diff --git a/src/gl/data/gl_vertexbuffer.cpp b/src/gl/data/gl_vertexbuffer.cpp
index 31cb8d0b5..5833d3109 100644
--- a/src/gl/data/gl_vertexbuffer.cpp
+++ b/src/gl/data/gl_vertexbuffer.cpp
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ FFlatVertexBuffer::FFlatVertexBuffer(int width, int height)
 		glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, vbo_id);
 		glBufferStorage(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, bytesize, NULL, GL_MAP_WRITE_BIT | GL_MAP_PERSISTENT_BIT | GL_MAP_COHERENT_BIT);
 		map = (FFlatVertex*)glMapBufferRange(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, 0, bytesize, GL_MAP_WRITE_BIT | GL_MAP_PERSISTENT_BIT | GL_MAP_COHERENT_BIT);
+		DPrintf(DMSG_NOTIFY, "Using persistent buffer\n");
 		break;
 	}
 
@@ -157,13 +158,14 @@ FFlatVertexBuffer::FFlatVertexBuffer(int width, int height)
 		glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, vbo_id);
 		glBufferData(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, bytesize, NULL, GL_STREAM_DRAW);
 		map = nullptr;
+		DPrintf(DMSG_NOTIFY, "Using deferred buffer\n");
 		break;
 	}
 
 	case BM_CLIENTARRAY:
 	{
-		// The fallback path uses immediate mode rendering and does not set up an actual vertex buffer
 		map = new FFlatVertex[BUFFER_SIZE];
+		DPrintf(DMSG_NOTIFY, "Using client array buffer\n");
 		break;
 	}
 	}
diff --git a/src/gl/renderer/gl_renderer.cpp b/src/gl/renderer/gl_renderer.cpp
index eb0eebaa1..c8f2eb224 100644
--- a/src/gl/renderer/gl_renderer.cpp
+++ b/src/gl/renderer/gl_renderer.cpp
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ void FGLRenderer::Initialize(int width, int height)
 	m2DDrawer = new F2DDrawer;
 
 	// Only needed for the core profile, because someone decided it was a good idea to remove the default VAO.
-	if (gl.version >= 4.0)
+	if (gl.buffermethod != BM_CLIENTARRAY)
 	{
 		glGenVertexArrays(1, &mVAOID);
 		glBindVertexArray(mVAOID);
diff --git a/src/gl/system/gl_interface.cpp b/src/gl/system/gl_interface.cpp
index 9eb1d779e..c54d96448 100644
--- a/src/gl/system/gl_interface.cpp
+++ b/src/gl/system/gl_interface.cpp
@@ -156,14 +156,6 @@ void gl_LoadExtensions()
 
 	gl.version = strtod(version, NULL) + 0.01f;
 
-	bool iscore = false;
-	if (gl.version >= 3.2)
-	{
-		int v;
-		glGetIntegerv(GL_CONTEXT_PROFILE_MASK, &v);
-		iscore = !!(v & GL_CONTEXT_CORE_PROFILE_BIT);
-	}
-
 	// Don't even start if it's lower than 2.0 or no framebuffers are available
 	if ((gl.version < 2.0 || !CheckExtension("GL_EXT_framebuffer_object")) && gl.version < 3.0)
 	{
@@ -186,10 +178,7 @@ void gl_LoadExtensions()
 	if (gl.version > 3.0f && (gl.version >= 3.3f || CheckExtension("GL_ARB_uniform_buffer_object")))
 	{
 		gl.lightmethod = LM_DEFERRED;
-		if (iscore)
-		{
-			gl.buffermethod = BM_DEFERRED;
-		}
+		gl.buffermethod = BM_DEFERRED;
 	}
 
 	if (CheckExtension("GL_ARB_texture_compression")) gl.flags |= RFL_TEXTURE_COMPRESSION;
diff --git a/src/win32/win32gliface.cpp b/src/win32/win32gliface.cpp
index 23f156592..494d94233 100644
--- a/src/win32/win32gliface.cpp
+++ b/src/win32/win32gliface.cpp
@@ -737,42 +737,6 @@ bool Win32GLVideo::SetupPixelFormat(int multisample)
 //
 //==========================================================================
 
-// since we cannot use the extension loader here, before it gets initialized,
-// we have to define the extended GL stuff we need, ourselves here.
-// The headers generated by GLLoadGen only work if the loader gets initialized.
-typedef const GLubyte * (APIENTRY *PFNGLGETSTRINGIPROC)(GLenum, GLuint);
-#define GL_NUM_EXTENSIONS 0x821D
-
-bool Win32GLVideo::checkCoreUsability()
-{
-	const char *version = Args->CheckValue("-glversion");
-	if (version != NULL)
-	{
-		if (strtod(version, NULL) < 4.0) return false;
-	}
-	if (Args->CheckParm("-noshader")) return false;
-
-	// GL 4.4 implies GL_ARB_buffer_storage
-	if (strcmp((char*)glGetString(GL_VERSION), "4.4") >= 0) return true;
-
-	// at this point the extension loader has not been initialized so we have to retrieve glGetStringi ourselves.
-	PFNGLGETSTRINGIPROC myglGetStringi = (PFNGLGETSTRINGIPROC)wglGetProcAddress("glGetStringi");
-	if (!myglGetStringi) return false;	// this should not happen.
-
-	const char *extension;
-
-	int max = 0;
-	glGetIntegerv(GL_NUM_EXTENSIONS, &max);
-
-	// step through all reported extensions and see if we got what we need...
-	for (int i = 0; i < max; i++)
-	{
-		extension = (const char*)myglGetStringi(GL_EXTENSIONS, i);
-		if (!strcmp(extension, "GL_ARB_buffer_storage")) return true;
-	}
-	return false;
-}
-
 bool Win32GLVideo::InitHardware (HWND Window, int multisample)
 {
 	m_Window=Window;
@@ -783,7 +747,14 @@ bool Win32GLVideo::InitHardware (HWND Window, int multisample)
 		return false;
 	}
 
-	for (int prof = WGL_CONTEXT_CORE_PROFILE_BIT_ARB; prof <= WGL_CONTEXT_COMPATIBILITY_PROFILE_BIT_ARB; prof++)
+	int prof = WGL_CONTEXT_CORE_PROFILE_BIT_ARB;
+	const char *lm = Args->CheckValue("-buffermethod");
+	if (lm != NULL)
+	{
+		if (!stricmp(lm, "clientarray")) prof = WGL_CONTEXT_COMPATIBILITY_PROFILE_BIT_ARB;
+	}
+
+	for (; prof <= WGL_CONTEXT_COMPATIBILITY_PROFILE_BIT_ARB; prof++)
 	{
 		m_hRC = NULL;
 		if (myWglCreateContextAttribsARB != NULL)
@@ -802,8 +773,6 @@ bool Win32GLVideo::InitHardware (HWND Window, int multisample)
 					0
 				};
 
-				//Printf("Trying to create an OpenGL %d.%d %s profile context\n", versions[i] / 10, versions[i] % 10, prof == WGL_CONTEXT_CORE_PROFILE_BIT_ARB ? "Core" : "Compatibility");
-
 				m_hRC = myWglCreateContextAttribsARB(m_hDC, 0, ctxAttribs);
 				if (m_hRC != NULL) break;
 			}
@@ -811,7 +780,6 @@ bool Win32GLVideo::InitHardware (HWND Window, int multisample)
 
 		if (m_hRC == NULL && prof == WGL_CONTEXT_COMPATIBILITY_PROFILE_BIT_ARB)
 		{
-
 			m_hRC = wglCreateContext(m_hDC);
 			if (m_hRC == NULL)
 			{
@@ -823,17 +791,7 @@ bool Win32GLVideo::InitHardware (HWND Window, int multisample)
 		if (m_hRC != NULL)
 		{
 			wglMakeCurrent(m_hDC, m_hRC);
-
-			// we can only use core profile contexts if GL_ARB_buffer_storage is supported or GL version is >= 4.4
-			if (prof == WGL_CONTEXT_CORE_PROFILE_BIT_ARB && !checkCoreUsability())
-			{
-				wglMakeCurrent(0, 0);
-				wglDeleteContext(m_hRC);
-			}
-			else
-			{
-				return true;
-			}
+			return true;
 		}
 	}
 	// We get here if the driver doesn't support the modern context creation API which always means an old driver.
diff --git a/src/win32/win32gliface.h b/src/win32/win32gliface.h
index 00e6cba81..6320e2903 100644
--- a/src/win32/win32gliface.h
+++ b/src/win32/win32gliface.h
@@ -86,7 +86,6 @@ protected:
 	void MakeModesList();
 	void AddMode(int x, int y, int bits, int baseHeight, int refreshHz);
 	void FreeModes();
-	bool checkCoreUsability();
 public:
 	int GetTrueHeight() { return m_trueHeight; }