Help with New Video/Graphics Card (Radeon RX550)

I recently bought a new graphics card (Yeston Radeon RX550, 2GB/4GB Memory GDDR5).

It seems to work pretty well with my SAM460, but I've got a couple questions:

1) My system doesn't seem to recognize much of the video memory. Is there a setting that I need to change?

2) I can't use Warp3D software anymore. I get this message: "Error creating context. Reason:Warp3D Error: No suitable drive found." I've had the latest Enhancer software installed for a while, but do I need to update or change something now that I've got this new graphics card?

@PEB

1) graphics.library is still (and will probably forever) limited to 256MB.
The enhancer software can use all available memory with their gfx driver.

2) I guess you still have to install this to make old Warp3D stuff work on Polaris cards.

@PEB
Raziel is right, i will only add a few bits to his answer:

1). System video memory is still limited to 256MB and that is a limitation of graphics.library. All the extended memory from the GFX card can be used currently only by warp3dnova or warp3d/minigl apps (mean games mostly) which need lots of high-quality textures. I.e. extended memory used for uploading video data.

For example, almost all GL4ES ports i do need more than 256MB and use extended video memory: SuperTuxKart, Worlds, Night Of the Zombies, etc. Or Huno's "RTCW" on hi-details. And even some old MiniGL ports also need more than 256 MB of video memory when used on hi-settings, as an example is that Star Wars based game port by BSzili: on very high details it needs about 800MB of video memory minimum.

To see extended video memory, you can use for example Sysmon from zzd10h, or gfx docks for AmiDock and/or XDock which can show you how much extended video memory is used right now, and how much you have. I for myself use one of the docks from ztools package called "gfxdock".

2). For making old warp3d/minigl apps working on Radeon RX, you currently only can use minigl4gl4es (some hack made by Daniel, where he wrap gl4es code to minigl.library). It works, mostly, but buggy pretty much.

But the good news is that Hans already wrote novabridge layer, which means that there will be no need for minigl4gl4es, as proper NovaBridge means to be just a driver which will throw all warp3d stuff over warp3dnova directly. And it will be just the same as it was before: all works as expected, and even more.

I will make soon a video about novabridge and what it can do etc. The good news is that it can handle even a lot better and more than the previous realization of minigl , for example, things like WipeOut, Heretic2, demos from MadWizzard, from Encore: i.e. all PPC-warp3d stuff will work too.

So for time being use minigl4gl4es, and wait for when Mattew will be put into the wild novabridge library.

@Raziel
Thanks for filling me in about that limitation.
I'm really sorry to hear that it may not be fixed. I've just recently started using a 4k display, and it looks really good (especially with Mason's 256x256 icon set). But with that limited video memory, opening a second screen practically drains it all.

@kas1e
Thanks for that additional information about Han's work with the NovaBridge.
Looking forward to your video about what NovaBridge can do.

@PEB
Quote:

If it were only related to AEON, then Hans surely can fix it. But as graphics.library is Hyperion's stuff, and as far as i know no one doing anything with graphics.library now, chances that someone will made a fix for pretty low. The only way if Aeon will rewrite graphics.library completely, then yep. Things can progress very well then.

@kas1e

Here's to hoping that AEON can acquire the graphics.library from Hyperion or create their own replacement.

That becomes off topic but the current situation is a nonsense (components moving from one side to the other, rewrite of commands, ...) and I don't see a good solution. And note that writing graphics library from scratch is another challenge than the copy command.

@kas1e
NovaBridge sounds great and seems to be the right/clean solution to provide MiniGL support for recent cards.

I had the same unfortunate experience as PEB, but with an RX 560 card. I have 4 GB of graphics memory which remains unused. But I have another behavior which is very annoying: this card constantly consumes all my CPU.

I specify that I have the latest version of all A-EON and Hyperion software. Have you noticed this phenomenon and how did you solve it?

@Amiguy
Quote:

That expected. 256MB used for system video memory, and another 3.7GB used for the games which need a lot of textures being uploaded as external ones. Examples of games: Jedi on high details, RTCW-Reborn on high-details, SuperTuxKart, Worlds, Nighs of the Zombie, and that probably all. And in general, all 3D software (like Blender, WarpViews, etc) use it once you will upload big enough textures/images/etc.

Quote:

Never seen that before, does not matter what card I put. I tested RadeonRX560, RadeonRX570, and RadeonHD r7-250. Maybe it takes 100% CPU when you run games? That's another matter.

Thanks for the information, kas1e. The games should therefore perform better . I will test this.

I thought there was a connection between the memory management which I thought was inefficient and which was affecting the CPU. I only have this behavior with my new RX 560 graphics card. My old card (R7 250X) does not have this problem.

I would check this more precisely tomorrow.

@kas1e

I checked the settings according to the following thread:
https://www.amigans.net/modules/xforum ... um=4&topic_id=8514&order=

I changed the power setting to high and even removed the RadeonHD.chip module. If I remove this module and leave only the RadeonRX.chip module, on startup I only have a white screen. The screen does not even display the AmigaOS 4.1 FE welcome anymore. Fortunately, I could still boot to another backup drive. By replacing the RadeonHD.chip, I access the Workbench again, but still with 100% CPU usage.

This proves, on the one hand, that the card is operational, since it displays the screen even with the chip that does not correspond, and that the use of the RX chip alone does not work. I reinstalled the RadeonRX.chip module, but nothing helps, I still have my problem.

I checked the documentation on the RadeonRX driver. I did not find anything on the monitor settings (CMPLENGTH ? DDCMODE ?...).

When I run the command in the shell: 'Workbench:Devs/Monitors/Radeon RX Polaris'?

I have the following messages as an answer:

Could not find monitor driver icon for 'Workbench:Devs/Monitors/Radeon RX Polaris'
Guessing board type to be 'Workbench:Devs/Monitors/Radeon RX Polaris'...
Could not create graphics board context for 'Workbench:Devs/Monitors/Radeon RX Polaris'

Note: I only changed the name of the monitor icon to 'Radeon RX Polaris'. I see the card in SysMon under the name 'Radeon RX Polaris11'. In the PCI part of SysMon, we can read 'Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD / ATI] Baffin [Radeon RX 460]. Is it OK ?

Another observation that I find strange: I have version 2.8 (08/19/2021) of the RadeonRX.chip module on my system. When I download the latest version via Updater, the site offers me... version 2.5! But even with this version my problem persists

My return, in case an unfortunate Amigan is in the same situation as mine...

After research and testing, I finally get the proper functioning of my RX 560 graphics card on X5000. I had file systems in poor condition due to many crashes. After restoring them, especially with the NGFCHECK command and, for some partitions, after reformatting, the operation of the graphics card is optimal (and not only the graphics card).

I didn't have much to do. All you had to do was install the graphics card driver (RadeonRX.chip) in the kickstart directory and verify that the kickstartlayout file contains the line MODULE kickstart/RadeonRX.chip. That's all! It is not even necessary to intervene in the Monitor directory as we are used to do for Classic Amiga.

All the weird effects I've seen no longer manifest themselves. I think that the good condition of file systems is essential and severely conditions the operation of the computer if it is not closely monitored. The NGFCHECK command helped me a lot

@kas1e
1) there is Warp2D, I think (Hans ?) Talked about Having that as a replacement for all 2D graphics, and it probably uses the same way to handle gfxcard memory.

@trgswe
Yes, there are warp2d library from Hans, but it's no way replace anything. It just another library with accelerated 2d functions. I do not know which software currently uses it (and OS internal parts of course didn't use it as well).

@Amiguy
Quote:

You should add a new set of kickstart modules, so that you never need a backup disk.
Just do:
- create a second directory like Sys:Kickstart/SAFE
- copy all your modules from Sys:Kickstart to "SAFE"
- edit your kicklayout file and add a new configuration which loads all kickstart modules from Sys:Kickstart/SAFE

This way, you can easaly select the SAFE configuration and boot again without wasting time.

Quote:And when doing so, make absolutely sure you create one (and only one) empty line between the configurations in the Kicklayout file.

Best regards,

Niels