How do I use my nvidia drivers instead of nouveau?

$ garuda-inxi
System:
Kernel: 6.6.1-zen1-1-zen arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 13.2.1
clocksource: tsc available: hpet,acpi_pm
parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/@/boot/vmlinuz-linux-zen
root=UUID=9a205767-ac33-490a-a332-e6636b659096 rw rootflags=subvol=@
quiet resume=UUID=6191c2e6-b711-4c30-a1fc-28818d68fbd4 loglevel=3 ibt=off
Desktop: KDE Plasma v: 5.27.9 tk: Qt v: 5.15.11 wm: kwin_wayland vt: 1
dm: SDDM Distro: Garuda Linux base: Arch Linux
Machine:
Type: Desktop Mobo: Micro-Star model: PRO H610M-G DDR4 (MS-7D46) v: 1.0
serial: <superuser required> UEFI: American Megatrends LLC. v: 1.30
date: 05/18/2022
CPU:
Info: model: 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12400F bits: 64 type: MT MCP
arch: Alder Lake gen: core 12 level: v3 note: check built: 2021+
process: Intel 7 (10nm ESF) family: 6 model-id: 0x97 (151) stepping: 5
microcode: 0x2E
Topology: cpus: 1x cores: 6 tpc: 2 threads: 12 smt: enabled cache:
L1: 480 KiB desc: d-6x48 KiB; i-6x32 KiB L2: 7.5 MiB desc: 6x1.2 MiB
L3: 18 MiB desc: 1x18 MiB
Speed (MHz): avg: 800 min/max: 800/4400 scaling: driver: intel_pstate
governor: performance cores: 1: 800 2: 800 3: 800 4: 800 5: 800 6: 800
7: 800 8: 800 9: 800 10: 800 11: 800 12: 800 bogomips: 59904
Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
Vulnerabilities: <filter>
Graphics:
Device-1: NVIDIA TU117 [GeForce GTX 1650] vendor: Micro-Star MSI
driver: nvidia v: 545.29.02 alternate: nouveau,nvidia_drm non-free: 545.xx+
status: current (as of 2023-10; EOL~2026-12-xx) arch: Turing code: TUxxx
process: TSMC 12nm FF built: 2018-2022 pcie: gen: 1 speed: 2.5 GT/s
lanes: 16 link-max: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s bus-ID: 01:00.0
chip-ID: 10de:1f82 class-ID: 0300
Display: wayland server: X.org v: 1.21.1.9 with: Xwayland v: 23.2.2
compositor: kwin_wayland driver: X: loaded: modesetting,nvidia
alternate: fbdev,nouveau,nv,vesa gpu: nvidia display-ID: 0
Monitor-1: Unknown-1 res: 1920x1080 size: N/A modes: N/A
API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: nvidia platforms: device: 0 drv: nvidia device: 2
drv: swrast gbm: drv: kms_swrast surfaceless: drv: nvidia wayland:
drv: swrast x11: drv: swrast inactive: device-1
API: OpenGL v: 4.6.0 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: mesa v: 23.2.1-arch1.2
glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 16.0.6 256 bits)
device-ID: ffffffff:ffffffff memory: 15.12 GiB unified: yes
display-ID: :1.0
API: Vulkan v: 1.3.269 layers: 7 device: 0 type: discrete-gpu
name: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 driver: nvidia v: 545.29.02
device-ID: 10de:1f82 surfaces: xcb,xlib
Audio:
Device-1: Intel Alder Lake-S HD Audio vendor: Micro-Star MSI
driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel alternate: snd_sof_pci_intel_tgl
bus-ID: 00:1f.3 chip-ID: 8086:7ad0 class-ID: 0403
Device-2: NVIDIA vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel
pcie: gen: 3 speed: 8 GT/s lanes: 16 bus-ID: 01:00.1 chip-ID: 10de:10fa
class-ID: 0403
API: ALSA v: k6.6.1-zen1-1-zen status: kernel-api with: aoss
type: oss-emulator tools: N/A
Server-1: PipeWire v: 0.3.85 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse
status: active 2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin
4: pw-jack type: plugin tools: pactl,pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl
Network:
Device-1: Intel Ethernet I219-V vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: e1000e
v: kernel port: N/A bus-ID: 00:1f.6 chip-ID: 8086:1a1d class-ID: 0200
IF: eno1 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives:
Local Storage: total: 1.36 TiB used: 376.77 GiB (27.0%)
SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required.
ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 maj-min: 259:0 vendor: Western Digital
model: WD Blue SN570 500GB size: 465.76 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B
logical: 512 B speed: 31.6 Gb/s lanes: 4 tech: SSD serial: <filter>
fw-rev: 234110WD temp: 34.9 C scheme: GPT
ID-2: /dev/sda maj-min: 8:0 vendor: Western Digital
model: WD10EZEX-08WN4A1 size: 931.51 GiB block-size: physical: 4096 B
logical: 512 B speed: 6.0 Gb/s tech: HDD rpm: 7200 serial: <filter>
fw-rev: 1A03 scheme: GPT
Partition:
ID-1: / raw-size: 433.25 GiB size: 433.25 GiB (100.00%)
used: 138.75 GiB (32.0%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme0n1p3 maj-min: 259:3
ID-2: /boot/efi raw-size: 512 MiB size: 511 MiB (99.80%)
used: 576 KiB (0.1%) fs: vfat dev: /dev/nvme0n1p4 maj-min: 259:4
ID-3: /home raw-size: 433.25 GiB size: 433.25 GiB (100.00%)
used: 138.75 GiB (32.0%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme0n1p3 maj-min: 259:3
ID-4: /var/log raw-size: 433.25 GiB size: 433.25 GiB (100.00%)
used: 138.75 GiB (32.0%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme0n1p3 maj-min: 259:3
ID-5: /var/tmp raw-size: 433.25 GiB size: 433.25 GiB (100.00%)
used: 138.75 GiB (32.0%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme0n1p3 maj-min: 259:3
Swap:
Kernel: swappiness: 133 (default 60) cache-pressure: 100 (default) zswap: no
ID-1: swap-1 type: zram size: 15.48 GiB used: 512 KiB (0.0%) priority: 100
comp: zstd avail: lzo,lzo-rle,lz4,lz4hc,842 max-streams: 12 dev: /dev/zram0
ID-2: swap-2 type: partition size: 32 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: -2
dev: /dev/nvme0n1p2 maj-min: 259:2
Sensors:
System Temperatures: cpu: 41.0 C mobo: N/A
Fan Speeds (rpm): N/A
Info:
Processes: 287 Uptime: 38m wakeups: 0 Memory: total: 16 GiB
available: 15.48 GiB used: 4.51 GiB (29.1%) Init: systemd v: 254
default: graphical tool: systemctl Compilers: gcc: 13.2.1 Packages:
pm: pacman pkgs: 1743 libs: 520 tools: octopi,pamac,paru Shell: fish
v: 3.6.1 running-in: konsole inxi: 3.3.31
Garuda (2.6.19-2):
System install date:     2023-11-02
Last full system update: 2023-11-16 ↻
Is partially upgraded:   No
Relevant software:       snapper NetworkManager dracut nvidia-dkms
Windows dual boot:       No/Undetected
Failed units:

My system is not using graphics card at all, it is using CPU for all rendering. Wayland always takes up more than 40% of my CPU, while my GPU sits there idle.

I really want to take the stress off of my CPU because I can’t run other programs properly because of this and also games are giving me problem.

Hi there, welcome to the forum! Please check here:


Sorry, you have a desktop. Didn’t notice that. This is for laptops with iGPU + dGPU…

To take full advantage of Nvidia drivers with Wayland you need to set the nvidia-drm.modeset=1 kernel boot parameter as described in the post linked below:

4 Likes

Do I need just the parameter you mentioned to be set or i am supposed to follow whole 3 step guide?

sorry this one is for just checking if I actually replied, the indent should be more prominent for these replies

That’s weird this one shows that I replied but the upper comment doesnt!

Use the Garuda Boot Assistant, it’s easier, or the 3 steps of that chapter 3, from terminal but with micro, our default terminal editor, instead of nano.

2 Likes

is there a possiblity that this might break my system? If yes how can I prevent that?

It is safe.
It has been the solution for many users recently.
By-the-way, a wrong kernel boot parameter is always easy to be fixed.

3 Likes

sorry for being paranoid, but how? Not just for this but for future references as well

When you are on the GRUB line that you would select, press button E, go to the line starting with Linux, remove the parameter and press ctrl+x.
You will boot without that parameter only for that time, so you’ll have to make it persistent it the same way you added it.

3 Likes

alright!!!

Thank you sooooo much I just did it and restarted my system and it’s running so smooth like butter. Just like it was back on other distros with Xorg

Thank you so much!!!

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