Nvidia Firmware Problems on Linux Systems
Nvidia Firmware Problems on Linux Systems
I’ve shared a few stories from my own use. Generally, AMD GPU drivers tend to perform better than NVidia drivers on Linux. You’ll often notice improvements in tearing or stability, and better suspend support. That said, NVidia drivers aren’t terrible either. I still used them in 2019 and they worked fine enough. There were some minor hiccups, but I always found a way around them—like dealing with tearing. The suspend feature didn’t work, and I experienced occasional issues with NVidia and KDE Plasma. The problem usually had a workaround, though later updates seemed to fix it. It’s been two years, so things could have changed. Also, the specific GPU model matters; each generation might have its own quirks. I was running a GTX 970, and NVidia drivers were known for being slow to address errors or bugs in their Linux versions (even back then). If you’re on Linux, don’t rely on Windows benchmarks or general feedback—they don’t apply much. Focus on Linux comparisons and see how development is progressing. If you spot any issues, report them to the right channels: for AMD GPU, go to your distribution’s support or their forum. For NVidia, you might try posting on their official site to see if someone notices the problem. These are just points to keep in mind. If you’re planning a new GPU and mostly use Linux, an AMD option would be a solid choice. But if current Linux benchmarks look promising for your budget, NVidia could also be worth considering.
If you don’t intend to use a Linux-Libre kernel, you can go with a stable, long-term supported kernel.
It functions smoothly with the newest stable kernel, avoiding the need for a LTS release.
Absolutely exaggerated. Just check the distribution's repos or install from scratch offline. The main issue is probably the newest kernel, especially on older hardware like that Dell with the nVidia. It looks like the latest updates might have broken things, as I know from seeing Firefox 5.4.x in place of the older versions.
Typically stable kernel works well, but occasionally NVIDIA skips updating drivers for newer kernels (such as 5.9).
Kernel 5.10.x is creating issues across various platforms for Linux users. This claim is supported by multiple forums, so verify it yourself if you're unsure. For those needing reliability, LTS versions are generally more dependable than the transitional stages.
It wasn't about forgetting to update. They noticed a "gpl condom" mentioned by other kernel developers, which meant they had to slow down and create a driver that respected the kernel's licensing rules. You can find more details there. As I demonstrated, I'm using version 5.10 without problems, though this might just be another example of "works on my machine." I'm not familiar with any other issues others are facing, mainly because I don't often visit Linux-focused forums, but that's my opinion. Also, I'm not a big fan of Ubuntu, so I can't really discuss its workings.
Sorry, guys -- I was irritated by the graphics and kernel issues, plus the Firefox problems on an old laptop. I'm planning to discard the D630 since it's no longer useful. After spending most of the night removing 'buntus' and setting up MIYO ('make it your own') — a simple Devuan distro with openbox — and adding my preferred apps, I'm now seeing uname -a Linux miyodell 5.7.0-2-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 5.7.10-1 (2020-07-26) x86_64 GNU/Linux — everything works fine so far. The main worry was the MIYO installation on a newer Dell Latitude E5500, where the boot loader was expecting UEFI on a BIOS machine. I had to install and set up LILO from the console using APT just to get it running. No big deal. I'm currently using this distro. I don't know the exact problems with the newer kernel (5.10.x and above), but Firefox 84 and NVIDIA cards seem to be causing issues, possibly with some other distributions too. I downloaded Firefox 68.9.0esr from the official site, changed the autoupdate settings in about:config so it won't auto-update, and it's no longer an issue. Best wishes! Please stay safe until the 20th! [I'm happy I'm not living in Portland or Seattle anymore!]