Mesa 23.1 Fixes Various AMD Radeon RX 7000 “RDNA 3” GPU Issues, Adds Long Awaited Cyberpunk 2077 RT support

Mesa 23.1 recently uploaded the newest graphics driver for the AMD Radeon 7000 "RDNA 3" graphics cards, focusing on the RadeonSI Gallium 3D driver. This new driver follows the VK_EXT_pipeline_library_group_handles implemented support to assist with RADV RT. The further support lands crucial raytracing support for Cyberpunk 2077.

The newest update to the Mesa 23.1 code fixed several issues within the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX graphics cards. The latest commits, with thirty-seven introduced, were added to Mesa by AMD's well-known Mesa developer Marek Olšák. From the merge request, there are still six patches outstanding, reports Michael Larabel, Editor, and Founder of the Linux hardware website Phoronix. Several of the thirty-seven patches merged had a significant focus on GFX11. Users are expected to see integration into the current Mesa 23.0 instead of waiting until the launch of Mesa 23.1 in the second quarter of 2023.

The Mesa project began as an open-source implementation of the OpenGL specification - a system for rendering interactive 3D graphics.

Over the years the project has grown to implement more graphics APIs, including OpenGL ES, OpenCL, OpenMAX, VDPAU, VA-API, Vulkan and EGL.

A variety of device drivers allows the Mesa libraries to be used in many different environments ranging from software emulation to complete hardware acceleration for modern GPUs.

Mesa ties into several other open-source projects: the Direct Rendering Infrastructure, X.org, and Wayland to provide OpenGL support on Linux, FreeBSD, and other operating systems.

In Cyberpunk 2077, Linux gamers can expect Mesa 23.1 to introduce VK_EXT_pipeline_library_group_handles to bring RADV support into the AAA game since its troubled launch. Bas Nieuwenhuizen, co-lead on the Radeon Vulkan (RADV) team, got the support to assist with not only users playing the game via Steam Play but also VKD3D-Proton on Linux. Users can expect the game not to crash when activating the raytracing on supported devices. It should be noted that the performance is still not close to optimal but is improved much since the initial implementation. Larabel reports the version to be fifty percent less than the Windows Radeon Driver Software driver, if not lower.

Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure story set in Night City, a megalopolis obsessed with power, glamour and body modification. You play as V, a mercenary outlaw going after a one-of-a-kind implant that is the key to immortality. You can customize your character’s cyberware, skillset and playstyle, and explore a vast city where the choices you make shape the story and the world around you.

Nieuwenhuizen assisted in introducing the VK_EXT_pipeline_library_group_handles into Vulkan 1.3.240 last month to help with DXR 12 compatibility along with the Vulkan API to be used within the Valve VKD3D-Proton OS. This fix could also assist with other newer DirectX RT games that do not run as well in VXD3D-Proton on Linux.

News Sources: Phoronix 1, 2, Mesa Gitlab 1, 2, Mesa Project Official Site, Cyberpunk 2077 Official Game Page