Can I use a graphics card where I don't need kernel mods?

The problem with kernel modules is my interaction with them, if you will. I'm hoping for something simpler, even if I need to buy a new card.
 
Just use the cpu integrated graphics and load the correct module in rc.conf.... freebsd graphics configuration usually works pretty well nowadays, unless perhaps you have some very specialised type of graphics card.
 
I just saw your other thread asking about amdgpu. If you motherboard integrated graphics isn't working, use the vesa driver, that works with all vesa compatible graphics cards, which is pretty much all modern graphics chips, essentially. You said you don't need high performance graphics anyway so vesa should be fine. It might be a bit slow for playing video as you may find it is unaccelerated, but it will be fine for giving you a graphical desktop. You don't need to go and buy another graphics card, unless there's something very strange about that motherboard.

Having said that I'm a bit surprised your integrated amd graphics isn't working.
 
It's not that the integrated amd graphics "isn't working" it's that I have crashed the computer multiple times now doing updates with it. I always have gotten back to working, but I would really rather pass on this. You can blame me for doing a bad job, but now I'm hoping just to avoid the subject.

The default VESA graphics is not feasible for a web browser. I have tried it.

I have an ASUS X570-PLUS motherboard & "AMD Ryzen 3 3200G with Radeon Vega Graphics" CPU.

I was thinking I could just plug in a different graphics card into a slot, like the old days....
 
blackbird9 said:
I just saw your other thread asking about amdgpu.
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Todd M said:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G with Radeon Vega Graphics
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This a CPU with GPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G dated from "Release Date: Jul 7th, 2019". I see absolutely no obvious reason why you shouldn't be able to run it with an appropriate graphics driver and accompanying settings. As to you choice lasi out in the thread topis, I'd favour 14.3-RELEASE over 13.x.
What have you tried?
 
Just grab a cheap pci-e graphics card from ebay :). But your integrated graphics should be working. Try putting 14.3R on, it's good.
If you get a new card, you probably want to disable integrated graphics in the bios.
 
Todd M said:
It's not that the integrated amd graphics "isn't working" it's that I have crashed the computer multiple times now doing updates with it. I always have gotten back to working, but I would really rather pass on this. You can blame me for doing a bad job, but now I'm hoping just to avoid the subject.

The default VESA graphics is not feasible for a web browser. I have tried it.

I have an ASUS X570-PLUS motherboard & "AMD Ryzen 3 3200G with Radeon Vega Graphics" CPU.

I was thinking I could just plug in a different graphics card into a slot, like the old days....
Click to expand...
The problems you've experienced may have to do with incorrect settings in your pkg configuration file; it's hard to say what the problem could be without further details.
Given your motherboard and CPU/iGPU, you should be able to use the scfb driver: 5.2. Graphics Drivers - Table 1. and 5.5.2. Graphics Configuration - Example 4.
 
It might help to do the upgrade from the console, ie from text mode. Just don't start up your graphical desktop, after booting the box switch to a different virtual console (eg ctrl-alt-F4) and log in as root and do the upgrade there; then there is no graphics running. You can run the entire upgrade from the console.
 
I would try upgrading to 14.3R from the console first, instead of from the graphical environment. I don't see why that should crash during the upgrade. Or... if the upgrade has crashed previously on that box, who knows what state the install is in. It might be better to start with a fresh install. It all depends how badly it crashed, and what state the system was left in afterwards. Remember to back your data up first.
 
Well, you can see my thread "fix corrupted system files" over in Installing and Updating forum if you like....

But the amdgpu has meant a lot of frustration for me, much of it my own doing admittedly, and I was hoping to go back to not worrying about it at all.
 
If you've had corrupted system files... I think I would back up whatever you want to keep, and do a complete fresh install of the machine, using 14.3-RELEASE, and then configure the graphics as per the manual for amdgpu. That would be what I would do, anyway. It's not worth trying to upgrade something that might already be broken in some way we don't understand. In my opinion, anyway. :)
 
I share your opinion regarding moving to 14.3, barring some more surgical solution appearing, but I would really prefer to avoid the graphics issue in future.

I've been using a FreeBSD desktop for my home office since 1995. Maybe I'm just too old to keep managing it these days, I don't know, but this recent sequence has me thinking about getting an Ubuntu Mini, and splitting my home server (FreeBSD) function from my desktop.... (I have been doing fine managing my FreeBSD vm in the cloud....)
 
An N100 mini pc makes a nice little desktop and comes with intel integrated graphics, and works with freebsd, I'm using one right now. Or another option is to get a used thinkpad and use that as the desktop, even an old X220 makes a nice freebsd desktop and you can always hook it up to an external monitor and keyboard, you can put 16GB RAM in one of those (I've got one of those too). Or for something more modern, a T480 or T490. These can all be picked up for not much money.
 
Todd M said:
It's not that the integrated amd graphics "isn't working" it's that I have crashed the computer multiple times now doing updates with it. I always have gotten back to working, but I would really rather pass on this.
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Check out the Accel option from amdgpu(4). Occasionally I run into a flaky amd card and find I can prevent crashes whilst still benefitting from much of its functionality (resolution, power management) by simply disabling acceleration.
 
There's a nice setup write-up for freebsd on a T480 here https://github.com/yiwenxue/freebsd_t480
And of course vermaden has an entire series on setting up freebsd on the X220 here https://vermaden.wordpress.com/freebsd-desktop/
You really can't go wrong with an X220 (or X200/X201). Excellent quality hardware too, they are built to the old IBM grade standard, get one in good condition from ebay, preferably with the 16GB RAM already installed.
I personally have had good experiences with a couple of different generic mini-pc's, but obviously they aren't built to the same standard as something like an X220 thinkpad. You get a lot more computer for your money with the thinkpad.
 
serjsk8 said:
Hello,
All graphics card can work in vesa mode.
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Would be incorrect for UEFI boot.
Use scfb driver (x11-drivers/xf86-video-scfb) instead for UEFI boots.

And if I recall correctly, quite old enough GPUs (mostly, called "graphics accelerator" rather than GPU) were driven without kernel module.

Recently these kind of drivers are called UMS (User Mode Setting) in contrast with KMS (Kernel Mode Setting). But when I've used Matrox MGA and ATI(!) chips (pre-Radeon), kernel modules were NOT used.

Not sure these kind of GPUs still available as PCIe (existed ISA through [pararrel] PCI, though) card or not.
 
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