Does Clarkdale (e.g. Core i3 + DH57DD) support anti-aliasing/anisotropic filtering?

[idata]

Several months ago, I built a home desktop computer using a Core i3-540 CPU and a DH57DD motherboard. (This was my very first build, and I'm still a novice.) I'm finally getting around to looking for solutions to some "glitches" that I've encountered, one of which is that the integrated graphics does not seem to support anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering. My guess is that this lack of support is a well-known fact, but I wanted to double-check in case it indicates a problem with my motherboard or CPU.

I see that questions similar to mine have gone unanswered for a long time, so I invite comments from people with similar systems -- this would be any system using the integrated graphics (no graphics card), using a Core i3-530 through i3-560 CPU, or a Core i5-650 through i5-680, and with a motherboard using either the H55, H57, or Q57 chipset (an Ibex Peak chipset). I'd like to know if your system does support either anti-aliasing or anisotropic filtering, or if it does not.

I have a second question: is there an information source that would answer my first question without my needing to post in this discussion group? (I'm finding web searches to be more-and-more unproductive.) I'd like to believe that technical information of this sort is available at an Intel website, but I've had no luck in finding it.

Just to be clear, I'm talking about support of 3D graphics when running programs like Google Earth or computer games. Google Earth does not even offer the option of anti-aliasing, and, although it offers the option of selecting anisotropic filtering, changing that setting has no effect. Similarly, the Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel lets you select the degree of anisotropic filtering you want -- up to 16x -- but I can't see any change in appearance (in Google Earth, say) after adjusting that value.

I'm using a Core i3-540 CPU and a DH57DD motherboard, BIOS version JGIBX10J.86A.0625.2010.1219.2132, running Windows 7 (64-bit). The Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel reports, in part:

Intel® HD Graphics (Core i3)

Report Date: 3/29/2011

Report Time[hr:mm:ss]: 21:11:14

Driver Version: 8.15.10.2202

Operating System: Windows 7 Service Pack 1(6.1.7601)

Default Language: English (United States)

DirectX* Version: 10.0

Physical Memory: 7990 MB

Minimum Graphics Memory: 32 MB

Maximum Graphics Memory: 1696 MB

Graphics Memory in Use: 57 MB

Processor: Intel64 Family 6 Model 37 Stepping 2

Processor Speed: 3066 MHz

Vendor ID: 8086

Device ID: 0042

Device Revision: 12

* Accelerator Information *

Accelerator in Use: Intel(R) HD Graphics

Video BIOS: 2086.0

Current Graphics Mode: 1920 by 1080

Please let me know if it would help to provide any further information, or if my question is in some way unclear.

[MSchm21]

Clarkdales DX10.0 graphics generation does not support Antialiasing. At least it supports anisotropic filtering. However, you cannot force it in all applications, especially OpenGL applications are affected. Do you run Google Earth with OpenGL or DirectX mode? Intels DX10.1 generation HD2000/HD3000 is the first with Antialiasing Support (MSAA) up to 4x. Their current flaw is a missing MSAA adjustments option in the control panel. Forcing MSAA via driver isn't possible, it means no AA in games with missing ingame AA button. It does work only with games that does have AA option ingame.

[idata]

Thanks, that's exactly the kind of information that I'm looking for. How did you know the answer? Do you work with Intel hardware a lot, or is there a website I should know about that has this kind of information?

I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you're saying about support for anti-aliasing, although I think you might be saying that the Intel Device Driver(s) don't support it but that some games might implement it. Like I said, on my computer Google Earth doesn't offer the option to choose anti-aliasing, although it does on my wife's laptop (with an AMD CPU). The only other program that I've spent much time with is the game Myst V, which offers the option of choosing the level of anti-aliasing you want, but, on my computer, changing those settings doesn't change the appearance.

If I understand you correctly then something is "broken", since I cannot get anisotropic filtering to work. I've run Google Earth both in DirectX and in OpenGL mode. There's no difference in appearance, no matter which mode I use and no matter which setting I choose for anisotropic filtering. I already knew that something was broken, since my computer crashes randomly, but I thought that the anisotropic filtering problem was probably unrelated -- now I'm not so sure. I've just started a discussion about my problem with crashing (http://communities.intel.com/message/121003 http://communities.intel.com/message/121003).

I noticed today that I hadn't been using the latest Graphics Media Accelerator device driver, so I updated that today, with no change in how things look. Here's an updated report from the Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel:

Intel® HD Graphics (Core i3)

Report Date: 4/11/2011

Report Time[hr:mm:ss]: 19:12:11

Driver Version: 8.15.10.2291

Operating System: Windows 7 Service Pack 1(6.1.7601)

Default Language: English (United States)

DirectX* Version: 10.1

Physical Memory: 7990 MB

Minimum Graphics Memory: 32 MB

Maximum Graphics Memory: 1696 MB

Graphics Memory in Use: 69 MB

Processor: Intel64 Family 6 Model 37 Stepping 2

Processor Speed: 3066 MHz

Vendor ID: 8086

Device ID: 0042

Device Revision: 12

* Accelerator Information *

Accelerator in Use: Intel(R) HD Graphics

Video BIOS: 2086.0

Current Graphics Mode: 1920 by 1080

[MSchm21]

I quote me:

Clarkdales DX10.0 graphics generation does not support Antialiasing. There is nothing broken, your IGP just doesn't support MSAA. As I already said only the second generation of Intels HD graphics support it. As for the filtering, it seems not to work. I haven't tried it yet, maybe a driver issue maybe not.

[idata]

My apologies about my confusion on support for anti-aliasing (MSAA). You're saying that it's simply not supported on my Clarkdale (Core i3-540) CPU + Ibex Peak (DH57DD) motherboard, although it is supported on the second-generation core architectures ("Sandy Bridge"), e.g, it would be suppored on a Core i3-2100 CPU + a DH67VR motherboard.

If I follow you correctly, it's not entirely clear whether my Core i3-540 CPU + DH57DD motherboard should support for anisotropic filtering or not:

Yups wrote:

... As for the filtering, it seems not to work. I haven't tried it yet, maybe a driver issue maybe not.

Please let me know if you find any further information on that.

[MSchm21]

Of course AF filtering is working or let's say it is supported theoretically and should work. But you know Intel drivers are not that super great, and so not all games, applications whatever are working with it. Did you tried the AF filtering option in Google Earth as well as Filtering in control panel together with enabled directx mode?

[idata]

I'm travelling, so I don't have access to my computer, but I'm almost certain that I've tried nearly all options that relate to anisotropic filtering. This includes

1. Running Google Earth in DirectX mode (and in OpenGL mode);
2. Trying all the different settings for anisotropic filtering in Google Earth;
3. Trying many (perhaps all) of the different settings for anisotropic filtering in the Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel.

I'm still hoping that someone with access to a similar hardware configuration can sit down and test their system and report their results, not in theory but in practice. For example, I'd like to know if

• yes, anisotropic filtering works when they run Google Earth on their system, or
• no, anisotropic filtering does not work -- in which case the view will look very muddled and shimmery as they look towards the horizon.

As I said earlier, this would this would be any system using integrated graphics (no graphics card), using a Core i3-530 through i3-560 CPU, or a Core i5-650 through i5-680, and with a motherboard using either the H55, H57, or Q57 chipset, such as the Intel DH57DD motherboard, or the DH55HC, or the Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H, or the Asus P7H55-M PRO, among many other choices. Another example would be many of the Dell Inspiron 580 computers that use the "Integrated Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator HD", instead of a separate graphics card. (Some of them, however, do come with a separate graphics card.)

Since you're the only person who's replied to my posting, perhaps I should look for a different forum in which to post my question? In any case, thanks for your help.

[idata]

I will test out AF support later. I agree about anti-aliasing though. No support in pre-Sandy Bridge graphics architectures, and even with Sandy Bridge graphics, you can only enable it when you force it through in game menu.

You can read the results from a review site here: http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3D3dcenter.org%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D818%26prmd%3Divns&rurl=translate.google.ca&sl=de&u=http://ht4u.net/reviews/2011/intel_sandy_bridge_sockel_1155_quadcore/index25.php&usg=ALkJrhiZMS14WWHCSjzYTm2FQw0t6BGxTg http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3D3dcenter.org%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D818%26prmd%3Divns&rurl=translate.google.ca&sl=de&u=http://ht4u.net/reviews/2011/intel_sandy_bridge_sockel_1155_quadcore/index25.php&usg=ALkJrhiZMS14WWHCSjzYTm2FQw0t6BGxTg

[MSchm21]

AF doesn't work at all when you force it in control panel. Not working AA and AF via control panel is the biggest flaw in current drivers for me. In old games I could use AA performance wise but I can't if there is no ingame AA option. Same for AF. It's ridiculous because the GPU could do it but the driver can't do. Decent Hardware with substandard drivers I would say.