X3100 Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset Family really pissed me off!

[gicaeric]

Hey guys, how you doing?

I bought a Dell Vostro 1500 with a X3100 Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset Family graphic card.

Truth to be told I'm having a lot of trouble with it. I'm not sure though it says that it uses up to 384 MB, the information I get from Graphics Properties is says that it only uses 13MB. There is the list of information:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Mobile Report


Report Date: 09/20/2008
Report Time[hr:mm:ss]: 14:18:08
Driver Version: 6.14.10.4831
Operating System: Windows XP* Professional, Service Pack 2 (5.1.2600)
Default Language: English
DirectX* Version: 9.0
Physical Memory: 2037 MB
Minimum Graphics Memory: 8 MB
Maximum Graphics Memory: 384 MB
Graphics Memory in Use: 13 MB
Processor: x86 family 6 Model 15 Stepping 13
Processor Speed: 1995 MHZ
Vendor ID: 8086
Device ID: 2A02
Device Revision: 0C


* Accelerator Information *

Accelerator in Use: Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset Family
Video BIOS: 1466
Current Graphics Mode: 1680 by 1050 True Color (60 Hz)



* Devices Connected to the Graphics Accelerator *


Active Notebook Displays: 1


* Notebook *

Monitor Name: Plug and Play Monitor
Display Type: Digital
Gamma Value: 2.20
DDC2 Protocol: Supported
Maximum Image Size: Horizontal: Not Available
Vertical: Not Available
Monitor Supported Modes:
1680 by 1050 (60 Hz)
Display Power Management Support:
Standby Mode: Not Supported
Suspend Mode: Not Supported
Active Off Mode: Not Supported

* Other names and brands are the property of their respective owners.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

So guys, is it that I don't know how to configure to use more Memory Resources, or is it that I don't have the newly updated drivers.

Though I downloaded the newly updated drivers from:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProductID=2800&DwnldID=16944&strOSs=44&OSFullName=Windows*%20XP%20Professional〈=eng

But, when I click to install, after the file unpacks itself I get the following error:

The driver being installed is not validated for this computer. Please obtain the appropriate driver form the computer's manufac turer.
Setup will exit.

------

So please guys help me out. I have tons of projects to draw with AutoCad and similar Drawing Applications which non of them seems to work correctly.

I also installed a couple of games just to see what's happening, the results are terrible. Most of them did not work, even those who seemed to work, freeze-out after a while or the quality of the graphics are terrible.

Thank you in advance.

p.s. this is urgent though! if you come up with anything helpful please write it immediately. Thnx again.

[7oby]

Use this guide to update your driver. The latest XP driver (14.36.6?) from intel works and should give you even OpenGL 2.0 compatibility:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3643858&postcount=30
The guide is for Vista and screenshoots for XP will slightly vary. The basic idea however is the same. The right forum for this kind of help is this one:
http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board?board.id=insp_video

Don't install Vista with the latest intel drivers or you will run into this problem, since a BIOS update for you notebook is still missing which supports the latest intel Vista drivers:
http://software.intel.com/en-us/forums//topic/57863

Please respond to this thread whether the first link helped and your issues were resolved.

Read section Dynamic Video Memory / XP in this document to know more about how video memory is reported and used:
http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/intel-gma-3000-and-x3000-developers-guide
For Vista this document is helpful:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/c/5/9c5b2167-8017-4bae-9fde-d599bac8184a/GraphicsMemory.doc

[gicaeric]

I understand the procedure. But I could not find the drivers. I've searched and found one .exe file that included on its list the

Mobile Intel GM965 Express Chipset

. But when I start the setup process it says that they're not the appropriate drivers for your computer!!! Any clue??? -since I could not find any .zip file around!

[7oby]

GicaEric:

But I could not find the drivers.

Here you go:
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/16945/a08/win2k_xp14363.zip

[anhchuong]

Quoting - 7oby

Use this guide to update your driver. The latest XP driver (14.36.6?) from intel works and should give you even OpenGL 2.0 compatibility:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=3643858&postcount=30
The guide is for Vista and screenshoots for XP will slightly vary. The basic idea however is the same. The right forum for this kind of help is this one:
http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board?board.id=insp_video

Don't install Vista with the latest intel drivers or you will run into this problem, since a BIOS update for you notebook is still missing which supports the latest intel Vista drivers:
http://software.intel.com/en-us/forums//topic/57863

Please respond to this thread whether the first link helped and your issues were resolved.

Read section Dynamic Video Memory / XP in this document to know more about how video memory is reported and used:
http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/intel-gma-3000-and-x3000-developers-guide
For Vista this document is helpful:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/c/5/9c5b2167-8017-4bae-9fde-d599bac8184a/GraphicsMemory.doc

Hi 7oby.

How are you doing? I have a question for you relating to x3100. Do you think the newest Vista driver supports OpenGL 2.0 fully? I have tested it and sure things aren't good. Hope you guys can spend some time check this with me.

Cheer.

[7oby]

Quoting - anhchuong

Do you think the newest Vista driver supports OpenGL 2.0 fully? I have tested it and sure things aren't good. Hope you guys can spend some time check this with me.

Yes, I do think the latest Vista drivers support OpenGL 2.0 fully. And here's why:

OpenGL is a registered trademark of SGI. As such Intel is required to obtain a valid licence from SGI to call it's drivers OpenGL compatible. The rules of this licence, which you can check on page 3 of this document:

http://www.sgi.com/products/software/opengl/trademarks.pdf

require that intel:

"(2) successfully run the implementation with the Conformance Tests; and
(3) submit the Conformance Test results to SGI."

That means: If Intel calls it's drivers OpenGL 2.0 compatible, they have successfully run the Conformance Tests.

On the other hand: Running OpenGL 2.0 Conformance Tests doesn't mean any game using OpenGL 2.0 will run without any visual flaws. These may still occur despite the fact that the drivers are OpenGL conform. Game developers and intel are required to go hand in hand, which hasn't always been the case in the past. E.g. game developers didn't test on intel platforms simply because those platforms wouldn't devliver the required 3D performance anyway.

There are some lists of games tested on intel platforms out there in various forums. And there is one list by intel itself:

http://www.intel.com/support/graphics/intelgm965/sb/CS-026200.htm

If you hit on problems in certain games, the best thing you can do (besides buying a different computer).

. check the forums of the game vendor

. install 1-3 intel graphics drivers to see whether it's a regression bug introduced in recent versions and whether it's still present in the latest driver. Report this information to the game vendor. It's the only team that can trace the problem, reproduce it and decide whether to provide a workaround and deliver as a game patch or to contact intel and basically tell then which rendering function has an error and ask for a fix.

[spartankaru]

Quoting - gicaeric

I understand the procedure. But I could not find the drivers. I've searched and found one .exe file that included on its list the

Mobile Intel GM965 Express Chipset

. But when I start the setup process it says that they're not the appropriate drivers for your computer!!! Any clue??? -since I could not find any .zip file around!

I know this is kind of a late post, but if you haven't figured it out yet, once you start your download and the thing pops up to save the file, on the page you are on, there should be something you can click on named Read Me(txt). If you click on that, it will have instructions on how to install the driver. Go to where it tells how you how to install with the have disk process. If you use that installation process, it should work; or at least it did for me and I have the same chip, different computer though.