OS: openSUSE Leap 16.0
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 710
Current Driver: nouveau
Driver downloaded from Nvidia website: NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.256.02.run
Need to lean on the experts here. My GPU is somewhat dated. Currently, nouveau seems to rely on my CPU for 100% of the graphics requirements, while my GPU sits idle. I downloaded the driver specifically listed for my GPU from Nvidia’s website. My hope is that I can configure my system to load the driver, and start using the GPU for graphics, instead of the CPU. Please help. Thank you.
Hi, there is no support for the older driver in Leap 16.0. There is in Tumbleweed, but even there I have an older GPU from the same era, it runs the nouveau driver fine…
Just make sure you have the relevant nouveau packages installed zypper se nouveau.
If you wish to use the run file, you would need to find the patches etc to make it work.
Okay, those packages were already installed. I did run the update-bootloader commands. Hope that might help. According the System Monitor, the GPU remains idle while the CPU handles everything, including graphics:
My system did not seem to like Wayland. Tried booting into wayland twice, and both times my browser would not load webpages, with my CPU fan running hard. Switched back to x11, and back to “normal” now. Here is inxi o/p:
If you run vulkaninfo any output? If not then I guess no vulkan which may be the reason why. This was a fresh install? If an upgrade, do you have some xorg configuration?
This is a fresh install, with a refresh and update after installing. Looks like my CPU might be incompatible with vulkan? here is the o/p of vulkaninfo:
ERROR: [Loader Message] Code 0 : vkCreateInstance: Found no drivers!
Cannot create Vulkan instance.
This problem is often caused by a faulty installation of the Vulkan driver or attempting to use a GPU that does not support Vulkan.
ERROR at /home/abuild/rpmbuild/BUILD/vulkan-tools-1.4.304-build/Vulkan-Tools-1.4.304/vulkaninfo/./vulkaninfo.h:456:vkCreateInstance failed with ERROR_INCOMPATIBLE_DRIVER
If @hui 's suggestions don’t work, wait for @mrmazda. I do have some hardware here, some zontac GT710’s I can setup and older system with to see if needed.
Okay, I installed libvulkan_intel and Mesa-vulkan-device-select as @hui suggested. It would appear my GPU is still being completely ignored. Thank you for the suggestions @hui & @malcolmlewis Hopefully @mrmazda can weigh in on this.
I am seeing one huge improvement since implementing the above suggestions: Before, even though I have turned off all hibernation settings, the screen would go black after a period of no activity. And, I was unable to restart the session without accessing TTY and rebooting from there.
Now, the screen still goes black, but wakes back up as soon as I move the mouse. Huge improvement.
While I’m not experiencing any undue behavior from my own GT 710, based solely upon glmark2 score, I suggest the best way forward to be to simply remove that ancient GT 710 and use the much newer UHD 630 in the i7-9700, if the motherboard has a DisplayPort, HDMI and/or DVI connector with which to connect the Viewsonic, preferably DisplayPort. OP’s Coffee Lake GPU will almost certainly do better than my 2 generations older Kaby Lake, though not as good as my 2 generations newer RocketLake:
June thread here from another GK208B user is here. After it and 2 prior threads here about his GT 710 experiences, he bought a Radeon RX-550 to replace it.
Thank you @mrmazda@malcolmlewis@hui I might have to bite the bullet and replace that GT 710 dinosaur.
How do you guys feel about a Google Gemini AI suggestion that I install the driver I downloaded from Nvidia’s website with the following steps:
Step 1: Install Necessary Compilers and Headers
sudo zypper in gcc make dkms kernel-default-devel
Step 2: Blacklist the Open-Source Nouveau Driver
echo "blacklist nouveau" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/nouveau-blacklist.conf
echo "options nouveau modeset=0" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/nouveau-blacklist.conf
sudo dracut --force
Step 3: Switch to a Text Terminal (TTY3) <Ctrl + Alt + F3> Then:
sudo su
Step 4: Shut Down the Display Manager
systemctl stop display-manager
Step 5: Execute the .run Installer (Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual system home folder name).
cd /home/YOUR_USERNAME/Downloads
chmod +x NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.256.02.run
./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-470.256.02.run
@bgreen777 That is the normal process to use the run file, however due to kernel changes the G04 driver will likely need patching with patches you will need to find and add to the run file…
Along with @mrmazda’s comments, the other option if your not into anything GPU special would be an Intel ARC gpu, I have a Intel ARC A310 eco device that works well, same footprint as the GT710…
Excellent, that looks like a nice, low-cost choice. I really don’t need anything special at all; just something that works, and takes the load off my CPU.
I will look deeper into replacements suggested by @mrmazda as well. You guys are great. I appreciate @hui too.
