Metal system requirements

[crjackson2134]

Just run my little util from post http://netkas.org/?p=1405

just double click on metalInfo and you will know if you have metal support, no need to guess.

Metal supported cards list seems to be same as directx12 supported cards list, with one exception: ivy bridge iGPU supports metal.

I clicked on metalInfo and got this"

Last login: Thu Jun 11 14:32:57 on ttys000

Mac-Pro:~ myusername$ /Users/myusername/Downloads/Metal/MetalInfo ; exit;

MetalInfo!

Metal Device Name:  Metal

Lower Power Device: No

Headless Device:    No

logout

Saving session...completed.



[Process completed]

Not sure what to make of it.

I clicked on MetalTest and got an animated blue cube spinning on the screen.

Does the cube mean that Metal is working?

 

[netkas]

Yes, it means Metal is working.

Also on AMD/ATI One gets no detailed info Because driver reports device just as "Metal" without any model info.

 

[crjackson2134]

Yes, it means Metal is working.

Also on AMD/ATI One gets no detailed info Because driver reports device just as "Metal" without any model info.

Great, thanks. It was the device reporting as just "Metal" that had me wondering.

 

[MrNomNoms]

Yes, it means Metal is working.

Also on AMD/ATI One gets no detailed info Because driver reports device just as "Metal" without any model info.

IIRC the latest GPU's are fully optimised for based on the release notes:

The performance of some benchmarks may be less than expected on some 2015 systems.

I guess this is part of the over all deal that support for newer GPU's aren't fully complete hence reporting just 'Metal'.

 

[MagnusVonMagnum]

Directx works on a crapload of different gpus. Same goes for OpenGL. Apple has 3-4 Different gpus in each iteration or year. I'm pretty sure they coul design drivers for each gpu they use.

Your GPU is ANCIENT.

Get over it and BUY BUY BUY new stuff.

That's what Apple wants. They COULD have had hardware acceleration on various GPUs when their video accleration support was added, but they weren't compatible with Apple's newer implementation so too bad. Buy a new computer. Buy a new computer already! That's Apple's motto and the only thing that keeps them in business. Buy buy buy.

My 2012 Mini might get support, but so what? What GAME is going to support it any time soon? NOTHING. OpenGL at least made it easy to port DirectX for developers like Aspyr (and it would have been nice if Apple would have gone to 4.5 before or at the same time as Metal since 4.5 is the last version of OpenGL before the total re-write and fully supports DirectX11 calls. M$ hasn't even released the final DirectX12 yet officially as it's coming with Windows 10). Who knows what Metal will do now or in the future. Apple is often tight lipped about anything proprietary and often does things with their own apps that others aren't allowed to do so I won't hold my breath.

 

[Badagri]

You're a total metal head!

 

[crjackson2134]

You're a total metal head!

Naw... He's a heavy metal fan...

 

[Badagri]

 

[MikhailT]

It looks like netkas just blogged that he doesn't think OS X's UI is fully using Metal just yet. It's still being rendered by OpenGL: http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,11144.msg30972.html

 

[MrNomNoms]

It looks like netkas just blogged that he doesn't think OS X's UI is fully using Metal just yet. It's still being rendered by OpenGL: http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,11144.msg30972.html

In fairness though on the presentation they did mention utilising OpenGL/OpenCL and I wouldn't be surprised if they're still making changes under the hood. What ever the case maybe this is a long term project for Apple and I'd sooner them make changes piece by piece as to avoid a discoveryd episode. Same thing has been happening with AV Foundation/AV Kit where gradually Apple has been developing these frameworks into rich frameworks to replace QuickTime Framework/QtKit. In the case of Metal they'll eventually replace the OpenGL parts as they decide whether a given technology should go into the base Metal Framework or whether it should go into Metal Kit - it is good to see there is progress. What I'd love to know is whether OpenGL performance has improved via the usual OpenGL Extensions Viewer application.

 

[Itzamna]

Your GPU is ANCIENT.

Get over it and BUY BUY BUY new stuff.

I'm going to magically summon up 3000€ that i don't need to buy a new computer right away!

My 2011 17'' MBP run's great with everything work related i throw at him and most of the games i like he manages them very well, so i don't think that is going to happen very soon, with metal or no metal.

 

[Blue Sun]

It looks like netkas just blogged that he doesn't think OS X's UI is fully using Metal just yet. It's still being rendered by OpenGL: http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,11144.msg30972.html

Perhaps only a select few GPUs are leveraging Metal in DP1? Has netkas tried looking at rMBP's using an iGPU?

 

[MrNomNoms]

Perhaps only a select few GPUs are leveraging Metal in DP1? Has netkas tried looking at rMBP's using an iGPU?

Or compare nVidia to AMD because in the past nVidia have been reluctant to provide Apple with the hardware/driver specifications/source where as Intel and AMD have been more open which might mean that they're a lot further ahead supporting those GPU 's.

 

[Beavix]

Speaking of which, it may be interesting to run Xbench's Quartz (core graphics) test on 10.11

Xbench stopped working properly on my rMBP after installing 10.11. The Quartz test freezes the application, the OpenGL test displays nothing and the only thing that seems to be working is the User Interface Test.

 

[asoksevil]

There is mentioned on the video also GPU Families, which means different GPU generations. Developer can choose what generation of GPUs his going to support and that opens a set of different features. For instance, for iOS they have now two families, A7 and A8 chips. And for both they offer different versions too.

For OS X, there's just one family at the moment. Devices 2012-2015. No promises for support for Macs before 2012.

Well, I guess it makes sense, Metal for iOS only supported iPhone 5s onward...

 

[Ultracyclist]

Maybe one day a guy comes along that makes a tool just like DokterDok made CAT of Handsoff and some older GPU will work with Metal to...

Until then

 

[cjmillsnun]

I'm going to magically summon up 3000€ that i don't need to buy a new computer right away!

My 2011 17'' MBP run's great with everything work related i throw at him and most of the games i like he manages them very well, so i don't think that is going to happen very soon, with metal or no metal.

So stop whining. It meets your needs.

 

[Itzamna]

So stop whining. It meets your needs.

I'm not whining. I'm just saying that it makes no sense when Apple only has 3-4 GPU's to support each year. It would not be that hard to support, to a certain degree, older GPU's that are not thaaaat old and are better, perform wise, than some of the GPU's they are supporting. I understand that they have different architectures, but that doesn't mean they can't be supported.


It's not whining, its having a conversation. People do that...

 

[kwokaaron]

I'm not whining. I'm just saying that it makes no sense when Apple only has 3-4 GPU's to support each year. It would not be that hard to support, to a certain degree, older GPU's that are not thaaaat old and are better, perform wise, than some of the GPU's they are supporting. I understand that they have different architectures, but that doesn't mean they can't be supported.


It's not whining, its having a conversation. People do that...

To be fair though you've got to bear in mind that they're probably implementing support for 3-4 new GPUs as we speak that might possibly be released by the time El Capitan is officially released. Also, IMO it tends to be the Macs with Retina displays that would benefit from Metal as can be seen from the numerous posts in the Yosemite forum. IIRC, the first mac with retina display was the Mid-2012 MacBook Pro, so it would be reasonable for them to start the Metal support from that point onwards.

 

[bushido]

thats good right?

MetalInfo!

Metal Device Name: Intel HD Graphics 4000

Lower Power Device: Yes

Headless Device: Yes

logout

Saving session...completed.

Deleting expired sessions...none found.

 

[cjmillsnun]

thats good right?

MetalInfo!

Metal Device Name: Intel HD Graphics 4000

Lower Power Device: Yes

Headless Device: Yes

logout

Saving session...completed.

Deleting expired sessions...none found.

Yup.

 

[cjmillsnun]

I'm not whining. I'm just saying that it makes no sense when Apple only has 3-4 GPU's to support each year. It would not be that hard to support, to a certain degree, older GPU's that are not thaaaat old and are better, perform wise, than some of the GPU's they are supporting. I understand that they have different architectures, but that doesn't mean they can't be supported.


It's not whining, its having a conversation. People do that...

Bearing in mind the 2011 MBP problems with the GPU, I suspect Apple want to stop supporting them as soon as they can get away with it, and they certainly would not want to support anything that would push them harder.

 

[CanadaMaple]

Bearing in mind the 2011 MBP problems with the GPU, I suspect Apple want to stop supporting them as soon as they can get away with it, and they certainly would not want to support anything that would push them harder.

At the same time though, Apple still supports the 8600M in the 2007/8 MBP's...

Which are also notorious for failure.

Really hard to predict with Apple nowadays

-CanadaMaple

 

[imatrixCZ]

Guys, it's simple, i wrote about this yesterday here https://translate.google.cz/transla...ku-2012/sc-4-a-178665/default.aspx&edit-text=

This is screen from official Apple developer document:

Metal is supported in all Macs since 2012.

 

[MikhailT]

I'm not whining. I'm just saying that it makes no sense when Apple only has 3-4 GPU's to support each year. It would not be that hard to support, to a certain degree, older GPU's that are not thaaaat old and are better, perform wise, than some of the GPU's they are supporting. I understand that they have different architectures, but that doesn't mean they can't be supported.


It's not whining, its having a conversation. People do that...

If the older GPU doesn't have all the features that Metal requires like compression schemes, shaders type and so on, it makes absolutely sense that it doesn't get supported for Metal. You'll get OpenGL instead.