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> It's sad to hear that graphics drivers are still not a solved problem on Linux. They are, Intel and AMD have shown that it can be done and it can be done exc

> It's sad to hear that graphics drivers are still not a solved problem on Linux. They are, Intel and AMD have shown that it can be done and it can be done excellently. NVIDIA just decided they do not want to be part of the solution.

danuker 5y ago
Absolutely. On my last NVIDIA device, I ended up using Nouveau (luckily enough my specific card did not have firmware signing - NV110). There were absolutely no crashes, but some games did become unplayable (incomplete features). https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html Ever since, I have only bought CPU-integrated graphics (an Intel desktop and an AMD laptop for my cousin). Proud to say I have never sponsored the mandatory signed firmware devices.
- Kon-Peki 5y ago
  My son wanted a "gaming PC" and I gave in with the only stipulation being that it had to be Linux. He plays Minecraft and Cities: Skylines, so it's all good. The Nouveau drivers suck for this. It's a ~3-year old i7 PC with a 1660 GPU. Maybe that's the difference? Switching from Nouveau to the Ubuntu-provided recommended Nvidia driver (510.XX?) gives you a 200-300% improvement!
  - rhn_mk1 5y ago
    > Maybe that's the difference? The difference is that free drivers don't have access to changing the GPU frequency in newer cards. Newer means anything above NV110, that is, 900-series.
    - Kon-Peki 5y ago
      Thanks for the info!
  - danuker 5y ago
    Certainly the Nouveau drivers are slower. I sacrificed both speed and capability for software freedom. I don't know about Minecraft, but Minetest runs well for me on Nouveau, on a 7-year old i7 with a GTX 850M. I tried RimWorld and Factorio, but they were unplayable due to I believe missing OpenGL features. I have not tried Cities: Skylines.
- kmeisthax 5y ago
  Pedant nit: Intel and AMD CPUs also both have mandatory signed firmware with higher privilege levels[0] than Linux. Blame enterprises that want owner-operated backdoors into their own system. It's still not as egregious as Nvidia's though, which is specifically designed as a defeat device to frustrate the use of third-party drivers. You at least don't need ME/PSP access to boot into a Free OS. [0] ME/PSP are technically separate processors, but they have full control over the x86 cores. Their firmware can be minimized but they are integral to the boot process and enforce code signing on the BIOS. Speaking of, the BIOS gets to load into SMM, which has been around since the 386 and runs above both ring 0 and hypervisors.
newsclues 5y ago
I’m trying to be part of the solution by buying AND graphics card for my Linux box.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- throwawayninja 5y ago
  Vote with your wallet, very nice!
wing-_-nuts 5y ago
The problem with non-nvidia gpus is not having access to CUDA. Lots of productivity software target Nvidia for gpgpu stuff as well. As much as I love linux, if I built a gaming pc I'd swallow my pride and install windows with WSL and call it a day. I long for the day when AMD really invests in an open source alternative to CUDA and doesn't just abandon it like they did with ROCm.

danuker 5y ago

Absolutely. On my last NVIDIA device, I ended up using Nouveau (luckily enough my specific card did not have firmware signing - NV110). There were absolutely no crashes, but some games did become unplayable (incomplete features). https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/FeatureMatrix.html Ever since, I have only bought CPU-integrated graphics (an Intel desktop and an AMD laptop for my cousin). Proud to say I have never sponsored the mandatory signed firmware devices.

Kon-Peki 5y ago
My son wanted a "gaming PC" and I gave in with the only stipulation being that it had to be Linux. He plays Minecraft and Cities: Skylines, so it's all good. The Nouveau drivers suck for this. It's a ~3-year old i7 PC with a 1660 GPU. Maybe that's the difference? Switching from Nouveau to the Ubuntu-provided recommended Nvidia driver (510.XX?) gives you a 200-300% improvement!
- rhn_mk1 5y ago
  > Maybe that's the difference? The difference is that free drivers don't have access to changing the GPU frequency in newer cards. Newer means anything above NV110, that is, 900-series.
  - Kon-Peki 5y ago
    Thanks for the info!
- danuker 5y ago
  Certainly the Nouveau drivers are slower. I sacrificed both speed and capability for software freedom. I don't know about Minecraft, but Minetest runs well for me on Nouveau, on a 7-year old i7 with a GTX 850M. I tried RimWorld and Factorio, but they were unplayable due to I believe missing OpenGL features. I have not tried Cities: Skylines.
kmeisthax 5y ago
Pedant nit: Intel and AMD CPUs also both have mandatory signed firmware with higher privilege levels[0] than Linux. Blame enterprises that want owner-operated backdoors into their own system. It's still not as egregious as Nvidia's though, which is specifically designed as a defeat device to frustrate the use of third-party drivers. You at least don't need ME/PSP access to boot into a Free OS. [0] ME/PSP are technically separate processors, but they have full control over the x86 cores. Their firmware can be minimized but they are integral to the boot process and enforce code signing on the BIOS. Speaking of, the BIOS gets to load into SMM, which has been around since the 386 and runs above both ring 0 and hypervisors.

newsclues 5y ago

I’m trying to be part of the solution by buying AND graphics card for my Linux box.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
throwawayninja 5y ago
Vote with your wallet, very nice!

wing-_-nuts 5y ago

The problem with non-nvidia gpus is not having access to CUDA. Lots of productivity software target Nvidia for gpgpu stuff as well. As much as I love linux, if I built a gaming pc I'd swallow my pride and install windows with WSL and call it a day. I long for the day when AMD really invests in an open source alternative to CUDA and doesn't just abandon it like they did with ROCm.