My computer\'s mainboard has an integrated nVidia GeForce4 MX graphics adapter (and the nVidia Force2 mainboard chipset). The nVidia website claims -- in their driver section where I found, downloaded and installed the most recent update to the GeForce driver before joining climateprediction.net -- that their driver supports \"OpenGL 2.0\".

However, the realtech VR \"OpenGL Extensions Viewer\" utility shows that at least one 2.0 function is unsupported, and none of the OpenGL 2.1 extensions are supported. Unfortunately, it is impossible for me to tell nVidia about the error(s) in their claim(s) and/or in their software. I suggest that climateprediction.net refrain from using any 2.1 extensions in the screensaver and model graphic output, whether you all can also avoid using any 2.0 feature(s) that nVidia does not actually support. As things stand now, I don\'t get any meaningful graphics output for either the screensaver or for the model that my computer is running.

Hi,

Most of us don\'t use the screensaver in any case, because it takes a lot of CPU time (particularly if it is motherboard integrated graphics), and in addition to that increases the likelyhood of a crash.

---

I'm a volunteer and my views are my own.
News and Announcements and FAQ

The current graphics are unlikely to change, but early next year BOINC is moving to a different structure, which will use separate graphics, and everything will change then, with no backwards graphics compatability. (BOINC version 6.*)

Sometimes the latest drivers don\'t work as well as an earlier version, and in the past some people have found it best to downgrade a version or two.

---

Backups: Here

Hi,

Most of us don\'t use the screensaver in any case, because it takes a lot of CPU time (particularly if it is motherboard integrated graphics), and in addition to that increases the likelyhood of a crash.

By the way, I took another look with the OpenGL Extensions Viewer last night, and the current nVidia driver supports only 5 of the 10 features of version 2.0, far fewer than I originally thought. It is really frustrating that I cannot find a way to let them know that we are watching.

I don\'t use the screensaver, since it isn\'t working, but I doubt that I would use it regardless. There isn\'t much point to displaying graphic output while, most likely, I am not around to see it. :-) The reduced BOINC window displays some graphic output in a greatly-reduced area, with the note \"Graphics Available\" under that display. Sometimes, they arouse my curiousity, and it would be nice to see them enlarged. With an AMD Athlon XP 2400+ CPU (2 GB of DRAM memory and over 25 GB of unused HD space), and an integrated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), I\'m not concerned about \"CPU time\". Regardless, I didn\'t buy and maintain this computer for someone else to use, but for me.

The \'simplified view\' graphics are just fixed thumbnails rather than graphics generated from your own model. A lot of people justifiably expect the graphic in the thumbnail to be something to do with their own workunit...

---

I'm a volunteer and my views are my own.
News and Announcements and FAQ