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WhisperingWind which windows version are you using?

And when get to states without dithering, is that windows comfortable?

Sorry i can't help much now, i will only have acccess to my PC on sunday.

      jordan

      The AMD Raphael iGPU should use the standard amdgpu module. You can check this by using the lsmod command in the terminal, which will show all loaded kernel modules.

      It's a mining OS, so I'm assuming all of the acceleration stuff is disabled for the UI which maybe helps comfort.

      HiveOS is based on Ubuntu. The terminal command inxi -G (install it with sudo apt install inxi) should show the necessary information: desktop environment, compositor, and whether OpenGL uses the GPU for rendering.

      I just wonder what normal distro would be similar to this? I think it uses openbox, x11, and Compton?

      You should try Intel Arc A770 with various Linux distributions, as we might have different reasons for eye strain. My eyes get strained due to the high-contrast interface of some desktop environments in Linux. This happens even in Ubuntu Desktop (Gnome) on a Parallels virtual machine on a Mac. So I think it's not about the Intel Arc A770 but rather the color scheme (colors, saturation, brightness, contrast, gamma) used by the OS. I need a less contrasting interface with muted colors. So far, the best I've found is Kubuntu (I installed KDE on Ubuntu Desktop).

      autobot

      Which Windows version are you using?

      Windows 11 23H2 (22631.4169).

      On a 4K TV (true 8-bit), it looks good to my eyes; the image is calm, and I don't see too much contrast or very high brightness of white. However, this is Limited Range, and I couldn't find where to set Full Range in the control panel for the entire OS; the setting is only available for video.

      On my monitor, due to FRC, it looks worse because of text fringing, which leads to eye strain when reading; but I don't notice this on the TV.

            WhisperingWind kde? Interesting.

            I too prefer muted colors. Do you disable the compositor in kde?

            And win11 with No issues?

            That is something i need to try. Any special setting?

                autobot

                Do you disable the compositor in kde?

                The compositor is on. It's slightly better without the compositor, but only on my 6+FRC monitor; I didn't notice much difference on the TV.

                [kde] Any special setting?

                No, everything is default, but text is smoothed with a gray effect.

                And win11 with No issues?

                The only reliable tool for testing right now is the TV, but I mostly watch YouTube there. I didn't notice any issues with Windows 11 (ARC A770) in this regard. Unfortunately, tests on my monitor are not objective because in Windows 11, the FRC module is more active, which strains my eyes.

                UPD But I can say something with 100% certainty after working for a week, 8 hours a day, with the setup. Right now, I don't have that opportunity.

                  I've shared a fix for disabling Intel iGPU/GPU dithering in 6-bit mode for users running Linux. You can find it here: https://github.com/WhisperingWindLinux/Guides/blob/main/README.md

                  This solution is particularly useful if you have a 6-bit+FRC monitor and you want to experiment with the 6-bit mode. For 8-bit color depth and above, this fix is not needed because Intel iGPU/GPU dithering is not present.

                  Please note that your monitor should be connected via DisplayPort to your Intel iGPU/GPU. There are some exceptions, such as Intel Arc, where the HDMI port internally route through DisplayPort. Similarly, some motherboards may have a similar design for the iGPU, but this is relatively rare.

                  Most laptop displays are internally connected via DisplayPort.

                  I've developed and tested this on kernel 6.10 with Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS, and while it should work on other versions, I'm not entirely certain about the minimum Ubuntu version that supports this kernel.

                  I haven't tested the build guide on other Debian-based operating systems, but in theory, it should work. If you're using a non-Debian based OS, you should look up a guide specific to building the kernel for your distro.

                  X11 provides an easy way to switch color depth using xrandr. Other environments may not support color depth selection, such as Wayland.

                  The fix has been tested on the Intel Alder Lake UHD 48EU (Xe) i5-12450H and the Intel Arc A770, but in theory, it should work for all Intel iGPUs/GPUs.

                    I wonder, if Windows was installed with Secure Boot enabled, could disabling it lead to boot issues with Windows.

                    It's not clear about Secure Boot. Opinions online vary; some say that if you disable it, Windows 11 won't boot. So, this issue hasn't been fully addressed yet. If you had Secure Boot disabled before, you can build and use a custom kernel. If it's enabled and some operation systems are installed, I'm not sure yet whether it can be safely disabled and then re-enabled.

                    Since in my guide the kernel is not signed, it likely won't boot without disabling Secure Boot.

                    I will look into how to build a signed kernel in the future. I found this guide right away (but haven't checked if it works yet): https://github.com/jakeday/linux-surface/blob/3267e4ea1f318bb9716d6742d79162de8277dea2/SIGNING.md

                    SunnyCove

                    Maybe it's worth to write i915 developers and suggest to add more options on this…

                    I have a feeling that the i915 developers might not prioritize this fix. If I mention that dithering is causing eye discomfort, they might suggest consulting an ophthalmologist.

                    it's possible to make additional option for the i915 driver

                    I'll need to look into it, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to get to it.

                        9 days later

                        WhisperingWind can you see what the amd driver shows for default dithering behavior? I have a 7950x PC that has the AMD Raphael igpu. Thinking of trying that first on my incandescent monitor. Since it was safe on my tv.

                            jordan

                            The logic for handling dithering in the amdgpu kernel module is more complex than in the i915. Based on the code, only 10-bit and 12-bit can be considered safe. Dithering may be present at 6-bit and 8-bit. But I don't know how to determine it.

                                WhisperingWind that's good to know thanks for letting me know.

                                I did see this awhile back I just remembered but unsure if that's not good enough for amd.

                                AMD graphics cards:
                                1. Switch to runlevel 3 (telinit 3)
                                2. Run the following as Root:
                                aticonfig --set-pcs-val=MCIL,DP_DisableDither,1
                                Note that if this command does not turn off dithering, it might be necessary to use this command instead:
                                aticonfig --set-pcs-val=TMDS_DisableDither,1
                                3. Save the changes.
                                4. Switch back to runlevel 5 (telinit 5)

                                Edit: I found these too DP_DisableDither, HDMI_DisableDither if anyone was curious

                                Seems more complicated will stick to Intel for now. Just have different hardware laying around

                                    dev