PC build for a software engineer
PC build for a software engineer
The latest minor update of the Linux kernel is 5.14, released on August 29. NVIDIA didn't provide functional drivers until September 20. Such delays are common, allowing weeks or even longer periods without usable drivers after each kernel release. A notable case involves Xorg ABI changes, which can persistently affect all Xorg users, including those on non-Linux systems like FreeBSD. Unlike AMDGPU, where source code is accessible and driver maintenance is community-driven, NVIDIA often delays updates due to hardware launch constraints. This means you can't run a kernel or display server that's too recent for the available drivers, as they're integrated into the Linux kernel or Mesa.
Hmm, that sounds different. The issue was tied to a specific bug in KMS, while the driver itself functioned properly otherwise. Your case involves an older driver that had already been marked for discontinuation. This also relates to a previous GPU model that didn’t receive updates due to ABI changes. I’m pleased this applies only to Polaris and later models, since GCN and Terascale aren’t affected and newer AMD GPUs are supported. DKMS exists and its headers are open-source. The main challenge I’ve had with NVIDIA over the past five years was a problematic workaround (the GPL shield), which delayed my kernel updates for about a month. On the flip side, AMDGPU has generally been more stable, though it still presents issues on Linux—especially with ROCm—and I haven’t encountered widespread problems with NVIDIA lately.
Are you sure? Most benchmarks for OpenCL on Linux favor AMD. Plus, the NVIDIA driver works well only on Pop_OS, making it a hassle for beginners.
Here are some reference points you can use. The benchmarks I found are somewhat outdated and might not reflect today’s performance trends. AMD’s GPU performance was notable mainly for memory bandwidth thanks to HBM2 technology. Beyond that, I rarely work with raw OpenCL tasks because my projects are mostly CUDA-based—ROCm seems capable but isn’t functioning well yet. The gaming benchmarks align closely with what I mentioned earlier: NVIDIA and AMD are within about 5% of each other. As for operating systems, I don’t have a strong opinion since I primarily use Arch on my PCs and Ubuntu for my remote workstation.
It seems my distribution didn't update the new NVIDIA drivers as swiftly as the 5.14 kernel did. AMD took a longer time to revise their driver stack. I wasn't aware how outdated the cards from the 340 series were—they're quite old. DKMS works mainly for ABI modifications; it doesn't assist with ABI changes in advanced driver layers or API updates in the kernel. You might want to try instructing NVIDIA drivers to overlook Xorg ABI changes, as these seem less common. Recent hardware updates appear to align well with those changes.
My journey with NVIDIA on Linux started with the Pascal series, which is still relatively new, hence I mentioned having no issues. With AMD, I've been using Linux since GCN 1.0, and I still have a Polaris GPU in my desktop, though it often causes daily headaches.
Those issues were related to a Polaris GPU a few years back, but now everything seems okay. I’m reconsidering my earlier advice about graphics cards. For my setup, I’d still favor a GPU with drivers available directly in Linux and Mesa. Since the person here already has a very recent NVIDIA card, they should be fine sticking with it.
Usually people encountered similar issues before, like sound problems and slow performance. Today, it runs smoothly for basic desktop use, but for computing tasks it’s better to choose a PC with an AMD processor if you want something simple. If you already have a Nvidia graphics card or need more power, using a Nvidia GPU is still the best option, as most users are familiar with installing drivers on Windows.