With the new patches, the GCN 1.1 GPUs will transition from Radeon to the AMDGPU open-source kernel graphics driver module.
Timur Kristóf Proposes New Kernel Patches to Bring GCN 1.1 aka Sea Islands GPUs (Radeon R9 290/390, HD 7790, etc.) Under AMDGPU by Default; GCN 1.0 May Follow Soon
Unlike Windows, thankfully, Linux operating systems won't lag in supporting older AMD GPUs, as the recent proposed Linux patches bring a bigger change. As spotted by Phoronix, Timur Kristóf, who is a part of Valve's Linux graphics driver team, has proposed new patches to the kernel driver, which will transition the GCN (Graphics Core Next) 1.1 GPUs from Radeon to the AMDGPU driver module.
This is big because the AMDGPU will now become the default driver for older AMD GPUs such as Radeon R9 290, R9 390, HD 7790, and HD 8870 GPUs. Historically, AMDGPU has been the default driver for newer GPUs like GCN 1.2 and above, but the older GPUs, such as GCN 1.0 and 1.1, remained on the Radeon driver by default. As per the new patches, the "-1" option has been added, which lets the kernel driver decide which driver to default to.
It's mentioned that the AMDGPU driver brings more benefits over Radeon, since it is actively maintained for better performance and also receives newer features. The patch reveals that the AMDGPU also offers support for Vulkan 1.3 through RADV and also more display features through DC. Moreover, using AMDGPU allows easier and better integration with newer APIs like Vulkan, while the Radeon driver is lackluster in such instances.
That said, one of the roadblocks that made it difficult for the transition was the analog connector support, which was merged into AMDGPU's Display Core subsystem. Now that the AMDGPU has reached feature parity with the Radeon driver, the analog video output is fully supported, which lets AMDGPU replace Radeon without sacrificing compatibility with older displays. With this development, it's expected that GCN 1.0, aka Southern Islands GPUs such as HD 7950/7970, R9 270/280, and others, will be switching to AMDGPU probably in the next patch.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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