Nvidia render offload on Solus Budgie

dv-longinus

Hi All,

I have a Dell laptop G5 5587 with a gtx 1060 max-q.

I am trying to enable the nvidia render offloading using this : https://github.com/xulongwu4/nvidia-optimus-manager

but it doesn't work, the switch work. I can see that the driver for both intel and nvidia are loaded but it doesn't work.

How can we make this work?

Is there any other thing that needs to be modified?

Thank you in advance.

Quinix

Did you really follow and follow the instructions exactly?
With every change between the gpu`s you have to log out and log in again.
First, as described on the git page, you must first install the nvidia driver using doflicky. Just as is clearly described there.

There is another version that has an installation script and a GUI, which you can use to change later.
However, you have to replace a file of the version you have installed because it is newer. You can also see the comparison of both sides and the date.

https://github.com/Ronan-Kelley/nvidia-optimus-manager-gui

dv-longinus

Quinix

Thank you for the script, it won't work now as budgie use gdm not lightdm.

I tried several ways but nothing work so far.

You can see that the drivers are loaded :

Nvidia

lsmod | grep nvidia nvidia_uvm 1085440 0 nvidia_drm 49152 0 nvidia_modeset 1118208 1 nvidia_drm nvidia 20508672 17 nvidia_uvm,nvidia_modeset drm_kms_helper 229376 2 nvidia_drm,i915 ipmi_msghandler 65536 2 ipmi_devintf,nvidia drm 577536 9 drm_kms_helper,nvidia_drm,i915
Intel

lsmod | grep intel snd_sof_intel_hda_common 69632 1 snd_sof_pci snd_sof_intel_hda 16384 1 snd_sof_intel_hda_common snd_sof_intel_byt 16384 1 snd_sof_pci snd_sof_intel_ipc 16384 1 snd_sof_intel_byt snd_sof 106496 4 snd_sof_pci,snd_sof_intel_hda_common,snd_sof_intel_byt,snd_sof_intel_ipc snd_soc_hdac_hda 20480 2 snd_sof_intel_hda_common,snd_soc_skl snd_hda_ext_core 28672 4 snd_sof_intel_hda_common,snd_soc_hdac_hda,snd_soc_skl,snd_sof_intel_hda snd_soc_acpi_intel_match 32768 3 snd_sof_pci,snd_sof_intel_hda_common,snd_soc_skl snd_soc_acpi 16384 3 snd_sof_pci,snd_soc_acpi_intel_match,snd_soc_skl snd_soc_core 270336 4 snd_sof,snd_sof_intel_hda_common,snd_soc_hdac_hda,snd_soc_skl intel_rapl_msr 20480 0 intel_rapl_common 28672 1 intel_rapl_msr intel_powerclamp 20480 0 kvm_intel 241664 0 snd_hda_intel 45056 3 snd_intel_dspcfg 20480 4 snd_hda_intel,snd_sof_pci,snd_sof_intel_hda_common,snd_soc_skl kvm 790528 1 kvm_intel snd_hda_codec 163840 5 snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_soc_hdac_hda snd_hda_core 102400 10 snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_ext_core,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_sof_intel_hda_common,snd_soc_hdac_hda,snd_soc_skl,snd_sof_intel_hda snd_pcm 126976 9 snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_sof,snd_sof_intel_hda_common,snd_soc_core,snd_soc_skl,snd_hda_core,snd_pcm_dmaengine intel_wmi_thunderbolt 16384 0 snd 98304 16 snd_hda_codec_generic,snd_hda_codec_hdmi,snd_hwdep,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_timer,snd_compress,snd_soc_core,snd_pcm btintel 28672 1 btusb bluetooth 458752 31 btrtl,btintel,btbcm,bnep,btusb,rfcomm pinctrl_intel 28672 1 pinctrl_cannonlake intel_hid 16384 0 sparse_keymap 16384 2 intel_hid,dell_wmi wmi 32768 6 intel_wmi_thunderbolt,dell_wmi,wmi_bmof,dell_smbios,dell_wmi_descriptor,mxm_wmi
However I can't launch the nvidia-settings and the game doesn't work even when using :

__NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia

Quinix

Apparently it doesn't seem to work without the lightdm login manager.
The paths in the instructions are also called lightdm.
I recently wanted to install the kde version of solus. But just left it on the ground. Because then the optimus switch would no longer work.
My solus budgie installation is now about 1 year old. The lightdm login manager was installed during my installation.
No idea whether the login manager was exchanged with the latest install-iso of the budgie version.

Were the nvidia settings app also installed with your nvidia driver installation?

And do you maybe have a possibility in the bios to switch the gpu`s, and maybe did this before?

Unfortunately my bios doesn't give this possibility. But there should be laptops with the function in the bios.

dv-longinus

Quinix

Nor there ar eno direct link between the screen and the nvidia GPU, everyhting has to go throught the intel GPU.

I adapted the script from this repo : https://github.com/xulongwu4/nvidia-optimus-manager

the opti,us switch works.

What I want is to be able to use the prime render offload to use the nvidia GPU on demand.

In hybrid mode, if I nvidia-smi, this is what I get :

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Processes: GPU Memory |
| GPU PID Type Process name Usage |
|=============================================================================|
| No running processes found |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
`

dv-longinus

I actually manage to make the prime render offload to work.

The performance is on part if not better than the default prime where the Nvidia card is always on.

The switch between the Intel/Nvidia/Hybrid works just fine.

I will fork the projet and correct the install script when I have time.

dv-longinus

Good news, after some minor tweaks the laptop really behave like under windows, the render offload works great and I am getting a bit more performance than the prime sync.
The nvidia-settings works fine as well

Bad news.
Something seems broken in the Nvidia drivers (again). The vsync doesn't work (I tried everything).
So I have some screen tearing. However using libstrangle to limit the FPS help reduce the CPU/GPU usage.

So far so good, there is a thread regarding the vsync issue : https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/vsync-does-not-work-while-using-prime-render-offloading-optimus-nvidia-gpu/83011/5

But this issue could be link to this one : https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/hangs-freezes-when-vulkan-v-sync-vk-present-mode-fifo-khr-is-enabled/67751#5359836

Working on the a script I hope to have it ready this weekend.

dv-longinus

It works with Solus Plasma as well.

I have created a repo on gitlab. I just need to update the script for plasma and change the installation not to include the xorg.conf for the hybrid to allow the offload the work.
The only issue is the screen tearing.

I would love to see this issue fixed.

The issue rergarding the prime sync and vsync is now fixed with the latest beta drivers : 40.66.11

https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/hangs-freezes-when-vulkan-v-sync-vk-present-mode-fifo-khr-is-enabled/67751#5359836

I will playing around with these drivers once they are available in solus.

Staudey

dv-longinus I will playing around with these drivers once they are available in solus.

Just fyi, they are already available in the unstable repository and will be part of the next sync, i.e. probably Friday.

lf-araujo

@dv-longinus is this solution still working for you. It suddenly stopped in my case.

algent

@lf-araujo many things are changed in 4 years. It is better to start a new thread instead.
No reason to necro this post.