Issue with AMD GPU driver on Ubuntu 18.04
Issue with AMD GPU driver on Ubuntu 18.04
You own a powerful system with a Ryzen 3600X, an ASRock Radeon 5700 Challenger, 16 GB Corsair Vengeance RAM, and a MSI B450 Pro gaming max. Everything functions well under Windows, but switching to Linux (Elementary OS 5.4 based on Ubuntu 18.04) has introduced some challenges. You notice freezing during video playback (YouTube, Zoom) and gaming sessions. Recently, you upgraded your graphics card from ASRock B450 PRO4 to MSI B450 Pro gaming max, which helped somewhat but didn’t eliminate the issues. Another issue arises when using Wine for Epic Games Store—after updating to kernel 5.9.4, you encounter a persistent error. These problems together suggest a driver-related concern. You’ve tried installing drivers from AMD and the PPA repositories, but encountered errors or failed installations. It seems the GPU drivers may not be compatible or properly configured for your Linux setup. Seeking advice on resolving this driver conflict would be helpful.
Check if you're installing the right Linux driver. There are only two options available. Consider updating your Ubuntu to the latest 20.04 or switching to CentOS with Ubuntu 20.04, then test the alternative driver.
Think about an upgrade similar to what you'd do with CentOS using Ubuntu 18.04, but instead of installing Ubuntu, aim for a version of Elementary OS based on Ubuntu 20.04.
Sorry, the latest release of Elementary OS is still pending for version 20.04.
The problem lies in the fact that the 5700 series is relatively new, and Ubuntu 20.04, being an LTS release, includes outdated drivers and kernel components. I suggest upgrading to Ubuntu 20.10 or Manjaro Linux. Manjaro uses Arch-based software with a slightly steeper learning curve than Ubuntu, so if you're comfortable with Ubuntu, installing 20.10 is recommended. You can upgrade from 20.04 to 20.10 via the software update feature in your current installation—set the notification for new Ubuntu releases to "any new version" and proceed without reinstalling.
Edited November 6, 2020 by Ashley xD (typo)
The name could be confusing but you're using Elementary OS based on Ubuntu 18.04, so upgrading isn't possible. I prefer Manjaro, which felt great in the past even though it was a bit challenging. There are no drivers available for Arch/Manjaro, but I'm unsure if performance will match Ubuntu 20.10.
Update the AMD drivers in Ubuntu's kernel and observe the changes.
On Linux you should get the AMDGPU Drivers included in the kernel and mesa stack. You won't need to download anything yourself. If you encounter problems, it's likely the kernel and/or Mesa version for your distro is outdated. Using the AMDGPU-PRO drivers or Radeon usually causes compatibility and performance problems beyond workstation use.
I'm using kernel 5.9.4 right now, and the main GUI isn't updating to version 5.9.6 for any reason. @Nayr438 The command sudo lshw -C display shows I have the AMD GPU drivers installed.