Advice please, OpenGL 3.3 installation on Intel HD graphics?

Hi there, I’d appreciate some advice. I think I’m trying to do something impossible.

My son is wanting to run Scrap Mechanic on Steam, on Windows 7, 64 bit. The software is telling me that it needs OpenGL 3.3 and the laptop is only running 2.1.

It is a Dell laptop, (Intel i5 CPU 240GHz, with an Intel HD graphics chipset, 4GB RAM). I have updated the graphics drivers as far as I can. Am I right in thinking that if the machine is capable of running 3.3, it would just be doing it? Or do I have to install something else?

I’d appreciate some help - I’m being nagged to distraction by an eight year old and if I can just tell him it won’t work I can shut it down and have some cake :).

Thank you.

Chez

I have the same problem

“Intel HD Graphics” covers a wide number of models, with the older models definitely not supporting GL 3.3 but the newer models supporting 4.0 or higher. See Intel Graphics Technology - Wikipedia for a list of models.

So you’re going to need to provide more information on which “Intel HD Graphics” you have. On Windows 7 click Start, right-click Computer, select Properties and it will tell you which processor you have: the screen will look similar to this http://pc.net/images/db/windows-7-system-control-panel.png and the information is about halfway down, under the “System” heading, and directly under the “Rating/Windows Experience Index” entry.

From there we can determine which integrated GPU comes with your processor and advise on whether or not it’s possible to upgrade.

Remember: OpenGL is not software. You can’t just patch it to get a higher version. Which version you have is heavily dependent on your hardware’s capabilities. So in other words, be prepared to be potentially disappointed.

“Remember: OpenGL is not software. You can’t just patch it to get a higher version. Which version you have is heavily dependent on your hardware’s capabilities.”

^^This is true, but it also depends on the video driver. For example my machine now says on windows 10 with latest driver for intel HD graphics when I run newest blender that I need a more newer card with opengl 3.3 support - while in linux I saw the open source intel driver already supports it!

Worth a try to try the other OS as steam runs on linux too nowadays :wink: