Hi,
i’m thinking (as i am going to buy a new laptop) what processor/chipset Haiku prefers ? Intel, AMD, or maybe something else ? On which architecture (i don’t know if it’s right to say that) Haiku runs smoothest - like fast and stable ? I know, it’s kind a strange, or maybe even stupid question, but i still want to know…
n0de.
Your question is not strange or stupid. I think it is very valid.
Haiku works good with both AMD & Intel. I believe Intel support is kinda better. Avoiding newer AMD quad-core systems is good idea. Haiku only works as 32-bit OS, but runs on x86 32 & 64-bit CPUs. Dual Cores without or with HT work very well or older CPUs.
It is not just processor & mobo chipset that matters. You could have issues with mouse, keyboard, sound and network. Example, my Dell laptop, keyboard does not work ( use external USB one ), highest VESA mode is 1024x768 and not widescreen (still looks good), updated network driver just recently added to Haiku (was compiling my own rtl81xx version).
Very good idea to make LiveCD of Haiku and boot it off the laptop and play with it for about 5 minutes. Then you can check for internet, sound, video modes, keyboard+mouse if working. A store that wants to sell you a laptop should let you boot Haiku on it for testing (in live mode).
To get you started:
http://www.haikuware.com/hardware/laptops
http://www.haikuware.com/hardware/netbooks
Thanks for your reply. I understand that i might have problems with mouse, keyboard etc. I already have tryed Haiku on my desktop computer and it’s fantastic, of course it’s still alpha and can’t fully replace Solaris/BSD/Win/ubuntu that i use… Not for entertainment, but mainly for simple things like watching movies confortably. I would fully use haiku if only graphics would be better (like higher resolution than VESA)… But looking into future so thinking about things which works best.
So another question would be graphics - Intel/(AMD/ATI)/nvidia - which is best for Haiku (like i remember that linux had problems with ATI, as even in Win ATI drivers ain’t good compared to nvidia. And as i understand Haiku doesn’t have separate drivers for separate cards ?)
Actually tonestone57… you mentioned something about avoiding quad-core AMD processors… I have had no issues at all when I had my AMD Athlon II X4 box. In fact, I intend to build my next Haiku rig around a Phenom II X6. A CPU that is bristling with six cores will rock some serious sh*t (and impress all my friends in the process).
Also, concerning the best graphics chip to use for Haiku, the older nVidia GeForce series of cards (i.e. up to GeForce 7950) has a 2D accelerated driver if you happen to have a card from that era in your system. Intel GMA chipsets also have good support. ATi is an unknown for me, but I would love to see that chipset get some serious support in future builds of Haiku.
Guru
n0de, Haiku will work great on any processor, i’m running it on an AMD Duron @ 950MHZ with 320MB PC133 SDRAM, I’m using an ATI Radeon 9200 with a 22" monitor, connected via DVI port, 1680x1050 @ 24 bit.
The motherboard is an old PC-Chips M810LR-H.
I tested Haiku on other machines as well. AMD Athlon XP 2800+ with 512 and 1GB DDR 333, chipset VIA, this was the best computer i found for Haiku, but that’s only my opnion.
A Core 2 Duo will run ok.
I had read a post where someone was able to run Haiku on their dual Core AMD (AthlonII) but had to disable SMP on their quad core AMD (Phenom). Let us know if you get it running on Phenom X6 with SMP. Might be fixed now?
For video cards, with accelerated driver Geforce 7950 or older. There is driver for Intel but will not support newer cards like Intel HD. For VESA modes which you’ll likely end up using (from most to least), 1) Ati 2) Nvidia 3) Intel.
I run Haiku on my new laptop with Intel HD graphics. I only have 3 VESA modes to choose from. 1024x768, 800x600, 640x480. I contacted Intel & was told Dell controls the video BIOS on their laptops - ie: my Intel made Atom desktop motherboard has another 3 or 4 VESA modes. Little stretched at 1024x768 but OK (normal resolution should be 1366x768).