Thankfully it has been quite a while since we saw GPU driver optimization specific to .exe filenames on Windows, in the past both major providers have tweaked performance based on the name of the executable which launches the game. Until now this particular flavour of underhandedness had become passé, at least until now. Phoronix has spotted it once again, this time seeing a big jump in performance in CS:GO when they rename the binary from csgo_linux binary to hl2_Linux. The game is built on the same engine but the optimization for the Source Engine are not properly applied to CS:GO.
There is nothing nefarious about this particular example, it seems more a case of AMD's driver team being lazy, or more likely short-staffed. If you play CS:GO on Linux then rename your binary, you will see a jump in performance with no deleterious side effects. Phoronix is investigating more games to see if there are other inconsistently applied optimizations.
"Should you be using a Radeon graphics card with the AMD Catalyst Linux driver and are disappointed by the poor performance, there is a very easy workaround for gaining much better performance under Linux… In some cases a simple tweak will yield around 40% better performance!"
Here are some more Graphics Card articles from around the web:
- Open-Source Linux Graphics: A10-7870K Godavari vs. i7-4790K Haswell vs. i7-5775C Broadwell @ Phoronix
- 12K (Triple 4K Monitor) Graphics Test Bench Upgrade @ eTeknix
- MSI R9 390X GAMING vs ASUS STRIX R9 Fury @ [H]ard|OCP
- Asus Strix R9 390X Gaming OC 8G @ Bjorn3d
- Sapphire Tri-X R9 Fury 4GB @ eTeknix
- AMD R9 Fury X CrossfireX 12K Eyefinity @ eTeknix
- HIS Radeon R9 390X IceQ X2 OC 8GB Video Card Review @ Madshrimps
- XFX R9 380 4G DD, XFX Review, XFX Rocks the DD Coolers Again! @ Bjorn3d
- Asus Radeon R9 Fury Strix DC3 OC @ Kitguru
- Sapphire Tri-X Radeon R9 Fury Review @ Modders-Inc
- AMD's Latest Open-Source Driver On Linux Is Getting Competitive With Catalyst 15.7 @ Phoronix
- Zotac GTX 980 Ti AMP! Extreme Review @ Hardware Canucks
- Palit GeForce GTX 980Ti Super Jetstream @ Kitguru
- Intel Iris Pro 6200 Graphics Are A Dream Come True For Open-Source Linux Fans @ Phoronix
Linux and csgo? What world do
Linux and csgo? What world do you people live in?
I really stopped blaming
I really stopped blaming drivers after reading what that Nvidia programer wrote.
They basically have to reverse engineer solutions for each and every game to work properly, because the game devs sometimes do things so obtuse that they won’t even run without the driver compensating for glaring omissions.
That’s how we get bloated drivers that are gigantic in size. It’s so that game where they forgot to add the draw frame command would work.
2 people liked this!
2 people liked this!
*cough* Quack3.exe *cough* I
*cough* Quack3.exe *cough* I mean Quake3.exe
I still have mixed feelings about when both the Green and Red teams “optimized” their drivers to just not draw a good chunk of the screen in 3DMark tests to boost performance.
I mean is it completely bad?, I dunno, if it were a game, I would not see that part of the scene anyway. Then again it is supposed to be a benchmark, so it should draw everything.
that was certainly one …
that was certainly one … there were a few others along the way
Those “optimization”, what
Those “optimization”, what pretty everyone call “unoptimized” driver are a sign of API defects.
The driver need to hack special code to detect the usage of the app and taylor internal driver function to the app model.
That happen because the API is not sufficient explicit in mapping usage model and/or HW model.
You can get huge performance loss (and high CPU usage) , but also GPU lever inefficiency.
The most exposed is Draw calls. Dx11 and OpenGL4 being to great example. As Dx12 and Vulkan, with only an API change can deliver 100x efficiency on the same HW.
Bu this happen for games to, specially with multiple GPU.
It would be like Intel having to release a new ‘driver’ for each new application so the app can efficiently use more then 1 core.
Anyways, hopefully Dx12 and Vulkan resolve a lot of this driver “optimization” problems from Dx11 and OpenGL. Its just so wrong…
RIP Steam Machines….
RIP Steam Machines….
The pre-orders for Steam
The pre-orders for Steam Machines sold out. Also, we can expect Linux drivers for graphics cards to improve once they become a real thing.
Steam Machines may have a few negatives but there are positives as well so suggesting they will fail is very premature.
Seriously, if it gains any traction at all it will be hard to kill. Manufacturers can just put out a gaming PC and either put on Windows or SteamOS so it’s hard to kill there.
SteamOS has a lot of potential and Valve has the money to do it well .
The lack of games issue is being addressed and by the time this generation of consoles ends (2020?) Steam Machines will have a crazy large portfolio. With cross-platform become very common (due to x86 compatibility) it will be very interesting to see what five years does.
So pros and cons but in terms of profitability it’s difficult to see what would actually kill the project.
This just solidify the
This just solidify the perception on AMD drivers team incompetent.
Lest we not forget Nvidia
Lest we not forget Nvidia melting cards due to drivers turning off the fans.
I could be wrong here but I
I could be wrong here but I am fairly sure AMD did not develop CS:GO