Intel HD Sandy/Ivy Bridge Linux Graphics Performance On Ubuntu 13.10

When running Reaction Quake 3 -- one of the most demanding ioquake3-based games -- only with the HD 4000 IvyBridge graphics was the frame-rate at 1920 x 1080 able to average out above 60 FPS. With the Linux 3.11 kernel and Mesa 9.2.0, most performance optimizations for Ivy/Sandy Bridge generations should now be in place.

Where the Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge support still needs to catch up with the open-source Linux graphics driver is in the OpenGL 3.x/4.x compliance. For those wondering about the current situation, see the state of OpenGL 3/4 extensions in Mesa.