Best nVidia xorg.conf settings

[Guest]

Hi,
I'm testing the best desktop experience with KDE 4.1.2 and nVidia drivers 177.80 (from the official package 177.80-0ubuntu2).

I have a laptop with a "nVidia Corporation GeForce 8600M GT" card with 512mb of video ram.
After many tests, now, I have this "working" configuration:

from my xorg.conf

Section "Device"
    Identifier   "Configured Video Device"
    Driver "nvidia"
    Option "NoLogo"    "True"
    Option "RenderAccel"  "True"
    Option "PixmapCacheSize"    "300000"
EndSection

from my .kde/Autostart/nvidiaSettings.sh

nvidia-settings -a InitialPixmapPlacement=2 -a GlyphCache=1

KDE is usable, not snappy as the 3.5.x release, but no more hangs, crash or
really strange behaviours.

Are you using some other settings? I'm missing something? Let me know

Thank you!

[dibl]

Re: Best nVidia xorg.conf settings

One thing to keep in mind, the X.org version in 8.10 handles display management a lot differently -- the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file has much less to do with the display attributes for VESA, "nv" and other open source drivers. However, for proprietary drivers it is still important.

So, for Nvidia, after you install the proprietary driver, you need to run the included nvidia-xconfig utility, in Super User mode, and have it overwrite the xorg-conf file for you, prior to restarting X.

I previously posted my current xorg.conf file, which works well on my rig, here:

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...3054#msg153054

[Objekt]

Re: Best nVidia xorg.conf settings

Try turning off the desktop effects to make things snappier. I'm not sure why it mattered, but I noticed a large increaes in subjective "smoothness" in one of my fullscreen first-person shooters (Urban Terror 4.1) under 64-bit Kubuntu 8.10 after I turned off the desktop effects. Previously, the game was just slightly choppy, despite the displayed framerate of 86-90 frames/sec, which is almost exactly what I get under Windows. I could never put a finger on it, but after I turned up antialiasing and killed Desktop Effects, UT runs butter-smooth, just as it does in Windows XP.

Speaking of which, I'm rather happy that the Linux Nvidia drivers perform almost identically to the Windows ones. I'm not sure why I would get *fewer* frames/sec under Linux, but there you are. I speculate the 177.80 drivers are simply not quite as polished as their Windows counterparts. Not that it affects the visual experience - just an interesting technical note.

dibl, I think we have exactly the same Altec Lansing speakers.

[Guest]

Re: Best nVidia xorg.conf settings

It's nice to see some fast and productive answers guys, thanks!

I have made some changes to my xorg.conf (based on the config posted by dibl, thx!)

I'll try also some FPS game when my desktop will be stable enough

I have only a last question, guys: anyone is using the

nvidia-settings -a InitialPixmapPlacement=2 -a GlyphCache=1

stuff I've found this tip in some forum and into the nVidia driver release notes (if
I remember correctly...).

Thanks anyway!

[dibl]

Re: Best nVidia xorg.conf settings

dibl, I think we have exactly the same Altec Lansing speakers.

I love my speaker set! But where did you ever find that? Did I post it somewhere?

@huntz, I have not used the nvidia-settings command that way, although I recognize that from the nvidia forum. I think that was only useful in some limited cases, and for earlier versions of KDE 4.

[Objekt]

Re: Best nVidia xorg.conf settings

I have only a last question, guys: anyone is using the

nvidia-settings -a InitialPixmapPlacement=2 -a GlyphCache=1

stuff I've found this tip in some forum and into the nVidia driver release notes (if
I remember correctly...).

Thanks anyway!

No, but then, I've had no problems since I installed the Nvidia drivers with the help of one of dibl's excellent HOWTOs.

FWIW, my video hardware is an XFX GeForce 9800 GTX+ with 512 MB RAM. There isn't much this card can't handle, and it was a breeze to get it doing 3D stuff in Kubuntu 8.10.

dibl, you linked to a web page showing those speakers in a post replying to someone who was having sound problems. I believe we're talking about model VS4221. I was especially pleased with the provision of RCA inputs, which let me use them with an Xbox 360 I borrowed for a weekend.