Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

[joneall]

This item is split from a former larger one at http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=3112432

I found that use of the Nvidia driver with my hardware and Lucid with KDE 4.4.2 led to a slowing down of Gimp performance, particularly using the Perspective Tool. I also oberved what seems to me strange process behavior.

Hardware:
Gigabyte G31M-E2SL motherboard
Intel Dual Core E 5400 2.7 GHx 2MB
4 GB RAM (Kingston PC800)
MIS 240 GT 1 GB video card

WIthout the Nividia driver, Gimp performs well. Using the Perspective Tool, the shape of the object on the display changes within one second of moving the mouse. I notice that I can easily get CPU usage up to 99% and that it is the Gimp process which is using it.

With the Nivida driver, the Perspective Tool is practically useless: On-screen shape change takes several seconds to show up. CPU usage is again above 90%, only now the top process is Xorg!

At the end of installing the Nvidia driver, it says you must restart the X display manager in order to use the Nvidia version, so I presume the Xorg which is using the CPU is Nvidia's. Is this true?

Anyone else have any opinions on the Nvidia "driver" or this video card or chip?

In both cases, it seems to be the CPU which is working, not the video card.

[Snowhog]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

Which nVidia driver are you trying?

NVIDIA DRIVERS 195.36.24 Certified

Your card is listed as supported:

GeForce 200 series:
GT 240, GTX 285, GT 220, GTX 275, 210, GTX 260, GTX 295, GT 230, G210, GTS 240, GTX 280, GTS 250, 205

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Note that many Linux distributions provide their own packages of the NVIDIA Linux Graphics Driver in the distribution's native package management format. This may interact better with the rest of your distribution's framework, and you may want to use this rather than NVIDIA's official package.

Also note that SuSE users should read the SuSE NVIDIA Installer HOWTO before downloading the driver.
Installation instructions: Once you have downloaded the driver, change to the directory containing the driver package and install the driver by running, as root, sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-195.36.24-pkg1.run

One of the last installation steps will offer to update your X configuration file. Either accept that offer, edit your X configuration file manually so that the NVIDIA X driver will be used, or run nvidia-xconfig

See the README for more detailed instructions.

[dibl]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

Upon first installing 10.04 (Alpha 3), I was impressed with how well the nouveau driver worked. Web browsing and file-browsing and everything looked great and worked smooth. However, I use the desktop effects, and the nouveau driver does not support 3D.

So, you have trade-offs. If your most important tasks only involve 2D video, then perhaps the nouveau driver is the best choice, since it will consume less resources.

[abalone]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

No "Suspend to RAM" for me without the proprietary driver. Also no tearing-free desktop without compositing and no compositing without the proprietary driver. So I need it in order not to cry.

[geezer]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

After trying for many, many, many, many, many times and having the proprietary driver crash the whole system every time. Many, many, many different versions - no difference between versions. I have stopped even trying the proprietary driver.

I may weaken again and be tempted to try again, but it would simpler to just pay some one $5 to hit me over the head until the urge stops.

I don't know if it is my particular NVidia video card, or a combination of the card and the motherboard or what, but as soon as the proprietary driver is installed and I attempt to use it, the system crashes. The only way toe get it back is to reboot into the rescue OS and and the generic stuff put back in place.

[joneall]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

Geezer, that sounds familiar, tho not identical. What hardware do you have? Especially, what video card?

[sixonetonoffun]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

I have to say I was impressed with the install from Hardware drivers tool. It worked as expected which is all I hoped for. I didn't have to do any extra blacklisting or anything. But it was the first thing I did after fresh install.

Since I've installed the 256.29 version and the backported version of x from https://launchpad.net/~xorg-edgers/+archive/ppa and my 3-d frame rate has improved slightly so I'll keep it

[dibl]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

I never realized until just now that the 10.04 release notes claim you can't use the Nvidia proprietary installer:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LucidLynx/ReleaseNotes

I wonder why I'm able to use it? Maybe they mean "unless you blacklist the nouveau (and for some, the nvidiafb) modules" ....

@geezer, do tell what is your mobo and your Nvidia card model? Also, does your BIOS have a "shared video memory" setting? That may be an issue.

[joneall]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

Sorry, what is all this blacklisting you guys are talking about?

[Snowhog]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

cat /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
# This file lists those modules which we don't want to be loaded by
# alias expansion, usually so some other driver will be loaded for the
# device instead.

[joneall]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

Ok, snowhog, but your file is empty. What are people blacklisting concerning this topic, the Nvidia driver and X server?

[dibl]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

@joneall, here is the /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf file from my Kubuntu 10.04 system. The red items were manually added by me -- all the rest of it was automatically generated during the installation:

# This file lists those modules which we don't want to be loaded by
# alias expansion, usually so some other driver will be loaded for the
# device instead.

# evbug is a debug tool that should be loaded explicitly
blacklist evbug

# these drivers are very simple, the HID drivers are usually preferred
blacklist usbmouse
blacklist usbkbd

# replaced by e100
blacklist eepro100

# replaced by tulip
blacklist de4x5

# causes no end of confusion by creating unexpected network interfaces
blacklist eth1394

# snd_intel8x0m can interfere with snd_intel8x0, doesn't seem to support much
# hardware on its own (Ubuntu bug #2011, #6810)
blacklist snd_intel8x0m

# Conflicts with dvb driver (which is better for handling this device)
blacklist snd_aw2

# causes failure to suspend on HP compaq nc6000 (Ubuntu: #10306)
blacklist i2c_i801

# replaced by p54pci
blacklist prism54

# replaced by b43 and ssb.
blacklist bcm43xx

# most apps now use garmin usb driver directly (Ubuntu: #114565)
blacklist garmin_gps

# replaced by asus-laptop (Ubuntu: #184721)
blacklist asus_acpi

# low-quality, just noise when being used for sound playback, causes
# hangs at desktop session start (Ubuntu: #246969)
blacklist snd_pcsp

# ugly and loud noise, getting on everyone's nerves; this should be done by a
# nice pulseaudio bing (Ubuntu: #77010)
blacklist pcspkr

# EDAC driver for amd76x clashes with the agp driver preventing the aperture
# from being initialised (Ubuntu: #297750). Blacklist so that the driver
# continues to build and is installable for the few cases where its
# really needed.
blacklist amd76x_edac
blacklist nouveau

#Logitech headset will lock up VMWare if this is loaded
blacklist snd_usb_audio

[Snowhog]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

Ok, snowhog, but your file is empty. What are people blacklisting concerning this topic, the Nvidia driver and X server?

No, it isn't empty. I only copied the 'header' to answer your "what is all this blacklisting you guys are talking about?" My file (which has not been modified by me) contains:

# This file lists those modules which we don't want to be loaded by
# alias expansion, usually so some other driver will be loaded for the
# device instead.

# evbug is a debug tool that should be loaded explicitly
blacklist evbug

# these drivers are very simple, the HID drivers are usually preferred
blacklist usbmouse
blacklist usbkbd

# replaced by e100
blacklist eepro100

# replaced by tulip
blacklist de4x5

# causes no end of confusion by creating unexpected network interfaces
blacklist eth1394

# snd_intel8x0m can interfere with snd_intel8x0, doesn't seem to support much
# hardware on its own (Ubuntu bug #2011, #6810)
blacklist snd_intel8x0m

# Conflicts with dvb driver (which is better for handling this device)
blacklist snd_aw2

# causes failure to suspend on HP compaq nc6000 (Ubuntu: #10306)
blacklist i2c_i801

# replaced by p54pci
blacklist prism54

# replaced by b43 and ssb.
blacklist bcm43xx

# most apps now use garmin usb driver directly (Ubuntu: #114565)
blacklist garmin_gps

# replaced by asus-laptop (Ubuntu: #184721)
blacklist asus_acpi

# low-quality, just noise when being used for sound playback, causes
# hangs at desktop session start (Ubuntu: #246969)
blacklist snd_pcsp

# ugly and loud noise, getting on everyone's nerves; this should be done by a
# nice pulseaudio bing (Ubuntu: #77010)
blacklist pcspkr

# EDAC driver for amd76x clashes with the agp driver preventing the aperture
# from being initialised (Ubuntu: #297750). Blacklist so that the driver
# continues to build and is installable for the few cases where its
# really needed.
blacklist amd76x_edac

[geezer]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

I never realized until just now that the 10.04 release notes claim you can't use the Nvidia proprietary installer:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LucidLynx/ReleaseNotes

I wonder why I'm able to use it? Maybe they mean "unless you blacklist the nouveau (and for some, the nvidiafb) modules" ....

@geezer, do tell what is your mobo and your Nvidia card model? Also, does your BIOS have a "shared video memory" setting? That may be an issue.

Video card: NVidia GeForce 8800 GT
Mother Board: Specs say Intel DP35DP

shared video memory setting?? I have been through most of the BIOS setting at one time or another out of curiosity or trying to set one thing or another and I do not recall seeing another like that.

Without fail every time I have tried the proprietary driver (and I have tried following the NVidia instructions and just using Synaptic to install) and every single time the system crashes, HARD, scary hard. I have to reboot and the boot process every time warns that the X files are faulty and I just let it redo the generic setup.

Not worth it to me any more to retry since I never know what damage the proprietary driver is doing to the hardware or files on the hard disks. I haven't detected any damage so far, but it seems to me that system crashes that bad will do damage sooner or later.

[Snowhog]

Re: Nvidia driver: Is it really an advantage?

Have you read through Chapter 4. Installing the NVIDIA Driver of the referenced NVIDIA Accelerated Linux Graphics Driver README and Installation Guide for the NVIDIA DRIVERS 195.36.24 Certified I identified earlier? This statement caught my eye:

Before you begin the installation, exit the X server and terminate all OpenGL applications (note that it is possible that some OpenGL applications persist even after the X server has stopped). You should also set the default run level on your system such that it will boot to a VGA console, and not directly to X.

If you've been attempting to install the driver while X was still running, maybe that has been contributing to your problems?