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NVIDIA continue to fix up and improve their Linux drivers, with a brand new Vulkan Beta Driver available today.

This is the testing area where NVIDIA put in new features, add in new Vulkan API support like the provisional vendor-neutral Ray Tracing that went in recently and more that eventually make their way into their normal drivers. Here's the highlights of the Linux 440.66.07 driver:

  • New:
    • Multi thread-capable deferred ray tracing pipeline creation
    • Allow presenting from queue families which only expose VK_QUEUE_COMPUTE_BIT when using XCB in addition to Xlib surfaces [Linux]
  • Fixes:
    • Added a workaround for Linux Steam Play title DOOM Eternal, which overrides application requested memory locations, to ensure performance-critical resources be placed in video memory [Linux]
    • Correctly cap the drawCount for vkCmdDrawIndirectCount and vkCmdDrawIndexedIndirectCount on Turing GPUs
    • Fixed descriptor indexing with large arrays and large blocks

You can see the Vulkan Beta Driver on the NVIDIA website. Only use them if you want to test the very latest stuff. You can tell they're the Beta drivers by the extra two digits in the version number.

Note: The newest stable version of the NVIDIA drivers for Linux is 440.64 that released on February 28.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Kithop Apr 1, 2020
Not sure if this will include fixes to get their DKMS garbage to compile right against kernel 5.6, but if not, I've had some luck with this patch someone else figured out:

NVIDIA 440.64 - Kernel 5.6

(e.g. for Gentoo users, just grab that raw and drop it in as /etc/portage/patches/x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers-440.64/linux-5.6-compatibility.patch , then re-emerge x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers )

I still regret buying a GTX 980 years ago, now that AMDGPU exists, but still.
Luke_Nukem Apr 1, 2020
Is there a PPA for beta drivers in Ubuntu? I've relied on packaged driver for so long I've forgotten the basics
poke86 Apr 1, 2020
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The way I do it (xubuntu):

- Download the driver
- chmod +x on the package
- log into to tty1, run > sudo service lightdm stop
- launch the package, follow the instructions
- sudo service lightdm start

there you go, there's a chance you might have to do it again next time you update you kernel.

I'm getting 120+ FPS @ 1440p Ultra Nightmare settings now :) (RTX 2080)
Luke_Nukem Apr 2, 2020
I was able to purge nvidia drivers through apt, and install manually. Also able to keep prime-select to enable gpu offload and power savings, so that's good.

I was kind of hoping this driver might have an impact on Wreckfest performance, and it looks like it definitely did - so the D:E fix might have an impact on other games too.
Alm888 Apr 2, 2020
QuoteAdded a workaround for Linux Steam Play title DOOM Eternal, which overrides application requested memory locations
Wait, WHAT?!
In other words, "DOOM Eternal" has instructions to specifically place resources in system RAM instead of VRAM if ran on Linux? I mean, Windows® users do not encounter the "resources are in RAM" issue, that mean developers deliberately wrote the application to misbehave on Linux. That's a sabotage!
pete910 Apr 2, 2020
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Quoting: Alm888
QuoteAdded a workaround for Linux Steam Play title DOOM Eternal, which overrides application requested memory locations
Wait, WHAT?!
In other words, "DOOM Eternal" has instructions to specifically place resources in system RAM instead of VRAM if ran on Linux? I mean, Windows® users do not encounter the "resources are in RAM" issue, that mean developers deliberately wrote the application to misbehave on Linux. That's a sabotage!



How you come to that conclusion when it's fine on AMD in linux.

Think you need to take the tin foil off
Xakep_SDK Apr 2, 2020
Quoting: Alm888
QuoteAdded a workaround for Linux Steam Play title DOOM Eternal, which overrides application requested memory locations
Wait, WHAT?!
In other words, "DOOM Eternal" has instructions to specifically place resources in system RAM instead of VRAM if ran on Linux? I mean, Windows® users do not encounter the "resources are in RAM" issue, that mean developers deliberately wrote the application to misbehave on Linux. That's a sabotage!
Windows driver works bit different in some aspects, game relies on windows behavior. It's likely unintended id fault.


Last edited by Xakep_SDK on 2 April 2020 at 9:02 am UTC
pete910 Apr 2, 2020
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I say more like a NV driver issue or AMD/Intel would have had to do same.
rstrube Apr 2, 2020
For those of you trying to make the beta driver work with kernel 5.6.x, you'll need to apply a patch to Nvidia's module code in order for it to compile.

I found this which was able to help me get it up and running on Fedora 32 (running kernel 5.6). https://gitlab.com/snippets/1945940

Nice performance improvements overall, he's hoping that the updates make their way into a stable driver release soon!
BrazilianGamer Apr 2, 2020
That's awesome but there's a question that occurs to me every time I see these kinda news. Should I buy a Nvidia or an AMD card? Because on one hand, Nvidia is really spitting code on a weekly basis and really improving its drivers but on the other hand, AMD's driver is FOSS and is being improved at almost, if not the same pace as Nvidia's. What do you guys think about it?


Last edited by BrazilianGamer on 2 April 2020 at 7:25 pm UTC
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