Installing Compiz Fusion Intel x3100

Installing Compiz Fusion on Ubuntu with the Intel X3100 is straightforward, but there’s an annoying detail. This GPU was added to compiz’s blacklist and, by default, it refuses to start the effects. In practice, the card handles basic effects just fine and the system runs well; we just need to tell compiz not to block it.

The first step is to ensure the necessary packages. I prefer to do everything through terminal, because it’s clear what was installed and easier to repeat later:

sudo apt-get install xserver-xgl compizconfig-settings-manager

With that ready, comes the change that frees up the card. Open the compiz-manager configuration file with administrator privileges:

sudo vim /etc/xdg/compiz/compiz-manager

At the end of the file, add the line below and save. It’s the one that tells compiz to ignore hardware checks and proceed with the X3100:

SKIP_CHECKS="yes"

After that, install the Compiz configuration manager if you haven’t installed it yet. It makes it easy to turn effects on and off and adjust every detail:

sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager

To test, you can check the current process and replace the window manager with Compiz in the current session. If something doesn’t look good, just log out of the session and come back, the system returns to default:

ps aux | grep compiz

compiz --replace &

Since the X3100 is integrated, it makes sense to start slowly. I usually activate window decorations first, fade in transitions, minimize animation and the window move effect. It works smoothly and already gives a nice visual gain without being heavy. Heavier effects, like the 3D cube, water, fire and real-time blur, usually consume more resources from this GPU. If the interface shows signs of slowness, it’s worth reducing the amount of active effects and avoiding excessive transparencies.

If nothing happens when running compiz, go back to the file to check if the SKIP_CHECKS line was saved properly and restart the session. Having everything right, the desktop should already load with active composition and windows animating as expected. The idea here is to stay with a light and stable setup and, over time, test other effects to see how far the card goes without sacrificing daily use.

In the end, the X3100, even old and integrated, delivers an honest 3D experience for daily use. With the right adjustment and effects in measure, you can use Compiz Fusion without drama on Ubuntu.