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> Who bought a laptop because it had an Intel CPU? If you're a Linux user, Intel integrated graphics have always been the most compatible and most well-support

> Who bought a laptop because it had an Intel CPU? If you're a Linux user, Intel integrated graphics have always been the most compatible and most well-supported option.

warner25 4y ago
I've seen this come up a few different ways over the past year, and I think I've also read that Intel contributes more to kernel development than any other company. One thing I'm wondering is: how dependent on Intel have desktop Linux distros become?
tannhaeuser 4y ago
That was a long time ago. AMD has shipped iGPUs/integrated platforms and dGPUs with fully mainlined drivers for ages now. Only recently has Intel gained credibility with Iris iGPUs beating AMD's, whereas for the longest time you had to pair Intel platforms with Nvidia GPUs to get any kind of graphics performance, spelling trouble due to Nvidia's insistence on closed drivers and binary blobs.
- truncate 4y ago
  Back when I was not on Mac, I always preferred laptops with Intel integrated graphics, regardless of performance. It was just better drivers, less battery drain and boards didn't fail either. My first laptop had NVIDIA graphics, and it was whole combination of bad drivers and motherboard frying because of overheating. Things have probably changed, but I'd just get one with Intel graphics -- just because I trust Intel to keep pushing better drivers based on their history. Speaking on AMD, 10 years ago at-least, there were very few premium AMD laptops, and they used to overheat quite a bit, has that changed?
  - posguy 4y ago
    Yes, AMD's APUs have filled the market vertical with good integrated graphics and CPUs starting about a decade ago with the AMD A4 through A10 lineup, and continuing today with the Ryzen processors with Radeon Graphics. GPUs of the era your thinking of had high failure rates from issues with lead free solder, though the Nvidia GPUs on Macs and Laptops would outright fail from other issues, requiring a full chip replacement. https://eclecticlight.co/2015/12/20/lead-free-graphics-cards-a-problem/ https://eclecticlight.co/2015/12/20/lead-free-graphics-cards...
- JoshTriplett 4y ago
  > graphics performance For the Linux users I was referring to, the most graphically intensive thing many of them run is a desktop compositor. But yes, today, AMD iGPUs are a great choice for mobile, and AMD dGPUs are a great choice for desktop or for i-don't-care-about-battery gaming laptops.
philistine 4y ago
Was this marketing to Linux perverts worth all this money that Intel poured? For the vast majority of normies, Intel Inside was useless noise.
- tmtvl 4y ago
  I don't know, for a good while before Ryzen came out Intel CPUs were widely regarded as the best choice, so the marketing may very well have helped move machines. On an unrelated note, "perverts" doesn't seem to me like a particularly kind appellation.
indymike 4y ago
> If you're a Linux user, Intel integrated graphics have always been the most compatible and most well-supported option. You forgot to add, "worst performing by a mile" to the feature list.
- opan 4y ago
  In my experience nvidia with nouveau is slower than Intel with its free driver.
  - LtWorf 4y ago
    I recently unplugged an nvidia card from a machine because of kernel panics with the nouveau driver. Of course I can install the proprietary one, but that means I can no longer just upgrade the system and expect it to work after reboot.
- LtWorf 4y ago
  A slow functioning video card is still better than a fast video card that doesn't work.
- serf 4y ago
  nothing much slower than when an nvidia dkms process fails silently and you're left without video options at next boot -- something that generally can't happen with intel-video/linux. I get your point, but intel video options perform on par or better with regards to the most common consumer video rendering demands at this point. Video acceleration and high resolutions and multiple displays are well covered -- not everyone needs to process GPGPU workloads and play the newest games at 90FPS.
- ekianjo 4y ago
  Compared to other integrated graphics?

> Who bought a laptop because it had an Intel CPU? If you're a Linux user, Intel integrated graphics have always been the most compatible and most well-supported option.

warner25 4y ago

I've seen this come up a few different ways over the past year, and I think I've also read that Intel contributes more to kernel development than any other company. One thing I'm wondering is: how dependent on Intel have desktop Linux distros become?

tannhaeuser 4y ago

That was a long time ago. AMD has shipped iGPUs/integrated platforms and dGPUs with fully mainlined drivers for ages now. Only recently has Intel gained credibility with Iris iGPUs beating AMD's, whereas for the longest time you had to pair Intel platforms with Nvidia GPUs to get any kind of graphics performance, spelling trouble due to Nvidia's insistence on closed drivers and binary blobs.

truncate 4y ago
Back when I was not on Mac, I always preferred laptops with Intel integrated graphics, regardless of performance. It was just better drivers, less battery drain and boards didn't fail either. My first laptop had NVIDIA graphics, and it was whole combination of bad drivers and motherboard frying because of overheating. Things have probably changed, but I'd just get one with Intel graphics -- just because I trust Intel to keep pushing better drivers based on their history. Speaking on AMD, 10 years ago at-least, there were very few premium AMD laptops, and they used to overheat quite a bit, has that changed?
- posguy 4y ago
  Yes, AMD's APUs have filled the market vertical with good integrated graphics and CPUs starting about a decade ago with the AMD A4 through A10 lineup, and continuing today with the Ryzen processors with Radeon Graphics. GPUs of the era your thinking of had high failure rates from issues with lead free solder, though the Nvidia GPUs on Macs and Laptops would outright fail from other issues, requiring a full chip replacement. https://eclecticlight.co/2015/12/20/lead-free-graphics-cards-a-problem/ https://eclecticlight.co/2015/12/20/lead-free-graphics-cards...
JoshTriplett 4y ago
> graphics performance For the Linux users I was referring to, the most graphically intensive thing many of them run is a desktop compositor. But yes, today, AMD iGPUs are a great choice for mobile, and AMD dGPUs are a great choice for desktop or for i-don't-care-about-battery gaming laptops.

philistine 4y ago

Was this marketing to Linux perverts worth all this money that Intel poured? For the vast majority of normies, Intel Inside was useless noise.

tmtvl 4y ago
I don't know, for a good while before Ryzen came out Intel CPUs were widely regarded as the best choice, so the marketing may very well have helped move machines. On an unrelated note, "perverts" doesn't seem to me like a particularly kind appellation.

indymike 4y ago

> If you're a Linux user, Intel integrated graphics have always been the most compatible and most well-supported option. You forgot to add, "worst performing by a mile" to the feature list.

opan 4y ago
In my experience nvidia with nouveau is slower than Intel with its free driver.
- LtWorf 4y ago
  I recently unplugged an nvidia card from a machine because of kernel panics with the nouveau driver. Of course I can install the proprietary one, but that means I can no longer just upgrade the system and expect it to work after reboot.
LtWorf 4y ago
A slow functioning video card is still better than a fast video card that doesn't work.
serf 4y ago
nothing much slower than when an nvidia dkms process fails silently and you're left without video options at next boot -- something that generally can't happen with intel-video/linux. I get your point, but intel video options perform on par or better with regards to the most common consumer video rendering demands at this point. Video acceleration and high resolutions and multiple displays are well covered -- not everyone needs to process GPGPU workloads and play the newest games at 90FPS.
ekianjo 4y ago
Compared to other integrated graphics?