and write freesync drivers for Nvidia and Intel too?
That would really be something, would also get the attention of the non-linux tech press.

[RavFX]

Just a little something to be aware of:

Freesync works best if the upper refresh rate limit is at least 2.5 times higher than the lower limit. This pretty much excludes 60hz monitors (and thus current 4k displays, because they tend to be only up to 60hz so far).

Why 2.5 times higher you ask? Because that's the minimum requirement for Low Framerate Compensation ( https://www.amd.com/Documents/freesync-lfc.pdf ).

This means you will want a 1440p display with at least 90hz.

I'm sure 4k displays with similar refresh rates will come eventually.

4K with 120HZ that also do 1080p at 240 hz exist. You take a normal 60HZ screen and you hardware "patch" it : http://www.zisworks.com/
Unfortunately, they do not support freesync, yet.

[Guest]

Just to be clear, the HAL was not a "mistake", it was a core part of what DAL/DC is supposed to deliver (a cross-OS / cross-platform package of very HW-specific code).

Additional work was required to define and implement with a solution that could bypass the HAL sufficiently to be acceptable for Linux, but that work had to be done while still being able to maintain a HAL for all of the other OSes/platforms. If you want to look for something to call a "mistake", it would not being sufficiently clear in early emails that we understood additional work would be required before we could go upstream.

Well. The HAL was the main reason, why the code didn't get merged. So, it was mistake to do it in HAL way and expect getting it mainlined to the kernel. It is basically said here: https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pa...DGPU-DC-DRM-No

Vega drivers depend on AMDGPU DC (DAL), therefore this mistake affected Vega too.