Top Linux driver for AMD Radeon HD 7970
Top Linux driver for AMD Radeon HD 7970
Hello, I'm a seasoned Linux user who recently upgraded my old GTS450 Video Card to an HD7970. I wish I had understood the implications before making the change. Driver support for this card is quite challenging on Ubuntu Linux. fglrx performs well, but I require at least Ubuntu 16.04 for certain tasks. Support for this driver has been removed after Ubuntu 14.04 Stock drivers were dropped on 16.04, leaving me with only 12-15fps performance (it runs smoothly above 60 fps in Windows 7). The amdgpu-pro driver isn't working at all. Whenever I try to run it, it just doesn't function properly—sometimes it fails completely or only supports 2D. If it does support 3D, the card seems to struggle with ramp-up clock and stays in low-power mode. If anyone has a successful workaround for this GPU on Linux, please share! My searches are getting quite repetitive. Also, I'm planning to upgrade my LTS 16.04 Ubuntu to versions 17.04 and 17.10 for the new MESA drivers and Wayland support, plus the upcoming features in 18.04. Thanks!
Sorry for the confusion. The system you have is Debian9, not Ubuntu. The documentation mentions AMDGPU support for newer AMD GPUs in Debian 9, but the AMDGPU-Pro page lists only certain distributions. Since Ubuntu is built on Debian, you don’t need to install separate drivers—just ensure your hardware matches the supported options.
Found this excellent article, to answer my own question. Apparently there is "driver-less" install (what ever that means), screen resolution went from 1024 x something to 1920 x1080, got to run some 3D bench marks - Unigine Heaven at 45fps. Haven't tested dual monitor set up yet. I'm a wooden league noob at linux, but maybe something like that can be done to Ubuntu.
Tried this PPA but broke my Linux setup. I'm attempting a fresh install of 16.04 now and planning to retry Padoka. There are some strange problems—can't decide which monitor gets the launcher anymore, and I can't deactivate "sticky edges." I'm getting really frustrated right now... Maybe I'll have to reinstall completely, but that means clearing my home folder... not sure what to do.
Updates are coming along. I have the same card, but no particular Linux distro is set in mind—just something recent would be best. I’m aiming for smooth operation for mining, though some think it’s risky. If needed, I could even test it on Windows. Thanks!
On a 7970 it would also need manual setup to turn off Radeon and rely solely on amdgpu https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/AMD...K)_support All explained there If anything changed you would notice that by launching a recent Linux live USB and observing the driver it uses