[SOLVED] Blank screen at runtime - Intel(R) HD Graphics 530

Questions
#1

Hi!

I’m trying to run Defold but all I get is a blank screen at run time. I see everything is fine in the editor. I saw this post in the “Bugs” section:

I checked my driver and it’s:

Renderer: Intel(R) HD Graphics 530
INFO:GRAPHICS: Version: 3.3.0 - Build 26.20.100.7262
INFO:GRAPHICS: Vendor: Intel

Now the solution is to install a newer driver from the thread above. However, the Intel update tool isn’t able to update my graphics driver since there is one by Gigabyte already and the tool doesn’t want to obliterate it - my motherboard is a Gigabyte.

Is there another solution to this problem?

My screen is 4k and I have it set at 150% fractional scaling.

EDIT: apparently it is the latest driver for my system per Device Manager and also there are no other drivers at Gigabyte.

Thanks!

#2

I think this is the latest version for your iGPU - https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/762755/intel-6th-10th-gen-processor-graphics-windows.html

1 Like
#3

Hey there thank you so much! I will have a look. Both Windows Device Manager and on Gigabyte website it says there are no other drivers but I will try to install this one and keep the board posted!

#4

GREAT SUCCESS!!! Yep it works now!

I should have looked on Intel website, the source of Truth, instead of trusting Windows and checking out Gigabyte.

Thanks aglitchman for your help!

EDIT: I am waiting to upgrade my hardware. Windows 11 is not supported on my system. Currently hesitating between the upcoming Mac Mini M4 or an Arrow Lake system. Both will be out in the October - December timeframe. But thanks to your help I am not forced to upgrade now or to suspend work on my game. Thanks again!

BTW I have a question : on a Mac, can we develop for all OSes? Can we for example test on Android devices and build for Windows? If so I will keep my old (current) machine as a test rig.

3 Likes
#5

Yes!

#6

Hi Björn!

That’s great and likely to complicate my decision! I never had a Mac. I don’t know if I am ready for the big switch! But certainly it’s more flexible and people on YouTube who made the change are often pretty happy about it for what it’s worth.

Cheers!

#7

It’s a big change to switch from Windows to Mac, but the benefits are huge. Sure, a Mac is expensive, but the performance and battery life is so much better than anything else.

1 Like
#8

Even setting aside the drastic inflation of the price, the downsides are also huge. If you plan to switch to a mac, particularly one with a new ARM chip, be prepared to see no end of weird random glitches with a lot of software, including Defold. Also you will be very limited in the software you can use in general. If you want to play games, forget it (switching to Linux would almost be less bad in that regard). If you are used to using a lot of hotkeys, be prepared to completely retrain yourself, because despite some system options to change them, you can’t consistently revert apple’s swapping of the modifier keys, and some programs have very different default keybindings on mac. Lots of other little things are different too, and there are less options for customization available.

Don’t pay attention to any claims of better reliability on mac, I’ve had to reinstall the OS due to an official system update bricking it before, and seen plenty of crashes and other issues just like on windows. No, macs aren’t magically better for “media editing” or whatever—that may have been true 30 years ago when apple cooperated directly with adobe for photoshop and so on, but not anymore. If you are wondering about general CPU performance, you should be able to look up performance benchmark data (as long as it’s not too new).

I can’t say much about battery life, but if you’re considering a mac mini then presumably that’s irrelevant. On the plus side, if you plan to get a mac, the mini is the way to go—the price isn’t too inflated for the hardware.

Look through the hype.

[Edit:] Ah, and be careful with filesystem formats. If you use any external drives, make sure they don’t get formatted to Apple’s custom format that’s a pain for any other system to use.

4 Likes
#9

I wish more games would be available for Linux :blush: using windows only to check out some titles is really exhausting :grin:

1 Like
#10

Yes Macbook Pro are terrific machines with great battery life. I was more leaning towards the Mac Mini (because, from what they say, size doesn’t matter :joy: ) but for sure a laptop would be nice too.

#11

Thanks Ross for the thorough explanation. I never had a Mac, all I hear about them is that they are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I was planning on a M4 Mac Mini when it’s out. But I am not sure at all. I was under the impression that all Defold team members were using Macs as that’s all we see them using on YouTube.

I am also a C++ on Windows/Linux dev by day and have Visual Studio installed, etc… I don’t know if it would be a smart move for me to go the Mac route. My reason for a Mac is that it can build for iOS and Android, as well as Windows. We cannot do that on Windows. I have never used services such as MacInCloud. Maybe they are worth a try?

From what I hear about the Arrow Lake, it will be much more stable than 14th fen Intel CPUs also. Tough call!

1 Like
#12

Can you give an example? I use it daily and have not noticed anything in particular.

Really? I have so far not found myself in a single situation where I haven’t had access to exactly the tool I need to be productive in my day to day job. I suppose depending on what you do daily your mileage may vary…

This is true though. Way less games available on macOS.

What are you thinking about in particular?

I’ve used a mac for 15 years and this has never happened. During the 15 years prior to that and also while using Windows in parallel with the mac I’ve had countless issues with Windows missbehaving.

True. If are you considering a Macbook though it is absolutely crazy how much better battery life is, especially on the arm versions. I can work for basically a full day without having to worry about my battery.

I would also like to link to Jonathan Blow and his tweets about struggles finding a reliable Windows laptop:

https://x.com/Jonathan_Blow/status/1791925515281899810

And this post by Sebastian Aaltonen about the financial pros and cons of buying a Macbook for development:

https://x.com/SebAaltonen/status/1788103732057563594

5 Likes
#13

You guys are really making my decision difficult :sweat_smile:

A laptop would be nice for sure. I could keep using my screen and leave my current desktop setup. I suppose it would depend on the price differences between the Mac Mini and the MacBook Pro. One thing I don’t necessarily like about the rumors about the mini is that it is even smaller. I don’t see how cooling can work out well in a smaller chassis.

What Ross meant about the lack of customization I think is that once you configure your Mac at purchase time, you are essentially stuck with it. Which forces you to max out the config and pay a huge amount just to get to, say, 32GB of RAM. Even disk is expensive while it should be super cheap.

But despite all this, I am on the fence. At least I can work with Defold and I’m not forced to upgrade now!

#14

That’s all that Windows is left for on my machine, and even then, no games are worth configuring a dual-boot machine with Windows 11. I will keep W10 because I already have it and there’s no use changing what isn’t broken, but in the near future, I am turning away from Windows for good. :walking_man:

I prefer Linux Mint Cinnamon. I think it’s very nice. :+1:

2 Likes
#15

Same here.

And in work - I have a Windows laptop, just to connect to another windows computer in safe environment, just to run WSL there… What a waste :sweat_smile:

#16

I’m using mac for almost 20 years. I had many Apple machines. I never ever had to re-install the OS and I might be consider as a power user. I mess with the system a lot. I have lots of SDKs, dev kits, tool chains, tools, apps etc. It is a rock solid machine and operation system. Windows is a f… joıke to me :smiley:

2 Likes
#17

Another thing to mention is that if you do end up regretting the decision to move to mac, the hardware has a very high second hand price, so you’ll recoup a lot of the cost when you sell it.
Same cannot be said with windows laptops.

2 Likes
#18

True Mathias, Apple products keep their value. I often look at second hand device prices and I’m always stunned!

Mint Cinnamon is excellent. I used it for more than 10 years at some point.

The one thing that I need to evaluate is how much I could lose in terms of files. I have this external drive that is not formatted for Mac. I wonder how this will pan out?

Probably a laptop makes more sense than a desktop at this point. Unless I can use a PC with a Mini on the same desk with some hub of some sort. One thing I wonder though: if I go with a MacBook, what kind of longevity can I expect from it?

#19

As a user of both mac and windows, I can say that OS usability is very individual. There is no need to argue and think about it, both OSes are great, but different.

The obvious advantages of Macs at the moment are: fantastically fast processors with low TDP, i.e. you don’t have to think about how to cool a 200w processor on a PC. And the ability to build for iOS / Mac.

The obvious downside: the impossibility of increasing RAM, i.e. you’ll have to buy a new hardware. If it is, of course, so necessary! (in fact, it’s very rare).

So just try a mac if your budget allows.

4 Likes
#20

Yes probably a laptop would be a smoother transition for me. I could keep my Windows 10 box.

I mean, I ran Linux Mint for more than 10 years. Never thought I’d even switch to Windows. But I did. I think I prefer Linux it’s just the market is not there for apps and game. Hence why I switched. But Mac is just more flexible as you can run a virtual Windows image I think - maybe VirtualBox works there, I don’t know.

I am sure I would like the OS on Mac. It’s closer to Linux, no?

Thanks for your input!