Graphics cards
This page is for detailing compatibility issues that certain graphics cards have with Second Life. Note that officially, we only support what's listed on our System Requirements. However, we understand some Residents want to run SL on unsupported configurations — your results may vary, but hopefully sharing info will give you a better idea of what to expect.
Drivers
We highly recommend updating to the newest stable versions:
Do NOT use latest nvidia drivers if using Windows Vista; SL 1.18.1.2 does not work with Forceware 162.22
Ideally, we want SL to run and not crash on any graphics card that supports OpenGL Version 1.2 or later. Realistically, we can only support the latest version of drivers right now.
Help resources
- Knowledge Base - Repository of support articles you can search. For example, "graphics". Some relevant articles include:
- What is a graphics card? Will mine work with Second Life?
- Intel Extreme graphics issues
- Invisible avatar? Try these things!
- Why is my avatar yellow/green/some other loud color/horribly deformed? - Basically, go to Edit menu > Preferences > Graphics Detail tab and uncheck "Avatar Vertex Program". Generally, updating your drivers fixes this.
- Errors that mention GDI Generic
- Public Issue Tracker - We use this to help us identify bugs to be fixed. Search for terms like the model of your graphics card (e.g., "X1600" or "GeForce") or related keywords (e.g., "invisible AND avatar"). You can also report a new issue and discuss it with fellow Residents.
- Official Linden Blog - You can search this too. Of recent particular interest is:
- Technical Talk forums - The forums are searchable. Lindens don't really check here.
You can also contact our Support. Remember that specific details, and solid reproductions when there are bugs, help us help you.
Personal experiences
If you're having problems with a specific graphics card, please share your details on Talk:Graphics Cards.
Known Driver Status
| OS | Hardware | Driver Version | Status | Workaround | Related Bug |
| Win XP | Nvidia GO series | 77.24, 6/20/2005 | Crashes after a few minutes | Upgrade Drivers to 84.63, 7/5/2006 or turn of Vertex Buffer Objects | |
| Win XP | Nvidia GO series | 84.63, 7/5/2006 | Works great | ||
| Win XP | Nvidia Desktop cards | 91.47, 9/14/2006 | Fullbright objects will flicker rainbow colors | Upgrade Drivers to 93.71, http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_93.71.html | |
| Win XP | Nvidia Desktop cards | 93.71, 11/2/2006 | Works great | ||
| Win XP | ATI | Catalyst(R) 7.4 | Works great | ||
| Win XP | ATI | Catalyst(R) 7.6 | Issue with dual monitors | Upgraded from 7.4 to 7.6. I had dual monitors setup with DVI being the primary. SL client would not load. Workaround is to make VGA monitor primary, then SL will load on DVI monitor. | |
| Vista | Nvidia | driver bundled with vista | Fullbright objects will flicker rainbow colors | Does updating the driver fix this? http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x86_158.18.html | |
| Vista | Nvidia | 97.42 | Works great | ||
| Vista | Nvidia | 158.18, 5/2/2007 | unknown | ||
| Vista | Nvidia | 162.22, 7/27/2007 | Unsupported Hardware/Old Drivers error | ||
| Vista | ATI | Catalyst(R) 7.4 | Works great |