How do I tell if Ubuntu supports hardware-accelerated graphics on my laptop?
Gnome-Shell has very similar graphical requirements as the Unity interface. Therefore, if you want a quick test of potential compatibility, you could run the unity graphical test application via a live CD:
/usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test -p
If you get a picture similar to this with all "yes" values - you probably can assume Gnome-Shell will work.
Linked Question:
- What do the "no"s mean, in the output of unity support test?