M11xR1 - Browser GPU acceleration

These are my observations of FF 4.0 (Firefox 4.0) and IE 9.0 GPU Acceleration on an M11xR1 SU7300 and the driver versions required.

Using the Microsoft fish tank GPU acceleration as a test case.
All tests are done with 500 fish (Fish500) with the browser windows in full screen <F11>
Microsoft fish in a fish tank

OS: Windows 7 SP1
BIOS: A05
RAM: 4GB
CPU: 1.6Ghz
GPU: Standard with no over-clocking.

DELL Nvidia Hybrid driver set 263.08/1994 (latest release)

IE 9.0
Intel GMA GPU acceleration: Disabled. Fish500: 9FPS
Nvidia GPU acceleration: Enabled. Fish500: 44FPS

In IE9.0 Intel GMA GPU acceleration is NOT available with only software acceleration activated.
Tools > Internet Options > Advanced > Accelerated graphics: "Use software rendering instead of GPU rendering"

FireFox 4.0
Intel GMA GPU acceleration: Disabled. Fish500: 2FPS

Adapter Description: Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Vendor ID: 8086
Device ID: 2a42
Adapter RAM: Unknown
Adapter Drivers: igdumd64 igd10umd64 igdumdx32 igd10umd32
Driver Version: 8.17.12.6308
Driver Date: 11-8-2010
Direct2D Enabled: false
DirectWrite Enabled: false (6.1.7601.17563, font cache n/a)
WebGL Renderer: Google Inc. -- ANGLE -- OpenGL ES 2.0 (ANGLE 0.0.0.541)
GPU Accelerated Windows: 1/1 Direct3D 9

Nvidia GPU acceleration: Enabled. Fish500: 39FPS


Nautis NBR Nvidia Hybrid driver set 260.63/2020

IE 9.0
Intel GMA GPU acceleration: Enabled. Fish500: 19FPS
Nvidia GPU acceleration: Enabled. Fish500: 44FPS

FireFox 4.0
Intel GMA GPU acceleration: Disabled. Fish500: 2FPS

Adapter Description: Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Vendor ID: 8086
Device ID: 2a42
Adapter RAM: Unknown
Adapter Drivers: igdumd64 igd10umd64 igdumdx32 igd10umd32
Driver Version: 8.15.10.2020
Driver Date: 12-11-2009
Direct2D Enabled: Blocked on your graphics driver. Try updating your graphics driver to version 8.15.10.2202 or newer.
DirectWrite Enabled: false (6.1.7601.17563, font cache n/a)
WebGL Renderer: (WebGL unavailable)
GPU Accelerated Windows: 0/1

On FF 4.0 Intel GMA GPU acceleration is 'blocked' with the suggestion to upgrade to Intel GMA version 8.15.10.2202 or newer.
This implies that if one had an Intel GMA version greater than version 8.15.10.2202 you would have GPU acceleration in FF 4.0

Nvidia GPU acceleration: Enabled. Fish500: 39FPS

Adapter Description: NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M
Vendor ID: 10de
Device ID: 0caf
Adapter RAM: 1024
Adapter Drivers: nvd3dumx,nvwgf2umx,nvwgf2umx, nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
Driver Version: 8.17.12.6063
Driver Date: 9-10-2010
Direct2D Enabled: true
DirectWrite Enabled: true (6.1.7601.17563, font cache n/a)
WebGL Renderer: Google Inc. -- ANGLE -- OpenGL ES 2.0 (ANGLE 0.0.0.541)
GPU Accelerated Windows: 1/1 Direct3D 10

Make sure you have GPU acceleration enabled in FF 4.0
Tools > Options > Advanced > General > Browsing: "Use hardware acceleration when available"

I found that in FF 4.0 my GT 335M was blacklisted. After I removed the blacklist I had GPU acceleration.

Blacklisting/Blocked Graphics Drivers

Summary of M11xR1 findings

To enable GPU acceleration in FF 4.0 and IE 9.0 you will need at least Intel GMA version 8.15.10.2202.

Nvidia GPU acceleration can be enabled in any Nvidia driver version 257.21 or newer.

IE 9.0 GPU acceleration can be enabled using Intel GMA version 2020 or newer

Make sure GPU acceleration is enabled in both FF 4.0 and IE 9.0 (Ticked in FF4.0 left blank in IE9.0)

Hopefully this should save a bit of head scratching for a few people.

 

You could try: Force Enable GPU Hardware Acceleration Graphics Rendering on Old GPU in IE9 My Digital Life
for the Intel GPU with the old driver. (you'll have to lock the registry key or it will reset when you switch GPUs)

Is it possible to manually whitelist the Intel GPU in FF4?

In Chrome 10 (enable 'GPU Accelerated Canvas 2D' in about:flags):
Fish500
Disabled: 4fps
Enabled: 24fps (however, I think the fish got smaller LOL)


Also, I think a good test, if you can figure out how standardise it, would be to check how latency(or otherwise how snappy the browser feels) is affected for GPU(Intel and nVidia) vs CPU.

 

I'm not really looking a performance at this time even though I'm counting fish.
I'm currently just looking at what support for GPU accelerated browsers is available on an M11xR1 and what driver revisions are required.

I'm good to go with IE9.0 as I have the Intel GMA version 8.15.10.2020 which natively supports GPU acceleration in IE9.0

Pushing the boat out a bit further I forced direct2D rendering in Firefox 4.0

about:config
gfx.direct2d.force-enabled = true

This then allows GPU acceleration on the Intel GMA version 8.15.10.2020

F ireFox 4.0
Intel GMA GPU acceleration: Enabled. Fish500: 22FPS

Adapter Description: Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Vendor ID: 8086
Device ID: 2a42
Adapter RAM: Unknown
Adapter Drivers: igdumd64 igd10umd64 igdumdx32 igd10umd32
Driver Version: 8.15.10.2020
Driver Date: 12-11-2009
Direct2D Enabled: true
DirectWrite Enabled: true (6.1.7601.17563, font cache n/a)
WebGL Renderer: (WebGL unavailable)
GPU Accelerated Windows: 1/1 Direct3D 10

May be a half baked solution, but guess 22FPS is better than 2FPS.

Yerp, I get the same FPS in Chrome too.

Chrome 10.0.648.151 beta
Intel GMA GPU acceleration: Enabled. Fish500: 22FPS
Nvidia GPU acceleration: Enabled. Fish500: 37FPS


True, the more fish on the screen, the smaller they get.


Update

Something you don't see every day, Opera GPU acceleration on an M11xR1

Opera 11.50.24661 beta
Intel GMA GPU acceleration: Disabled/software. Fish500: 2FPS
Nvidia GPU acceleration: Enabled. Fish500: 52FPS

Opera 11.50 is using GPU acceleration with OpenGL and requires version 2.x compatible card with WebGL to work. Future releases will have a Direct3D backend.

Check the "Vega backend" in opera:about If it says OpenGL you're using GPU acceleration, if it says Software you're not using GPU acceleration.

TAG: Acceleration
TAG: OpenGL
TAG: WebGL

 

I followed all the discussions about the question M11X hybrid drivers, trying the homemade drivers before that 1 month ago DELL released an official driver update, but with the old Intel driver set which is not allowing browser acceleration with Intel module.

Now, considering that I'm more willing to use hw acceleration in browser thant achieveing highetst framerate in Direct 3D, which set of drivers should I use in your opinion ?

Right now I'm using a homemade version with updated Intel BUT there's a bug with the ADOBE FLASH module which makes some videos stutters and jumps desyncing from audio (this is a well known issue).

Using the latest DELL from March 2011 should stop this, update the Nvidia but I'll lose hw acceleration in browser...

Which set of drivers would you recommend ?

thanks,
cheers

 

Forget the browser acceleration for Intel for now. It isn't very useful.

However, you can still do the following to force GPU acceleration on Intel:

I haven't had any crashes yet.

 

Cool.

I have IE9.0 included under the GPU acceleration umbrella with Intel GMA version 2020 anyway. However, this may help others who are on the Dell standard M11xR1 hybrid driver set.

I can't remember if you (namaiki) have an M11xR1 or not and that the regedit fix works for both M11xR1 and M11xR2. No real reason it wouldn't work on both M11x if it's just fooling IE9.0 into thinking it's seeing a Nvidia GPU, just that an M11xR1 can't see the Nvidia driver when switched to the Intel GPU, where the M11xR2 does see both.

Where constructs of a given web site allow it, Intel GMA GPU Acceleration is still better than a smack across the face with a maggoty cat.

OK, when they get Ivy Bridge(DX11 and more cores) in an M11x, then Intel GMA GPU acceleration may be more noticeable/meaningful.

Anyway, given the current trends in use, Google Chrome works on both Intel and Nvidia in all releases of drivers for the M11x.

Interestingly, there is no way I know of, to see if Google Chrome is using GPU acceleration for a given system other than testing it. No indicators in about:flags that I can see.

IE 9.0 has software only enabled with no option to disable it if GPU acceleration is not available.

FF4.0 has about:support

Opera has the about Opera WebGL indicator.

But nothing for Google Chrome.... ????

Using Firefox 4.0 is does seem faster than previous Firefox versions and with GPU acceleration enabled one tends to believe it to be even faster. Browser placebo effect more than likely.

 

It's a notebook with a 9600M GT and 4500MHD, but I'm using M11x R1 drivers since the original manufacturer doesn't provide drivers for 64-bit.

Anyway, forcing GPU acceleration in IE9 should work on the M11x R2 as well - just like flipping a switch.