Unviewable desktop at normal DPI

English Hardware
1

I have a Phillips 4K monitor and NVIDIA GeForce GTK 970
I have installed the driver 375.20
I run Opensuse Leap 42.2 on an i7 with 32GB of memory
The problem is I have to force the DPI to 192 with minimum font size 14 to have a usable desktop and
not all programs take the forced settings./home/snowy/Documents/Screenshot_20161229_091144.png
Phillips edid

snowy@linux-0b1t:~> edid-decode /home/snowy/Documents/edid.bin
Extracted contents:
header:          00 ff ff ff ff ff ff 00
serial number:   41 0c d7 08 56 1b 00 00 1a 18
version:         01 04
basic params:    a5 3e 22 78 3a
chroma info:     55 25 a1 57 4f a0 28 0f 50 54
established:     bd 4b 00
standard:        d1 c0 81 80 81 40 95 0f 95 00 b3 00 81 c0 01 01
descriptor 1:    50 d0 00 a0 f0 70 3e 80 30 58 8a 00 6d 55 21 00 00 1a
descriptor 2:    02 3a 80 18 71 38 2d 40 58 2c 45 00 6d 55 21 00 00 1e
descriptor 3:    00 00 00 fc 00 50 68 69 6c 69 70 73 20 32 38 38 50 36
descriptor 4:    00 00 00 fd 00 17 50 1e a0 3c 01 0a 20 20 20 20 20 20
extensions:      01
checksum:        cd

Manufacturer: PHL Model 8d7 Serial Number 6998
Made week 26 of 2014
EDID version: 1.4
Digital display
8 bits per primary color channel
DisplayPort interface
Maximum image size: 62 cm x 34 cm
Gamma: 2.20
DPMS levels: Off
Supported color formats: RGB 4:4:4, YCrCb 4:4:4, YCrCb 4:2:2
First detailed timing is preferred timing
Established timings supported:
  720x400@70Hz
  640x480@60Hz
  640x480@67Hz
  640x480@72Hz
  640x480@75Hz
  800x600@60Hz
  800x600@75Hz
  1024x768@60Hz
  1024x768@75Hz
  1280x1024@75Hz
Standard timings supported:
  1920x1080@60Hz
  1280x1024@60Hz
  1280x960@60Hz
  1440x900@75Hz
  1440x900@60Hz
  1680x1050@60Hz
  1280x720@60Hz
Detailed mode: Clock 533.280 MHz, 621 mm x 341 mm
               3840 3888 3976 4000 hborder 0
               2160 2168 2178 2222 vborder 0
               +hsync -vsync 
Detailed mode: Clock 148.500 MHz, 621 mm x 341 mm
               1920 2008 2052 2200 hborder 0
               1080 1084 1089 1125 vborder 0
               +hsync +vsync 
Monitor ranges (bare limits): 23-80Hz V, 30-160kHz H, max dotclock 600MHz
Has 1 extension blocks
Checksum: 0xcd (valid)

CEA extension block
Extension version: 3
31 bytes of CEA data
  Video data block
    VIC   1 640x480@60Hz 
    VIC   2 720x480@60Hz 
    VIC   3 720x480@60Hz 
    VIC   4 1280x720@60Hz 
    VIC   5 1920x1080i@60Hz 
    VIC  16 1920x1080@60Hz (native)
    VIC  17 720x576@50Hz 
    VIC  18 720x576@50Hz 
    VIC  19 1280x720@50Hz 
    VIC  20 1920x1080i@50Hz 
    VIC  31 1920x1080@50Hz 
  Audio data block
    Linear PCM, max channels 2
    Supported sample rates (kHz): 48 44.1 32
    Supported sample sizes (bits): 24 20 16
  Speaker allocation data block
    Speaker map: FL/FR
  Vendor-specific data block, OUI 000c03 (HDMI)
    Source physical address 3.0.0.0
    Maximum TMDS clock: 600MHz
    Extended HDMI video details:
Underscans PC formats by default
Basic audio support
Supports YCbCr 4:4:4
Supports YCbCr 4:2:2
4 native detailed modes
Detailed mode: Clock 148.500 MHz, 621 mm x 341 mm
               1920 2448 2492 2640 hborder 0
               1080 1089 1095 1125 vborder 0
               -hsync -vsync 
Detailed mode: Clock 148.500 MHz, 621 mm x 341 mm
               1920 2008 2052 2200 hborder 0
               1080 1089 1095 1125 vborder 0
               -hsync -vsync 
Detailed mode: Clock 297.000 MHz, 621 mm x 341 mm
               3840 4016 4104 4400 hborder 0
               2160 2168 2178 2250 vborder 0
               +hsync -vsync 
Detailed mode: Clock 74.250 MHz, 621 mm x 341 mm
               1280 1720 1760 1980 hborder 0
                720  725  730  750 vborder 0
               +hsync +vsync 
Checksum: 0x80 (valid)

EDID block does NOT conform to EDID 1.3!
        Name descriptor not terminated with a newline
snowy@linux-0b1t:~>

xorg.conf

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings:  version 375.20  (buildmeister@swio-display-x86-rhel47-06)  Tue Nov 15 17:48:39 PST 2016

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig:  version 375.20  (buildmeister@swio-display-x86-rhel47-06)  Tue Nov 15 17:49:44 PST 2016

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
    Option         "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from data in "/etc/sysconfig/mouse"
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "yes"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

    # HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "SAMSUNG"
    HorizSync       15.0 - 81.0
    VertRefresh     24.0 - 75.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce GTX 970"
EndSection

Section "Screen"

# Removed Option "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-1"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "HDMI-0: 1920x1080_60 +0+0, DP-0: nvidia-auto-select +1920+0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "HDMI-0: 1920x1080_60 +0+0, DP-0: 3840x2160_60 +1920+0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "HDMI-0: 1920x1080_60 +0+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}, DP-0: 3840x2160_60 +1920+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "HDMI-0: 1920x1080_60_0 +0+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}, DP-0: 3840x2160_60 +1920+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "HDMI-0: nvidia-auto-select +3840+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}, DP-0: 3840x2160_60 +0+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "HDMI-0: 1920x1080_60 +3840+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}, DP-0: 3840x2160_60 +0+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "HDMI-0: nvidia-auto-select +0+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}, DP-0: nvidia-auto-select +1920+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "Stereo" "0"
    Option         "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-2"
    Option         "metamodes" "HDMI-0: 1920x1080_60_0 +0+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}, DP-0: 3840x2160_60 +1920+0 {ForceCompositionPipeline=On, ForceFullCompositionPipeline=On}"
    Option         "SLI" "Off"
    Option         "MultiGPU" "Off"
    Option         "BaseMosaic" "off"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

If I delete the xorg.conf the problem goes almost always - twice I’ve had to resort to a new install.
The problem with this is I have to keep resetting the video settings and I don’t know what the problem is still.
If I use Opensuse drivers I get the same problem.
If anyone can help it would be appreciated.

2

What is the actual problem? Widgets and fonts too small or too big in default setup?

What is the output of xdpyinfo? Only the dimensions and resolution lines are interesting.

If the physical dimensions of 621x341mm are correct and resolution is correctly calculated to something of 156 dpi in 4K mode and you want to force a different dpi, you might have to override the physical screen size to match your target dpi. That takes a bit of calculation but nothing that google and a pocket calculator cannot handle. I have found that dpi settings are largely ignored or, at least, not always applied but changing screen size forces everything to desired dpi.

3

This command will report your current display mode and DPI values…

xdpyinfo | grep -B2 resolution

For KDE Plasma 5, it is possible to adjust font DPI via System Settings > Font > Force fonts DPI and adjust DPI as required. Icon sizes can be adjusted to suit as well.

For Gnome, the ‘gnome-tweak-tool’ can be used to adjust DPI

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2911509/how-to-make-linuxs-desktop-look-good-on-high-resolution-displays.html

4

A good https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kz2E5Xy5tw) video about scaling KDE Plasma for use with HiDPI displays.

Along with setting the effective DPI from within the desktop environment, the author shows how to scale the display using

System Settings

5

[QUOTE=deano_ferrari;2806073]This command will report your current display mode and DPI values…

xdpyinfo | grep -B2 resolution

snowy@linux-0b1t:~> xdpyinfo | grep -B2 resolution
screen #0:
  dimensions:    5760x2160 pixels (3181x1193 millimeters)
  resolution:    46x46 dots per inch
snowy@linux-0b1t:~>

For KDE Plasma 5, it is possible to adjust font DPI via System Settings > Font > Force fonts DPI and adjust DPI as required. Icon sizes can be adjusted to suit as well.

I already do this - it’s mostly effective but some programs (Netbeans) don’t play the game, thereby making it useless to me.
I viewed the youtube but I’ve already tried that.
All of which points to a bug rather than settings, so now I wonder if this could be coming from the NVIDIA side side of things, rather than OpenSUSE?

6

Yes, I guess so.

7

this any use: https://netbeans.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=252452

8

Thank you ndc33, while that link didn’t answer the problem, the link off it did :wink:

http://openjdk.java.net/jeps/263

So now I wait for Java 9
Also thank you Deano - this link answers all the questions - nice to know it’s not NVIDIA or OpenSUSE :wink: