Intel Open-Sources Broadwell GPU Driver & Indicates Major Silicon Changes

An anonymous reader writes "Intel shipped open-source Broadwell graphics driver support for Linux this weekend. While building upon the existing Intel Linux GPU driver, the kernel driver changes are significant in size for Broadwell. Code comments from Intel indicate that these processors shipping in 2014 will have "some of the biggest changes we've seen on the execution and memory management side of the GPU" and "dwarf any other silicon iteration during my tenure, and certainly can compete with the likes of the gen3->gen4 changes." Come next year, Intel may now be able to better take on AMD and NVIDIA discrete graphics solutions."

Re:Intel is keeping pace

[shentino]

An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

Also, two wrongs don't make a right.

Re:Competition is more than performance

[Sable Drakon]

And what Intel is offering right now with Haswell is a massive improvement over any APU that AMD has produced to date. Which shouldn't be much of a surprise considering AMD's constant spectacular disappointments. But you're never going to get a cheap fanless discrete GPU with the power to hold up against a GTX660 or better hardware.

Re:Intel is keeping pace

[SScorpio]

Why 1080p @60fps? Both the PS4 and Xbone will only be 30fps at the majority of games at 1080p. If Intel can reach parity with on board graphics to the new consoles that are just coming out they will have eaten into AMD's APU lead, since Intel currently crushes AMD when it comes to CPU performance.

One change I want to see

[msobkow]

There is only one change I'd like to see made sooner rather than later:

Stop using my main memory as a video buffer!!!

The main reason I opt for discrete graphics solutions is not because of the performance of the graphics, but the lack of main memory throughput degradation. I build boxes to compute, not sling graphics.

Re:Meh

[pellik]

For some time now unless you are buying a $30 three generation old CPU intel is as good or often better then AMD in performance per dollar. Doubly so if you're buying to overclock.

Re:Intel is keeping pace

[citizenr]

Why 1080p @60fps? Both the PS4 and Xbone will only be 30fps at the majority of games at 1080p.

not true
in fact both consoles will target 50-60Hz + vsync, but X180 will do 720p (so last gen) while PS4 will 900-1080p (due to better gpu)

Re:Meh

[Rockoon]

Sure, if you ignore either the price or the performance [cpubenchmark.net] you can imagine your statement to be true.