• Intel Gma X3100 Latest Driver For Mac



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    1. Intel Gma 3100 Driver Windows 10
    2. Intel Gma 3100 Driver Download
    3. Intel Gma X3100 Latest Driver For Macbook
    Intel GMA
    API support
    Direct3D Direct3D 10.0[1]
    Shader Model 4.0[1]
    OpenCL N/A[1]
    OpenGL OpenGL 2.1[1]
    History
    Predecessor Intel Extreme Graphics
    Successor Intel HD and Iris Graphics

    GMA 950 on Intel DG945GCPE motherboard (only heat sink visible)

    The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator, or GMA, is a series of integrated graphics processors introduced in 2004 by Intel, replacing the earlier Intel Extreme Graphics series and being succeeded by the Intel HD and Iris Graphics series.

    This series targets the market of low-cost graphics solutions. The products in this series are integrated onto the motherboard, have limited graphics processing power, and use the computer's main memory for storage instead of a dedicated video memory. They are commonly found on netbooks, low-priced laptops and desktop computers, as well as business computers which do not need high levels of graphics capability. In early 2007, about 90% of all PC motherboards sold had an integrated GPU.[2]

    • 2Graphics cores
      • 2.1Intel GPU based
        • 2.1.1Generation three based
        • 2.1.2Generation four based
      • 2.2PowerVR GPU based
        • 2.2.1PowerVR SGX 535 based
        • 2.2.2PowerVR SGX 545 based
    • 5Software support
      • 5.3Linux
      • 5.5Microsoft Windows
    • 7Microsoft Windows performance reviews

    History[edit]

    The GMA line of GPUs replaces the earlier Intel Extreme Graphics, and the Intel740 line, the latter of which was a discrete unit in the form of AGP and PCI cards with technology that evolved from companies Real3D and Lockheed Martin. Later, Intel integrated the i740 core into the Intel 810 chipset.

    Intel Gma 3100 Driver Windows 10

    The original architecture of GMA systems supported only a few functions in hardware, and relied on the host CPU to handle at least some of the graphics pipeline, further decreasing performance. However, with the introduction of Intel's 4th generation of GMA architecture (GMA X3000) in 2006, many of the functions are now built into the hardware, providing an increase in performance. The 4th generation of GMA combines fixed function capabilities with a threaded array of programmable executions units, providing advantages to both graphics and video performance. Many of the advantages of the new GMA architecture come from the ability to flexibly switch as needed between executing graphics-related tasks or video-related tasks. While GMA performance has been widely criticized in the past as being too slow for computer games, sometimes being nicknamed Intel GMD (Graphics Media Decelerator) and being essentially referred to as the world's first 'graphics decelerator' since the S3 ViRGE, the latest GMA generation should ease many of those concerns for the casual gamer.

    Despite similarities, Intel's main series of GMA Integrated Graphics Processors (IGPs) is not based on the PowerVR technology Intel licensed from Imagination Technologies. Intel used the low-power PowerVR MBX designs in chipsets supporting their XScale platform, and since the sale of XScale in 2006 has licensed the PowerVR SGX and used it in the GMA 500 IGP for use with their Atom platform.

    With the introduction of the Platform Controller Hub, the Graphics Media Accelerator series ceased, and the CPU-based Intel HD and Iris Graphics series was created.

    Graphics cores[edit]

    Intel GPU based[edit]

    Generation three based[edit]

    GMA 900[edit]

    The GMA 900 was the first graphics core produced under Intel's Graphics Media Accelerator product name, and was incorporated in the Intel 910G, 915G, and 915Gx chipsets.

    The 3D architecture of the GMA 900 was a significant upgrade from the previous Extreme 3D graphics processors. It is a 4 pixel per clock cycle design supporting DirectX 9 pixel shader model 2.0. It operates at a clock rate ranging from 160 to 333 MHz, depending on the particular chipset. At 333 MHz, it has a peak pixel fill-rate of 1332 megapixels per second. However, the architecture still lacks support for hardware transform and lighting and the similar vertex shader technologies.

    Like previous Intel integrated graphics parts, the GMA 900 has hardware support for MPEG-2motion compensation, color-space conversion and DirectDraw overlay.

    The processor uses different separate clock generators for display and render cores. The display unit includes a 400 MHz RAMDAC, two 25–200 Mpixel/s serial DVO ports, and two display controllers. In mobile chipsets, up to two 18-bit 25–112 MHz LVDS transmitters are included.

    GMA 950[edit]

    The GMA 950 was the second graphics core produced under Intel's Graphics Media Accelerator product name, and was incorporated in the Intel 945G chipsets.

    The processor includes an up to 400 MHz 256-bit core, supporting up to 10.6 GB/s memory bandwidth with DDR2-667 system RAM, up to 224 MB max. video memory through DVMT scheme, 1.6 GPixels/s and 1.6 GTexels/s fill rate, a max. resolution of 2048x1536 for both analog and digital displays, 2 SDVO ports for flat-panels and/or TV-Out via ADD2 cards or media expansion cards.

    3D-wise, GMA 950 supports up to four pixels per clock rendering, Microsoft DirectX 9.0 hardware acceleration & Vertex shader 3.0 and OpenGL 1.4 with ARB extensions on Windows.

    GMA 3100[edit]

    Integrated graphics found on Q33, Q35, G31 and G33 chipsets. It supports Pixel Shader 2.0 with OpenGL 1.4, but Hardware Vertex Shader isn't supported.

    GMA 3150[edit]

    Found in Intel Atom D4xx, D5xx, N4xx and N5xx (codenamed Pineview) processors. Like GMA 3100 and GMA 3000, this is a very close relative of the GMA900/950, completely different from the GMA X3000 series. Supports up to 384 MB video memory(windows xp driver), DirectX 9.0c, Shader Model 2.0, OpenGL 1.4 with Microsoft Windows and OpenGL 2.1 with Linux. [3]

    Generation four based[edit]

    GMA 3000[edit]

    The 946GZ, Q963 and Q965 chipsets use the GMA 3000 graphics core.[4][5] The GMA 3000 3D core is very different from the X3000, despite their similar names. It is based more directly on the previous generation GMA 900 and GMA 950 graphics, and belonging to the same 'i915' family with them. It has pixel and vertex shaders which only support Shader Model 2.0b features,[citation needed] and the vertex shaders are still software-emulated. In addition, hardware video acceleration such as hardware-based iDCT computation, ProcAmp (video stream independent color correction), and VC-1 decoding are not implemented in hardware. Of the GMA 3000-equipped chipsets, only the Q965 retains dual independent display support. The core speed is rated at 400 MHz with 1.6 Gpixel/s fill rate in datasheets, but was listed as 667 MHz core in the white paper.[6]

    The memory controller can now address a maximum of 256 MB of system memory, and the integrated serial DVO ports have increased top speed to 270 Mpixel/s.

    GMA X3000[edit]

    The GMA X3000 for desktop was 'substantially redesigned' when compared to previous GMA iterations[7] and it is used in the Intel G965 north bridge controller.[8] The GMA X3000 was launched in July 2006.[9] The GMA X3000's underlying 3D rendering hardware is organized as a unified shader processor consisting of 8 scalar execution units. Each pipeline can process video, vertex, or texture operations. A central scheduler dynamically dispatches threads to pipeline resources, to maximize rendering throughput (and decrease the impact of individual pipeline stalls.) However, due to the scalar nature of the execution units, they can only process data on a single pixel component at a time.[10] The GMA X3000 supports DirectX 9.0 with vertex and pixel Shader Model 3.0 features.

    The processor consists of different clock domains, meaning that the entire chip does not operate the same clock speed. This causes some difficulty when measuring peak throughput of its various functions. Further adding to the confusion, it is listed as 667 MHz in Intel G965 white paper, but listed as 400 MHz in Intel G965 datasheet. There are various rules that define the IGP's processing capabilities.[10]

    Memory controller can now address maximum 384 MB memory according to white paper, but only 256 MB in datasheet.

    GMA X3500[edit]

    GMA X3500 is an upgrade of the GMA X3000 and used in the desktop G35. The shaders support shader model 4.0 features. Architecturally, the GMA X3500 is very similar to the GMA X3000,[11] with both graphics cores running at 667 MHz. The major difference between them is that the GMA X3500 supports Shader Model 4.0 and DirectX 10, whereas the earlier X3000 supports Shader Model 3.0 and DirectX 9.[11] The X3500 also adds hardware-assistance for playback of VC-1 video.

    GMA X3100[edit]

    The GMA X3100 is the mobile version of the GMA X3500 used in the Intel GL960/GM965 chipsets and also in the GS965 chipset. The X3100 supports hardware transform and lighting, up to eight programmable shader units, and up to 384 MB video memory. Its display cores can run up to 333 MHz on GM965 and 320 MHz on GL960. Its render cores can run up to 500 MHz on GM965 and 400 MHz on GL960. The X3100 display unit includes a 300 MHz RAMDAC, two 25–112 MHz LVDS transmitters, 2 DVO encoders, and a TV encoder. Under Windows, the driver supports DirectX 10.0,[12][13] Shader Model 4.0 and OpenGL 1.5.[13][14] Under Linux, OpenGL 2.1 is supported.

    GMA 4500[edit]

    Integrated graphics found on B43, Q43 and Q45 chipsets.[15][16][17]

    GMA X4500[edit]

    The GMA X4500 and the GMA X4500HD for desktop platforms[18] were launched in June 2008.[19] The GMA X4500 is used in G43 chipset[20] and the GMA X4500HD is used in the G45 chipset.[18] The GMA X4500 is also used in the G41 chipset,[16] which was released in September 2008.[21]

    The difference between the GMA X4500 and the GMA X4500HD is that the GMA X4500HD is capable of 'full 1080p high-definition video playback, including Blu-ray disc movies',[18][22]

    Like the X3500, X4500 supports DirectX 10 and Shader Model 4.0 features. Intel designed the GMA X4500 to be 200% faster than the GMA 3100 (G33 chipset) in 3DMark06 performance[23] and 70% faster than the GMA X3500 (G35 chipset).[24]

     

    Model numberTierExecution unitsBoost Clock (MHz)max GFLOPS
    GMA X4500 ? 10 800 ?
    GMA 4500MHD[edit]

    The GMA 4500MHD for laptops was launched on July 16, 2008. Featurewise, the 4500MHD is identical to its desktop cousin, the X4500HD.[citation needed] The GMA 4500MHD is used in the GL40, GS40, GM45 and GS45 chipsets.

    GMA X4700MHD[edit]

    The GMA X4700MHD for laptops was launched in October 2008. It is the last product of Intel GMA. In a way, it belongs to the 4500MHD series, and it is used in the GM47 chipsets, Montevina.

    It features 80 shading units, 10 texture mapping units, and 1 ROPs. Compared to the 4500MHD, the frequency is increased to 640 MHz.

    PowerVR GPU based[edit]

    Intel developed a new set of low power graphics architecture based on PowerVR.

    The available Linux drivers do not support much of this.[25]

    PowerVR SGX 535 based[edit]

    GMA 500[edit]

    The Intel SCH (System Controller Hub; codenamed Poulsbo) for the Atom processor Z5xx series features a GMA 500 graphic system. Rather than being developed in-house, this core is a PowerVR SGX 535 core licensed from Imagination Technologies.[26]

    Intel describes this as 'a flexible, programmable architecture that supports shader-based technology, 2D, 3D and advanced 3D graphics, high-definition video decode, and image processing. Features include screen tiling, internal true color processing, zero overhead anti-aliasing, programmable shader 3D accelerator, and 32-bit floating-point operations.'[27]

    GMA 600[edit]

    A revised version of the previous Intel SCH (System Controller Hub) for the Atom Z6xx series CPU codenamed Lincroft. Essentially, this is the same graphic system as the GMA 500, but clocked at double the speed. (From 200 MHz to 400 MHz).[28]

    PowerVR SGX 545 based[edit]

    GMA 3600[edit]

    This integrated graphics system was released in Intel Atom (Cedar Trail, 32 nm) and based on PowerVR SGX545. Unlike the original PowerVR solution, this model is clocked at 400 MHz instead of 200 MHz.[29] It is specifically found in the Intel Atom N2600 processor[30] and Atom D2500[31] models. It supports DirectX version 9.0c.

    GMA 3650[edit]

    Similar to the GMA 3600, but this version is clocked at 640 MHz.[29] It is found in Atom N2800, Atom D2550, Atom D2500, Atom D2600 and Atom D2700 models. It supports DirectX version 9.0c.

    Specifications[edit]

    Protected Audio Video Path[edit]

    Protected Audio Video Path (PAVP) restricts the data path within a computer during video playback (e.g., Blu-ray discs). It is supported by newer chipsets (e.g. Intel G45) and operating systems (since Windows Vista).[32]

    Mac

    PAVP can be configured in the BIOS. Different modes are supported:

    1. Disabled.
    2. PAVP Lite: Reserves buffer memory for encryption of compressed video data.
    3. Paranoid PAVP: Reserve memory during boot which isn't seen by the Operating System. This disables Windows Aero in Windows Vista.

    The default setting in most BIOS is PAVP Lite.

    Within Intel HD Graphics, the successor of Intel GMA, a similar technology called Intel Insider exists.

    Software support[edit]

    Mac OS X[edit]

    Mac OS X 10.4 supports the GMA 950, since it was used in previous revisions of the MacBook, MacMini, and 17-inch iMacs.[33] It has been used in all Intel-based Mac minis (until the Mac Mini released on March 3, 2009).[34] Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard contains drivers for the GMA X3100, which were used in a recent revision of the MacBook range.[35]

    Late-release versions of Mac OS X 10.4 also support the GMA 900 due to its use in the Apple Developer Transition Kit, which was used in the PowerPC-to-Intel transition. However, special modifications to the kext file must be made to enable Core Image and Quartz Extreme.

    Although the new MacBook line no longer uses the X3100, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) ships with drivers supporting it that require no modifications to the kext file. Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), which includes a new 64-bit kernel in addition to the 32-bit one, does not include 64-bit X3100 drivers.[citation needed] This means that although the MacBooks with the X3100 have 64-bit capable processors and EFI, Mac OS X must load the 32-bit kernel to support the 32-bit X3100 drivers.[citation needed] November 9's 10.6.2 update ships with 64-bit X3100 drivers.[citation needed]

    Apple removed the 64-bit GMA X3100 drivers later, and thus affected Macs were forced back to the 32-bit kernel despite being 64-bit clean in terms of hardware and firmware. No 64-bit drivers were offered in OS X Lion. Subsequently, OS X Mountain Lion dropped 32-bit kernel booting. The combination of these two changes in graphics driver code resulted in many Mac revisions being unable to upgrade to Mountain Lion, as their GPUs cannot be replaced.

    For a while MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks instead shipped with a far more powerful[36] NVIDIA GeForce 9400M,[37] and the 15' and 17' MacBook Pro notebooks shipped with an additional GeForce 9600GT supporting hybrid power to switch between GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M chipset implemented in Apple MacBooks did not support composite or S-video output.[38]

    FreeBSD[edit]

    FreeBSD 8.0 supports the following Intel graphic chipsets: i810, i810-DC100, i810e, i815, i830M, 845G, 852GM, 855GM, 865G, 915G, 915GM, 945G, 945GM, 965G, 965Q, 946GZ, 965GM,945GME, G33, Q33, Q35, G35, GM45, G45, Q45, G43 and G41 chipsets. In practice, chipsets through 4500MHD are supported with DRM and 3D using FreeBSD 9. Work to integrate GEM and KMS is currently adding support for i-series integrated graphics and improving support for earlier chipsets.

    Linux[edit]

    In August 2006, Intel added support to the open-source X.Org/XFree86 drivers for the latest 965 series that include the GMA (X)3000 core.[39] These drivers were developed for Intel by Tungsten Graphics.

    In May 2007, version 2.0 of the driver (xorg-video-intel) was released, which added support for the 965GM chipset. In addition, the 2.0 driver added native video mode programming support for all chipsets from i830 forward. This version added support for automatic video mode detection and selection, monitor hot plug, dynamic extended and merged desktops and per-monitor screen rotation. These features are built into the X.Org 7.3 X server release and will eventually be supported across most of the open source X.Org video drivers.[40] Version 2.1, released in July 2007, added support for the G33, Q33 and Q35 chipsets.[41] G35 is also supported by the Linux driver.[42]

    As is common for X.Org drivers on Linux, the license is a combination of GPL (for the Linux kernel parts) and MIT (for all other parts).[43]

    The drivers were mainly developed by Intel and Tungsten Graphics (under contract) since the chipsets' documentation were not publicly available for a long time. In January 2008, Intel released the complete developer documentation for their, at the time, latest chipsets (965 and G35 chipset), allowing for further external developers' involvement.[44][45]In April 2009, Intel released documentation for their newer G45 graphics (including X4500) chipsets.[46]In May 2009, Intel employee Eric Anholt stated Intel was 'still working on getting docs for [8xx] chipsets out.'[47]

    H.264 acceleration via VA-API[edit]

    Linux support for hardware accelerated H.264 playback is available and working for X4500HD and X4500MHD using VAAPI and the g45-h264 branch.[48][49]

    PowerVR based chips on Linux[edit]

    GMA 500, GMA 600, GMA 3600, GMA 3650 are PowerVR based chips incompatible with Intel GenX GPU architecture family. There are no Intel supported FOSS drivers. The current available FOSS drivers (included in Linux 3.3 onwards) only support 2D acceleration (not 3D acceleration).[25]

    Ubuntu supports GMA500 (Poulsbo) through the ubuntu-mobile and gma500 repositories on Launchpad. Support is present in an experimental way for 11.10 and 12.04, but the installation procedure is not as simple as other drivers and can lead to many bugs. Ubuntu 12.10 has 2D support included.[50]

    Joli OS, a Linux-based OS optimized for netbooks, has a driver for the GMA500 built in.

    PixieLive, a GNU/Linux live distribution optimized for GMA500 netbooks, it can boot from USB Pendrive, SD Card or HardDisk.

    Intel releases official Linux drivers through the IEGD (Intel Embedded Graphic Driver) supporting some Linux distributions dedicated to the embedded market.[51]

    In November 2009, the Linux Foundation released the details of a new, rewritten Linux driver that would support this chipset and Intel's other upcoming chipsets. The Direct Rendering Manager and X.org parts would be free software, but the 3D component (using Gallium3D) will still be proprietary.[52]

    Solaris[edit]

    Oracle Solaris 11 provides 64-bit video driver support for the following Intel graphic chipsets: i810, i810-dc100, i810e, i815, i830M, 845G, 852GM/855GM, 865G, 915G, E7221 (i915), 915GM, 945G, 945GM, 945GME, Pineview GM, Pineview G, 965G, G35, 965Q, 946GZ, 965GM, 965GME/GLE, G33, Q35, Q33, GM45, 4 Series, G45/G43, Q45/Q43, G41, B43, Clarkdale, Arrandale, Sandybridge Desktop (GT1), Sandybridge Desktop (GT2), Sandybridge Desktop (GT2+), Sandybridge Mobile (GT1), Sandybridge Mobile (GT2), Sandybridge Mobile (GT2+), Ivybridge Mobile (GT1), Ivybridge Mobile (GT2), Ivybridge Desktop (GT1), Ivybridge Desktop (GT2), Ivybridge Server (GT1), and Ivybridge Server (GT2).

    The Solaris open-source community developers provide additional driver support for Intel HD Graphics 4000/2500 graphic-based chipsets (aka Ivy Bridge), OpenGL 3.0/GLSL 1.30, and the new libva/va-api library enabling hardware accelerated video decode for the prevailing coding standards today (MPEG-2, MPEG-4 ASP/H.263, MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, and VC-1/WMV3).

    Microsoft Windows[edit]

    GMA 900 on Windows[edit]

    The GMA 900 is theoretically capable of running Windows Vista's Aero interface and is certified as DirectX 9 compliant. However, no WHQL certified WDDM driver has been made available. Presumably this is due to the lack of a 'hardware scheduler' in the GPU.[53] The Intel GMA 900 is also the first Intel integrated GPU not to have support or drivers for Windows 9x operating systems (including 98 and ME).

    Many owners of GMA900 hardware believed they would be able to run Aero on their systems as early release candidates of Vista permitted XDDM drivers to run Aero. Intel, however, contends that Microsoft's final specs for Aero/WDDM certification did not permit releasing a WDDM driver for GMA900 (due to issues with the hardware scheduler, as mentioned above), so when the final version of Vista was released, no WDDM driver was released.[54] The last minute pulling of OpenGL capabilities from the GMA drivers for Windows Vista left a large number of GMA based workstations unable to perform basic 3D hardware acceleration with OpenGL and unable to run many Vista Premium applications such as Windows DVD Maker.

    In Windows 7, Aero effects are enabled with VGA compatibility driver via software rendering. There are no native GMA900 drivers available for Windows 8 since XDDM support is removed from this operating system.On GMA900 based laptops with Windows 7, users may experience a serious bug related to the chipset's native backlight control method failing to change brightness, resulting in the brightness becoming stuck on a particular value after driver installation. The bug did not occur when Windows 7 was initially released to the public and is commonly observed after running Windows Update. This bug also occurs in GMA3150 based laptops.

    GMA 950 on Windows[edit]

    This IGP is capable of displaying the Aero interface for Windows Vista. Drivers are shipped with Windows Vista since beta versions became available in mid-2006. It can also run Windows 7's Aero interface since Intel released drivers for Windows 7 in mid-June 2009.

    The GMA 950 is integrated into many netbooks built on Intel 945GSE Express chipset, and is able to display a resolution up to 2048×1536 at 75 Hz utilizing up to 224 MB of shared memory.[55]

    Most of the reviews about this IGP were negative, since many games (such as Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory or Oblivion) need Pixel Shader 2.0 or higher, that is supported in hardware, and Vertex Shader 2.0, that is software-emulated. Other games such as Crysis will start, but with frame rates below acceptable.

    GMA X3000/X3100 on Windows[edit]

    T&L and Vertex Shaders 3.0 are supported by Intel's newest 15.6 drivers for Windows Vista as of September 2, 2007. XP support for VS3 and T&L was introduced on August 10, 2007. Intel announced in March 2007 that beta drivers would be available in June 2007.[56][57]On June 1, 2007 'pre-beta' (or Early Beta) drivers were released for Windows XP (but not for Vista).[58] Beta drivers for Vista and XP were released on June 19.[59] Since hardware T&L and vertex shading has been enabled in drivers individual applications can be forced to fall back to software rendering,[60] which raises performance and compatibility in certain cases. Selection is based on testing by Intel and preselected in the driver .inf file.

    Intel has released production version drivers for 32-bit and 64-bitWindows Vista that enable the Aero graphics.Intel introduced DirectX 10 for the X3100 and X3500 GPUs in the Vista 15.9 drivers in 2008, though any release of DX10 drivers for the X3000 is uncertain. WDDM 1.1 is supported by X3100 but DXVA-HD is not.

    OpenGL 2.0 support is available since Vista 15.11 drivers[61] and XP 14.36 drivers.[62]

    Windows 8 ships with a driver for the X3100.[63]

    GMA 500 on Windows[edit]

    As of September 2010, the latest available driver revisions from the Intel website for Windows XP, Vista and 7 are:[64][65]

    • IEGD Version 5.1 for Windows NT,2000 and XP (OpenGL only)
    • Version 3.3.0 for Windows XP. (D3D only)
    • Version 4.0.2 for Windows Vista.
    • Version 5.0.0.2030 for Windows 7.

    Modern gaming[edit]

    The performance and functionality of GMA processors are limited, attaining the performance of only low-cost discrete GPUs at best and very old DirectX 6 GPUs (Such as the RIVA TNT2) at the worst. Thus, they're sometimes even dubbed 'Graphics Media Decelerators' though the actual performance depended on the CPU as well as RAM amount and speed. For example, an Atom N450 CPU and GMA 3150 will perform comparably to a RIVA TNT2 PC with a Tualatin Pentium 3, even worse, the GPU was sometimes even underclocked, hindering the already poor performance even further.[66] Some features of games and other 3D applications may be unsupported by GMAs, particularly older ones. The GMA X3x00's unified shader design allows for more complete hardware functionality, but the line still has issues with some games and has significantly limited performance.[67]

    Intel has put up a page with 'Known Issues & Solutions' for each version.[68] For Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Software Development concerns, there is the Integrated Graphics Software Development Forum.[69]

    Microsoft Windows performance reviews[edit]

    GMA X3000 review[edit]

    A review conducted in April 2007 by The Tech Report determined that the GMA X3000 had performance comparable to the Nvidia GeForce 6150.[70] During that review the GMA X3000 was unable to run the PC gamesBattlefield 2 and Oblivion.[71] However, the ExtremeTech review found that games which aren't as graphically demanding, such as The Sims 2 and Civilization IV, 'look good' when the GMA X3000 is used to run them.[72]

    Reviews performed by The Tech Report, by ExtremeTech and by Anandtech all concluded that the AMD's Radeon X1250integrated graphics solutions based on the AMD 690G chipset was a better choice than the GMA X3000 based on the G965 chipset, especially when considering 3D gaming performance and price.[70][73][74]

    GMA X3500 review[edit]

    In a review performed by Register Hardware in December 2007,[11] author Leo Waldock argued that because the GMA X3500 is not capable of running any PC game that requires DirectX 10, the addition of DirectX 10 support to the GMA X3500 was 'irrelevant'.[75] During that same review, the GMA X3500 was used to run Crysis and F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, where it was able to render only 4 and 14 frames per second respectively for each game.[76] In the end the review concluded that overall the X3500 made 'minimal advances' over the GMA X3000.[75]

    GMA X4500 review[edit]

    In a review published in May 2008, the GMA X4500 showed a superior game performance to the lowest-end 1-year-older GeForce 8400Mgraphics card in some CPU-bound tests, while losing to the still low-end GeForce 8400M GS with a slower CPU.[77]

    See also[edit]

    References[edit]

    1. ^ abcd'Supported Graphics APIs and Features'. Intel.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    2. ^Key, Gary (2007-03-16). 'Intel G965: microATX Performance Update'. AnandTech. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
    3. ^'HD Graphics Quick Reference Guide'. Intel. 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2016-03-16.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    4. ^'Product brief: The Intel 946GZ Express Chipset'(PDF). Retrieved 2007-06-28.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    5. ^'Intel's Next Generation Integrated Graphics Architecture – Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000 and 3000'(PDF). Retrieved 2007-06-08.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    6. ^'Intel's Next Generation Integrated Graphics Architecture — Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3000 and 3000 White Paper'. Retrieved 2007-10-19.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    7. ^'Intel G965 with GMA X3000 Integrated Graphics — Intel GMA X3000 Graphics Subsystem — CPUs, Boards & Components by ExtremeTech'. Extremetech.com. Retrieved 2009-09-17.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    8. ^Waldock, Leo (2007-12-05). 'Asus P5E-VM HDMI motherboard|Register Hardware'. Reghardware.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-09-17.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    9. ^'2006 Intel Desktop Motherboard Roadmap'. DailyTech. Retrieved 2009-09-17.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    10. ^ abGasior, Geoff. Intel's G965 Express chipset, Tech Report, April 5, 2007.
    11. ^ abcWaldock, Leo (2007-12-05). 'Asus P5E-VM HDMI motherboard|Register Hardware'. Reghardware.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-09-17.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    12. ^'Intel Graphics — Built for mainstream Desktop and Mobile PC Users'(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2007-11-28. Retrieved 2007-06-08.Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help); Cite web requires |website= (help)
    13. ^ abIntel, X3100 supports DirectX 10.0 and Shader Model 4.0, retrieved February 10, 2013
    14. ^Intel, Intel 82GM965 OpenGL compatibility, retrieved January 16, 2010 Archived March 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
    15. ^Smith, Tony (2008-03-07). 'Intel talks up 'Eaglelake' DX10 chipset GPU tech | Register Hardware'. Reghardware.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-09-17.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    16. ^ ab'Quick Reference Guide to Intel Integrated Graphics'. Softwarecommunity.intel.com. Archived from the original on 2008-09-14. Retrieved 2009-09-17.Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help); Cite web requires |website= (help)
    17. ^'Intel Q43 Express Chipset — Overview'. Intel.com. Retrieved 2009-09-17.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    18. ^ abc'Intel G45 Express Chipset — Overview'. Intel.com. Retrieved 2009-09-17.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    19. ^Smith, Tony (2008-06-04). 'Intel touts G45 chipset's full Blu-ray support|Register Hardware'. Reghardware.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-09-17.Cite web requires |website= (help)
    20. ^'Intel G43 Express Chipset — Overview'. Intel.com. 2009-07-17. Retrieved 2009-09-17.Cite web requires |website= (help)
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    External links[edit]

    • Windows Vista* support FAQ, Intel
    • Intel HD Graphics 3000 and Intel HD Graphics 2000 Review, X-bit labs

    Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intel_GMA&oldid=910960546'

    Latest Intel Graphics Developer's Guide

    Note: The Developer's Guide on this page is for the Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator used in the the Intel® GMA X3000 chipset. Find the latest Intel Graphics Developer's Guide

    Introduction

    The Intel® GMA X3000 is the fourth generation of Intel Integrated Graphics. As with previous generations, the Intel® GMA X3000 chipset continues to add features that enable consumers to have a wealth of features at much lower cost than discrete graphics solutions. As these integrated solutions become more commonplace in the market, it becomes ever more important for 3D developers to support and target the feature set of Intel’s Integrated Solution. Intel Graphics is designed to meet the display needs for the majority of the business and consumer users. The graphics core is built into the chipset. It shares system memory with the CPU to keep the system architecture balanced at a compelling cost for the customer. Intel’s GMA capabilities match or exceed many more expensive graphics card solutions. PC buyers have appreciated this balanced approach to system design, and Intel Graphics is currently the number one graphics solution chosen by new PC purchasers.

    This document describes the Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator (Intel® GMA 3000 and X3000) and provides development hints and tips to ensure that your customers will have a great time playing your games and running other interactive 3D graphics applications. We welcome feedback from the ISV community and our customers. Please give your feedback by going to Forums.

    Intel® GMA 3000 and X3000 Overview

    Intel® GMA X3000 is the first generation of Intel Integrated Graphics to have the ability to do hardware vertex processing for Shader Model 3.0. Additionally, while previous hardware provided only a subset of DirectX 9.0 features and OpenGL 1.4 compliance, GMA X3000 improved feature set includes a full DirectX9.0C/Ex feature set as well as OpenGL 2.0. The core frequency has also been increased to 667Mhz and the maximum available memory available for the graphics system has been increased to 384MB from 224MB. This enables more textures, larger vertex buffers, and larger models to be stored. Finally, the peak memory bandwidth has been increased by 20% from the previous generation of Intel Integrated Graphics for the desktop to a peak of 12.8 GB/s. GMA X3000 graphics will be able to support both Windows XP* as well as Windows Vista*.

    Driver

    A chart summarizing these improvements:

    Features 2005 / 2006 2006 / 2007 2007 2007/2008 2007/2008
    Platform (Desktop/ Mobile) Intel® 945G / 945GM Chipset Intel® G965 (X3000) Chipset Intel® GM965 (X3100) Chipset Intel® G31/G33 Chipset Intel® G35 Chipset
    Manufacturing Process 130 nm 90 nm 90 nm 90 nm 90 nm
    Scalable Core Frequency** 400/133, 166, 222, 250 MHz 667 MHz 500 MHz 400 MHz 667 MHz
    Memory Frequency Up to 2 Ch DDR 667 Up to 2 Ch DDR2 800 Up to 2 Ch DDR2 667 Up to 2 Ch DDR3 1066 Up to 2 Ch DDR2 800
    Peak Memory BW 10.7 GBps 12.8 GBps 10.7 GBps 17.1 GBps 12.8 GBps
    Max Video Memory* 224MB 384MB 384MB 287MB? 384MB
    DirectX* API Support DirectX 9.0C/Ex DirectX*9.0C/Ex DirectX* 10 DirectX* 9.0C/Ex DirectX* 10
    OpenGL API Support 1.4 + Extensions 1.4 + Extensions 1.5 1.4 + Extensions 2.0
    Direct*X VA Support v.1.0 (2.0 in LH) v.2.0 v.2.0 v.2.0 v.2.0
    Driver Model Support XPDM + LDDM XPDM and LDDM (Basic Scheduler)

    Intel® GMA 3000 and X3000 Features

    This section provides information on the key new features of GMA (X)3000 and provides a comparison to prior generation parts. The features are grouped into functional categories with one chart for each area. The final section describes the shared memory architecture used by the GMA (X)3000.

    Pixel Shader

    <

    Pixel Shader 2005 / 2006 2006 / 2007 2007 2007/2008 2007/2008
    Platform (Desktop/ Mobile) Intel® 945G / 945GM Chipset Intel® G965 Chipset (X3000 series) Intel® GM965 Chipset (X3000 series) Intel® G31/G33 Chipset (3000 series) Intel® G35 Chipset (X3000 series)
    Pixel Shader Model 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
    Shader Precision 24 bit floating point 32 bit floating point 24 bit floating point 24 bit floating point 24 bit floating point
    Max Samplers 8 16 16 8 16
    Max Shader Instructions 96 512 512 96 512
    Dependent Textures 4 512 512 4 512
    Dynamic Branching N Y Y N Y
    Max Texture Instructions 32 512 512 32 512

    Intel Gma 3100 Driver Download

    Texture Sampler

    Texture Sampler 2005 / 2006 2006 / 2007 2007 2007/2008 2007/2008
    Platform (Desktop/ Mobile) Intel® 945G / 945GM Chipset Intel® G965 Chipset Intel® GM965 Chipset Intel® G31/G33 Chipset Intel® G35 Chipset
    Compute Precision 24 bits floating point 16 and 32 bits floating point 16 and 32 bits floating point 24 bits floating point 16 and 32 bits floating point
    Max 2d texture 2K x 2K 4K x 4K 4K x 4K 2K x 2K 4K x 4K
    Max 3d texture 2048 x 2048 x 256 8092 x 8092 x 256 8092 x 8092 x 256 2048 x 2048 x 256 8092 x 8092 x 256
    Max cube map 1024 1024 1024 1024 1024
    Max Anisotropy 4 sub-samples Up to 16 sub-samples Up to 16 sub-samples 4 sub-samples Up to 16 sub-samples
    Compressed textures DXT1, DXT3, DXT5 and FXTn DXT1, DXT3, DXT5 and FXTn DXT1, DXT3, DXT5 and FXTn DXT1, DXT3, DXT5 and FXTn DXT1, DXT3, DXT5 and FXTn
    Non power of 2 texture sizes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
    Render to texture Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

    Color and Z Buffers

    Color and Z Buffers 2005 / 2006 2006 / 2007 2007 2007/2008 2007/2008
    Platform (Desktop/ Mobile) Intel® 945G / 945GM Chipset Intel® G965 Chipset Intel® GM965 Chipset Intel® G31/G33 Chipset Intel® G35 Chipset
    Compute Precision 24 bit floating point 32 bit floating point 32 bit floating point 24 bit floating point 32 bit floating point
    Max 2d texture 2K x 2K 4K x 4K 4K x 4K 2K x 2K 4K x 4K
    Max 3d texture 128x128x128 128x128x128 128x128x128 128x128x128 128x128x128
    Max cube map 1024 1024 1024 1024 1024
    Max Anisotropy 4 sub-samples Up to 16 sub-samples Up to 16 sub-samples

    4 sub-samples

    		 Up to 16 sub-samples
    Compressed textures DXT1,DXT3,DXT5 and FXTn DXT1,DXT2-5 and FXTn DXT1,DXT2-5 and FXTn DXT1,DXT3,DXT5 and FXTn DXT1,DXT2-5 and FXTn
    Non power of 2 texture sizes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
    Render to texture Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

    Vertex Shader

    Vertex Shader 2005 / 2006 2006 / 2007 2007 2007/2008 2007/2008
    Platform (Desktop/ Mobile) Intel® 945G / 945GM Chipset Intel® G965 Chipset Intel® GM965 Chipset Intel® G31/G33 Chipset Intel® G35 Chipset
    Vertex Texture SW HW HW SW HW
    Instancing SW HW HW SW HW
    Dynamic Flow SW HW HW SW HW
    Vertex Shader Model 3.0 in SW 3.0 in HW 3.0 in HW 3.0 in SW 3.0 in HW

    Dynamic Video Memory

    Intel Graphics utilize a shared memory architecture (often referred to as a unified memory architecture or UMA) – system memory is used for both graphics and system purposes. Instead of using dedicated local memory, as is the case on the majority of discrete graphics cards today, a portion of the system memory is allocated to be used as video memory. Additionally, a small amount of system memory is permanently allocated to video memory by the BIOS. This amount is usually one or eight megabytes (most OEMs set eight megabytes). Systems shipping with a Windows Vista* logo are required to set eight megabytes of pre-allocated memory.
    Dynamic Video Management Technology (DVMT) allows additional system memory to be dynamically allocated for graphics usages based o n application need. Once the application is closed, the memory that was allocated is released and is then available for system use. The purpose of dynamically allocating memory for graphics use is to ensure a solid balance between system performance and graphics performance. For example, if a user is simply editing text, there would be no need for the graphics to take up a large amount of the system’s memory. In such a case, it would be best if more memory was allocated to the system. On the other hand, if the user was to start up a 3D game, there would be a need for more of the shared memory to be used as graphics memory.

    Windows XP*

    On boot-up the system’s BIOS code determines the amount of system memory to be permanently used by the graphics controller and once selected, this memory will never be given back to the system. Some systems allow end users to adjust this value via BIOS setup options. Once the operating system is started the graphics driver will then dynamically allocate graphics memory based on requests from each application run by the user. For systems with more than 256 MB or more memory a maximum of 128 MB will be allocated for use by the graphics controller (memory set aside by the BIOS + memory dynamically allocated by the driver). In addition to this, a new BIOS setting can provide 128 MB of fixed memory or even 384 MB of memory for systems with 512 or more megabytes of memory.

    Windows Vista*

    On systems running Windows Vista* the graphics driver will ignore the system BIOS settings for memory allocation due to differing operating system requirements from Windows XP. Instead the graphics driver will allocate a combination of fixed and dynamic memory based on the amount of system memory detected. This enables BIOS vendors to create a unified system BIOS for Windows XP* and Vista systems. A certain amount of fixed memory is required so that the driver can ensure a mode change from the current mode to any supported mode. For systems with 512 megabytes of system memory (minimum requirement for Windows Vista*) the driver will allocate 32 megabytes of fixed video memory (8MB from pre-allocated) and up to 32 megabytes of dynamic video memory for a total of 64 megabytes of video memory. If the system has more than 768 megabytes of memory then the graphics driver will allocate 64 megabytes of fixed video memory and the rest will be allocated dynamically depending on how much system memory there is. The chart below shows the specific memory allocation.

    System Memory Fixed Dynamic Total
    512MB 32MB 32MB 64MB
    768MB – 1023MB 64MB 64MB 128MB
    1024MB – 1525MB 64MB 192MB 384MB
    >=1536MB (G965,GM965,G31,G33,G35) 64MB 320MB 384MB

    Intel® GMA X3000 Architecture

    The GMA X3000 is designed from a new architecture which improves upon previous Intel graphics architectures through use of a fully programmable and scalable array of execution units. This scalable design allows the number of execution units to be easily increased as manufacturing capabilities improve without a major architecture change resulting in a consistent and stable platform that evolves to higher performance levels over time.

    The GMA X3000 architecture marks a departure from the zone rendering architecture. While the diagram below shows that the overall system architecture remains largely unchanged, a great number of graphics improvements have been made to overcome the benefits once provided by zone rendering. The list includes a larger graphics aperture size, an increase in core clock frequency to 667MHz and an increase in the system bus speed 1066MHz.


    Figure 2. Chipset layout including GMCH, ICH and main memory.

    Further performance increases over zone rendering are achieved through the high level of programmability of the GMA X3000 shader execution architecture. Due to this and the ability to execute both vertex and pixel shader programs the architecture is often referred to as a “unified shader architecture”. The advantage is that the amount of processing power applied to vertices and pixels can be dynamically balanced according to the needs of a particular frame of an application. Architectures lacking unified shaders may leave vertex shaders idle while the pixel shaders are overloaded on frames that contain large triangles. Conversely, frames that contain many small triangles tend to result in idle pixels shaders while the vertex shaders are overloaded. The unified approach assigns execution units to vertices or pixels as needed and thus minimizes idle execution units and provides a better price performance ratio because theoretically the end user avoids paying for silicon that is idle much of the time.


    Figure 3. G965, GM965 and G35 (X3000) Pipelines

    Pipeline Stages

    Pipeline Stage Functions Pe rformed
    Command Stream This stage is responsible for managing the 3D pipeline and passing commands down the 3D pipeline. Additionally it reads “constant data” from memory buffers and places it into Chip Memory. The Command Stream stage is shared between the 3D and Media pipelines.
    Vertex Fetch This stage is responsible for reading vertex data from Chip Memory, reformatting it, and writing the results into new vertex entries in the Chip Memory.
    Vertex Shader

    The Vertex Shader stage is responsible for processing (shading) incoming vertices by passing them to vertex shader threads. Each thread corresponds to a kernel program that performs one or more of the following operations:
    Vertex transformations
    Vertex Lighting
    Point size
    Clip Unit

    The functions of this stage are performed in two parts. Initially the fixed function portion of the Clip Unit is responsible for categorizing the input primitive into one of three states:
    TRIVIAL_REJECT – the primitive is not visible within the view frustum and is removed from the 3D pipeline
    TRIVIAL_ACCEPT – the primitive falls completely within the view frustum and is simply passed to the next stage of the 3D pipeline
    MUST_CLIP – at least one edge of the primitive straddles a view frustum boundary so a kernel program must be dispatched to handle 3D clipping, i.e. computing the new vertices that intersect the view frustum.
    In addition to computing the new vertices of a clipped primitive, the CLIP thread is also used to handle wireframe triangles.
    Strip/Fan Unit

    The functions of this stage are performed in two parts. Initially the fixed function portion of the Strip/Fan Unit is responsible for:
    Applying the viewport transform to place the incoming primitive into screen space
    Culling the incoming primitive if it is back facing
    This stage then performs primitive setup via use of spawned setup threads to do coefficient computation and vertex attribute interpolation.
    Windower/Masker

    The functions of this stage are performed in two parts. Initially the fixed function portion of the Windower/Masker Unit performs primitive rasterization. It then spawns a pixel shader thread to shade the primitive’s pixels.
    Sampler Unit

    This unit provides the capability of advanced sampling and filtering of t exture surfaces in memory. It performs the following functions:
    Texture coordinate processing
    Texel address generation
    Texel Fetch
    Texture Palette Lookup
    Shadow Pre-filter compare
    Texel filtering
    Texel color gamma linearization

    Business SKU vs. Consumer SKU

    Because different users have different graphics needs, this generation of graphics solutions comes in a variety of SKUs. Business users typically do not run 3D graphics intensive applications and therefore may not require the same capabilities as someone who plays videogames.

    SKU GMA 3000 GMA X3000
    Number of Execution Units 8 EUs (667MHz) 8 EUs (667MHz)
    Memory Channels 2 2
    DDR2/ECC Support DDR2-800 DDR2-800
    Vertex Shader CPU GPU
    Early Z Yes Improved
    Dependent Textures Yes Improved
    Occlusion Query No Yes
    DX9 Shader Model (SM) SM2.0 SM3.0
    Floating RT/Blend No Yes
    High Definition Playback MP2 MP2 / VC1

    Intel Gma X3100 Latest Driver For Macbook

    Performance Tips When Working With GMA X3000

    GMA X3000 tends to be fill rate limited when compared to other much more expensive solutions. The simplest way to handle this is by giving users the option of selecting lower resolutions and fewer fill rate intensive effects such as shadows. Better solutions that improve the user experience are detailed below.
    TIP: Provide users with options that reduce fill rate requirements.
    WHY: Gen4 tends to be fill rate limited when compared to other much more expensive solutions.
    HOW: The simplest way to handle this is by giving users the option of selecting lower resolutions and fewer fill rate intensive effects such as shadows. Better solutions that improve the user experience are detailed below.
    TIP: Favor advanced single-pass shaders over simple multi-pass shaders
    WHY: GMA X3000 tends to be more fill rate limited than compute limited. This means that when given the choice of using a simpler shader with multiple passes or a more advanced shader model with a single pass always favor the advanced shader with a single pass. GMA X3000 natively supports advanced shader models such as SM3.0. It executes them efficiently while it tends to be fill rate limited when doing multiple passes with simple shaders.
    TIP: Leverage Early Z feature to reduce fill requirements
    WHY: The GMA X3000 hardware can perform a Z test on a pixel before it is sent to the pixel shader or the render target; this feature is referred to as “Early Z”. If the fragment fails the Z test it can be immediately discarded thus eliminating any additional texture or frame buffer accesses.
    HOW: Early Z automatically works for you whenever possible. To maximize the benefit of Early Z you should avoid manipulation of the Z buffer via pixel shaders when a standard Z test would work. Obviously if no Z test is performed before running the pixel shader you can not avoid running the pixel shader via early Z. Another common method of boosting early Z performance is to render the scene from front to back. If this can be done, it effectively reduces the depth complexity to one and thus saves substantial fill rate. However the benefits of this approach need to be balanced against the additional state changes and texture cache misses that may be incurred by forcing a total front to back ordering. Because of this it is often better to only group and sort objects that share common textures and other rendering states. Keep in mind that front to back rendering and early Z offer little benefit when depth complexity is low and or when using very simple single texture shaders.
    TIP: Use Gen4’s Occlusion Query
    WHY: GMA X3000 supports the D3D occlusion query capability, which can be used to reduce overdraw.
    HOW: see IDirect3DDevice9::CreateQuery(). This query capability can be used to count the number of pixels that passed the Z test. With this you can determine if an object is potentially visible by rende ring its bounding box. If the query returns zero then the bounding box was not visible so there is no need to render the object. This can provide a very large performance boost when it is used on complex objects such as trees that contain hundreds of branches and leaves. The technique should not be used on simple objects since the bounding box test could be more expensive than simply rendering the object. When rendering the bounding box be sure to turn off both Z writes and color writes.
    TIP: Consider Z only pass followed by color pass
    WHY: When using long complex pixel shaders it’s important to minimize the number of pixels rendered so that total shader compute time stays within reason.
    HOW: One way of doing this is to do an initial Z only pass (meaning no color buffer writes or pixel shader execution) for all objects in the scene. Then do a second pass with shading turned on. The early Z test will then eliminate work on all non visible pixels. This approach should not be used with simple single texture shaders since the cost of two passes can easily exceed the relatively low cost of rendering with a simple shader.
    TIP: Combine the above methods for maximum benefit
    WHY: These methods can work together to produce greater fill rate savings.
    HOW: The Z only pass can be combined with front to back sorting to reduce Z fill requirements. Since this is a Z only pass you do not need to be concerned about state change overhead induced by sorting. Adding occlusion query with the bounding box test to the Z only pass for complex objects will further improve results. When objects are determined to be not visible in the Z pass be sure to flag them so that they can be skipped in the final color pass as well.
    TIP: Reduce memory bandwidth
    WHY: This will increase application performance and interactivity.
    HOW: The following list describes a few methods to reduce memory bandwidth - use compressed textures, use D3DPOOL_MANAGED or D3DPOOL_DEFAULT when allocating surface, buffer or texture memory, reduce texture size or quality, use level-of-detail, reduce the content footprint by employing efficient culling algorithms.

    Programming for the GMA X3000

    Creating a DX9 Device and Identifying GMA X3000

    Following is a code snippet that shows one way to initialize the GMA X3000 device. It shows how users can check the presence of Hardware T&L feature and turn it ON if it is available. Alternatively the sample shows how to switch to Software vertex processing for legacy integrated graphics hardware.

    Device Capabilities

    Listing all of the device capabilities supported by any piece of graphics hardware is a very large undertaking. The easiest way to examine a particular graphics device capability is to use the DirectX Caps Viewer, available after the DX SDK is installed on a system. This provides detailed information for each capability of the graphics card when running a DirectX driver. When using this mode, be sure to select the appropriate adapter format that represents the mode in which the graphics driver is running. For example, D3DFMT_X8R8G8B8, full screen, windowed, and so on.


    Figure 4. A snapshot of the DirectX Caps viewer. On the left is a list of capability topics. On the right are the detailed caps bits reported by this hardware.

    Checking for Available Memory

    A check that is often performed before actually executing the application is the amount of available free graphics or video memory. As a result of the dynamic allocation of graphics memory performed by the Intel Integrated Graphics devices (based on application requests), you need to take care in ensuring that you understand all of the memory that is truly available to the graphics device. Memory checks that only supply the amount of 'local' graphics memory available do not supply an appropriate value for the Intel Integrated Graphics devices. To accurately detect the amount of memory available to the Intel Integrated Graphics devices, check the total video memory availability. All video memory on GMA X3000, even the dynamically allocated DVMT memory, is considered to be “Local Memory”.

    “Non-Local Video Memory” will show as ZERO (0). This should not be used to determine “AGP” or “PCI Express” compatibility.

    The code snippet below outlines the function calls necessary to most accurately check the memory available for use by the graphics controller within DirectX 9:

    High Level Shading Languages and GMA X3000

    GMA 3000 supports DirectX 9.0C/Ex. It supports the version of HLSL compiler that ships along with this DirectX9.0C/Ex distribution.

    Troubleshooting GMA X3000 Issues

    There are several tools available by Microsoft and other vendors to assis t in troubleshooting X3000 issues. Microsoft’s DirectX* debug runtime will send extremely useful output to your debugger. In many cases, it will even give suggestions to improve performance.

    How to File a Suspected Driver Bug or Feature Request

    Video-miniport, display, and 3D acceleration drivers are constantly evolving, with new features and performance improvements. Because of the complexity of these drivers, bugs will crop up from time to time. Similarly, the graphics architecture team is making decisions on what features to include in the next product, and your feedback as a customer is of tremendous value.

    It is important to note that many bugs that developers believe to be driver bugs turn out to be configuration defects in their application and would occur on any hardware with similar capability. For example, if a bug appears only on Intel hardware, the problem may be an application defect that is only exposed when utilizing software vertex processing. Forcing third-party video cards to use capabilities similar to Intel devices will often expose application defects.

    Should you have a feature request or a bug report to file, your first contact should be your company’s main Intel Corporation contact, typically known as a Strategic Relations Manager (SRM) or Developer Relations Manager (DRM). If your company does not have one, it is very likely that your publisher does. This should be the same person you turn to for CPU information and optimizations.

    Your contact is part of a team dedicated to Software Solutions for Intel products. When they have enough investigation to suspect the problem is caused by Intel hardware or software (drivers), they will work with the Intel® Desktop Platforms Group ISV Enabling team, which will debug the problem.

    Web site and Engineering support

    Software developers can go to the forum at Intel® Integrated Graphics Forum and post questions/comments about the complete line of Intel’s Integrated Graphics chipset solutions.

    If you are a game programmer, many useful documents including everything from multithreading to audio, are available at http://www.intel.com/cd/ids/developer/asmo-na/eng/dc/games/index.htm .

    Miscellaneous

    Chipset Device IDs

    Chipset Device ID 0 Device ID 1
    Intel® 915G 2582 2782
    Intel® 915GM 2592 2792
    Intel® 945G 2772 2776
    Intel® 945GM 27A2 27A6
    Intel® G965 29A2 29A3
    Intel® GM965 2A02 2A03
    Intel® 946GZ 2972 2973
    Intel® Q965/Q963 2992 2993
    Intel® Q35 29B2 29B3
    Intel® G33/G31 29C2 29C3
    Intel® Q33 29D2 29D3

    Note: Device IDs are in Hexadecimal format.

    For more complete information about compiler optimizations, see our Optimization Notice.