
Trying to fix my Linux graphics issues - brundolf
https://twitter.com/fasterthanlime/status/1303738588883046405
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brundolf
This is why I don't use Linux as a workstation unless I have an IT department
to manage it for me. Inevitably the system itself becomes the project.

"Mandelbug" is a fantastic new term I just learned

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rdegges
I've been using _nix as a desktop for close to 20 years now =)

I went through a phase where I compiled my desktop with Gentoo, OpenBSD,
FreeBSD -- I tried a ton of things. They were all fun, but required a __ton__
of time to get set up properly and be successful with. About 8 years ago I
started using Ubuntu for most things and for the most part, things just
"worked".

The one exception was graphics drivers. For some reason, getting graphics
drivers working __properly__ was always hell for me.

About 1.5 years ago I heard about Pop!_Os and gave that a try. It's a
distribution built on top of Ubuntu that provides superior driver support for
NVidia/AMD and generally solves all the issues I've had. Now I use that and
have a completely hassle-free experience, with literally no downsides so far.

If you're a _nix desktop user, I strongly recommend checking it out. It's been
a godsend for me: [https://pop.system76.com/](https://pop.system76.com/)

~~~
brundolf
Maybe I'll give that a try next time. I keep a Linux partition around on my
desktop for the handful of times a year that I need it, but even Ubuntu throws
up roadblocks occasionally.

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lasagnaphil
A lot of my fiddling with Linux graphics issues have simply gone away by using
Manjaro Linux (a user-friendly version of Arch Linux). It has a GUI
configuration manager (also available in command-line) which can easily
install and switch between multiple versions of drivers (both free and non-
free). It even has support for NVIDIA Optimus, which you can switch between
integrated/discrete graphics with only a shell logout/login (worked for XPS
15, not sure for others though)

Of course, the better way to solve this is to ditch NVIDIA altogether and move
to Intel/AMD, where you can reap the full benefits of Wayland. Although
Wayland works with NVIDIA on Gnome and KDE, the performance for XWayland (the
X.org compatibility layer for Wayland) still seems unusably slow.

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physicsguy
I love Linux, but this was my big problem with it when working as an academic.
Now that WSL is going to support CUDA I think that covers the last remaining
thing I was holding out for; it'd be nice to get IT support again other than
'We can reinstall the Linux OS'...

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BossingAround
> I love Linux, but this was my big problem with it when working as an
> academic

You mean basically that you needed to use graphical cores for your research,
but graphical drivers issues caused your performance to suffer?

Interesting... I thought Linux was way ahead in the academic sphere.

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numpad0
> I can basically pick between stuttering (video appears to jump forward /
> back) if I force a full composition pipeline, and tearing if I don't.

Isn’t that a performance issue rather than “a bug”?

~~~
BearOso
Yeah, and in that case the issue is in the opaque NVIDIA drivers that
reimplement the whole X server. The NVIDIA Linux driver is laser-focused for
areas it does well, and exotic configurations never worked out with it for me.

If you might possibly ever use something other than Windows, it's a good idea
to avoid multi-vendor graphics pipelines like these when considering a laptop.
It's also a good idea to avoid NVIDIA if you don't primarily intend to play
games or run compute.

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ehutch79
Linux is great for servers, but this kind of thing really makes it hard to
think about using as a desktop.

~~~
BossingAround
Depends what you use your computer for. Are you a heavy gamer? Yea, then Linux
will not work well for you (and neither will macOS).

Do you use your computer for consumption, like youtube videos, Netflix, Google
stuff, emails, etc., you're perfectly fine with Linux on the desktop.

~~~
joey_loey89
I use linux for gaming (on manjaro i3). Works great with steam proton. I have
an nvidia 1660 super. Its capable of playing any game ive tried at 60+ fps on
a 1080p monitor.

