Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

Temetka · 2015-11-03 07:39:29

So on my Precision M4400 I have an Nvidia Qaudro FX770M.

Right now I'm using the Nouveau driver and it seem to work fine playing video's and whatnot.

The question I have is would I see better performance from the Nvidia driver? In the past loading the Nvidia drivers for me on BL has been an excercise in frustration. If I were to load the driver, is there an officially sanctioned and safe method of doing so? What is the procedure for removing them and reverting to the Nouveau driver if it dorks over?

Thanks in advance.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2015-11-03 07:48:01

Temetka wrote:

The question I have is would I see better performance from the Nvidia driver?

Yes but reliability & stability would probably be slightly worse.

Temetka wrote:

is there an officially sanctioned and safe method of doing so?

https://wiki.debian.org/NvidiaGraphicsDrivers

As the page notes, it should be possible to install the very latest NVIDIA drivers directly from the Debian experimental repositories in jessie with no need to resort to sxmi.

Temetka wrote:

What is the procedure for removing them and reverting to the Nouveau driver if it dorks over?

Remove the xorg configuration file and the nouveau blacklist; to find the latter, use:

grep -R nouveau /etc/modprobe.d

ohnonot · 2015-11-03 08:23:39

bottom line, if you don't game or video edit or blender, nouveau should be good enough.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2015-11-03 08:26:49

^ +1

Temetka · 2015-11-03 16:36:31

ohnonot wrote:

bottom line, if you don't game or video edit or blender, nouveau should be good enough.

Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.

Sector11 · 2015-11-03 19:38:12

Unless you want to use "Temps" in your conky, the nouveau driver won't get them, at least on my machine.

And after having one CPU burn-up - I want Temps please.

Snap · 2015-11-03 20:14:13

I guess it depends on specific GPUs, but the ones I have/had make a big difference in video playback quality amongst other things, like making the fans spin like crazy or making them silent. Mileages may vary.

ohnonot · 2015-11-04 06:40:29

S11, CPU or GPU?
cpu temp has nothing to do withwhat gpu you're using, other than heat from the GPU could be bleeding over to your cpu and thus help fry it, but that's such an improbable scenario...

[off topic]
about spinning fans:
i have a cheap nvidia with a constantly spinning fan. i was so annoyed, in the end i ripped it off and replaced it with a giant cpu cooling grille from a discarded machine. temps are fine. there's a few youtube videos on the topic.
and don't underestimate the power of thermal paste.
[/off topic]

Snap · 2015-11-04 07:48:41

^ true. That sort of tampering is not always possible for laptops, whatsoever.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2015-11-04 08:07:33

Confirmation from @sunrat on FDN that the newest NVIDIA drivers from the Debian experimental repositories can be installed in jessie:
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?p=598160#p598160

Debian rocks!

damo · 2015-11-04 08:36:46

ohnonot wrote:

S11, CPU or GPU?.....

I think he is referring to `${nvidia_temp}`

Sector11 · 2015-11-04 20:14:19

^ No, I mean I have no temps with the nouveau driver ...

Why? - Not a clue!

Silly me ... hddtemp is there!

#1 2015-11-03 07:39:29

Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#2 2015-11-03 07:48:01

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#3 2015-11-03 08:23:39

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#4 2015-11-03 08:26:49

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#5 2015-11-03 16:36:31

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#6 2015-11-03 19:38:12

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#7 2015-11-03 20:14:13

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#8 2015-11-04 06:40:29

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#9 2015-11-04 07:48:41

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#10 2015-11-04 08:07:33

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#11 2015-11-04 08:36:46

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

#12 2015-11-04 20:14:19

Re: Q about Nvidia vs. Nouveau drivers

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