How to Check 3D Acceleration (FPS) in Ubuntu/Linux Mint

In this guide, we will see some commands needed for checking  3D Acceleration / FPS for both Nvidia and AMD graphics cards under the following distributions:

• Ubuntu 13.10/13.04/12.10/12.04 or older
• Linux Mint 15/14/13 or older

If you have more commands and tools that are not listed here, please mention them below (comment form).

Getting Started

First of all, install this dependency via the terminal:

sudo apt-get install mesa-utils

Before running the commands below, make sure 3D acceleration is enabled or not by entering this command:

/usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test -p

1. Glxinfo

You can use glxinfo to check 3d acceleration and rendering. Here are some commands you need to run from the terminal:

glxinfo -i | grep render

or

 glxinfo -i | grep direct

or

glxinfo -i | grep openGL

The output returned will give you information about your graphics card (AMD or Nvidia).

2. Glxgears

You can also use glxgears to test 3D Acceleration (FPS). Simply run this command:

glxgears

or

glxgears -info

 3. xvinfo

You can also use "xvinfo" to check information about your video card. You can run it with this command:

xvinfo

4. For owners of AMD (ATI) graphics cards, you can use this command to check your graphical performance:

fglrxinfo

or

fgl_glxgears

5. Glxspheres

To be able to use Glxspheres under Ubuntu/Linux Mint, you need first to install it as follows:

Installation (64-bit)

Via the terminal, issue these commands:

cd /tmp 

wget http://goo.gl/L7rsGZ -O virtualgl_2.3.3_amd64.deb 

sudo dpkg -i --force-depends virtualgl_2.3.3_amd64.deb 

sudo apt-get -f install

Then run it with this command:

/opt/VirtualGL/bin/glxspheres64

 Installation (32-bit)

For 32-bit systems, install Glxspheres with these commands:

cd /tmp 

wget http://goo.gl/O5AyjX -O virtualgl_2.3.3_i386.deb 

sudo dpkg -i --force-depends virtualgl_2.3.3_i386.deb 

sudo apt-get -f install

Then run it with this command:

/opt/VirtualGL/bin/glxspheres