if you uninstall the proprietary driver then you will boot with open source nouveau kernel driver (video-linux)
edit: that might be one of the best things to try. It should not matter, but who knows?
Yes, that is working, that conclusion came when uninstalling the drivers.
I think we are talking about different things, you keep mentioning the video-linux divers.
When I say open source drivers. I’m not talking about the linux drivers, I’m talking about nvidia open source drivers.
the fact it has no checked box tells you it is not open source
I KNOW I KEEP ASKING HOW TO TRY THEM! xD
i don’t understand, see here
I’ll try this.
I think you missed this. I TRIED uninstalling, rebooting, and then trying the open source button but it did not work.
I know little about hybrid GPUs but you’re “guessing” what is that you’re running. Just list the inxi -G as you did at the start, there it shows you have 2 drivers, nvidia and amdgpu (look or grep for ‘driver’). So whatever you do, before and after test what’s actually loaded (or after reboot). You can also use lsmod to list modules (and drivers) loaded (e.g. grep -i ‘nvidia’ or amdgpu or so, try different things).
Also you could try unloading one of the drivers by doing e.g. the modprobe -r amdgpu - that’s temporary (after restart all is back or you can load it modprobe amdgpu but there may be more modules so might not work) - and see how it goes (but also check w/ inxi and/or lsmod to test what’s actually loaded/running).
Just wanted to add this in case it helps.
most probaby because you already use it. To me it seems it’s function is “if you are using proprietary/VESA/modesetting, press here to switch to nouveau”
Because without doing anything, you should already run nouveau after first boot (like with live usb free option)
Maybe (read. most likely) I’m an idiot here. I removed my nvidia drivers and figuered I should install them in cli instead.
So after a reboot:
mhwd -l --pci does not list any nvidia drivers that ARE open source, is that what you have been trying to tell me the whole time?
Or is there a repository I should install from?
I’m probably an idiot.
i think video-linux is the open source nvidia driver, aka nouveau kernel driver.
Well, it’s not the driver in that checbox I circled in my picture. I guess that does not exist?
that would most probably be latest proprietary nvidia without hybrid
Now you are confusing me again.
I want to install the open source drivers. I do not know how, do they exist??
mhwd -l --pci
> 0000:01:00.0 (0300:10de:2204) Display controller nVidia Corporation:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAME VERSION FREEDRIVER TYPE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
video-hybrid-amd-nvidia-prime 2023.03.23 false PCI
video-hybrid-amd-nvidia-470xx-prime 2023.03.23 false PCI
video-nvidia 2023.03.23 false PCI
video-nvidia-470xx 2023.03.23 false PCI
video-linux 2018.05.04 true PCI
video-modesetting 2020.01.13 true PCI
video-vesa 2017.03.12 true PCI
> 0000:15:00.0 (0300:1002:164e) Display controller ATI Technologies Inc:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NAME VERSION FREEDRIVER TYPE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
video-hybrid-amd-nvidia-prime 2023.03.23 false PCI
video-hybrid-amd-nvidia-470xx-prime 2023.03.23 false PCI
video-linux 2018.05.04 true PCI
video-modesetting 2020.01.13 true PCI
video-vesa 2017.03.12 true PCI
Edit.
Is this it?
OK … everyone take a breath.
Its very simple … video-linux is an umbrealla for all open drivers … nouveau, intel, amdgpu, etc.
If you have 2 open driver powered cards, ex intel+nouveau then you dont need to do anything else … PRIME will work with DRI_PRIME=1 … just like nvidia+intel would work with prime-run, just different drivers for the nvidia card and slightly different invocation.
So … no, your image with the arrows is incorrect. The columns show what they mean … a check in the ‘open-source’ column means open source … the ‘installed’ column means whether or not its installed.
Currently you have one installed profile, which is open source, video-linux. The arrows point at video-nvidia which is neither open nor installed. It is also not what you want … because you dont just have an nvidia card. Things will likely not work if you attempt to use that profile.
If you want to saty with open drivers (amd+nouveau) then keep it as is … if you want the ‘best’ for your proprietary nvidia card … then use one of the hybrid profiles. Likely you want the most current one video-hybrid-amd-nvidia-prime.
All of this is pretty well documented at the wiki.
And just to touch on your firmware thing…
If you think you have those devices, want that firmware, etc … then see this:
(install the applicable packages if desired)
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mkinitcpio#Possibly_missing_firmware_for_module_XXXX
4 Likes
Thank you!
I have studied that wiki a lot since starting this.
I’m still a little confused though, and have a question.
The reason I made the picture with the arrows was because that was what I wanted and was asking how to get to that point, but now I kinda see it doesn’t exist if I understand you correctly?
I used to run the video-hybrid-amd-nvidia-prime drivers but because I wanted to fix obs have now changed to video-nvidia and at the same time looked into why I can’t change tty.
Everything works as before, same performance etc. Or are you saying the hybrid prime driver will utilize my onboard card when not needing the power and sending the output through the gpu port, ie saving valuable electricity? Then I’ll change back because I think I can get obs working with both drivers now, I just went with the “normal” one because I don’t have anything connected to the onboard hdmi.
Now, again so I really understand (this is what is making me so confused) there is no way to get the checkbox for “open source” checked (the one I marked as open source in the picture) correct?
So, then I have a question, is there no way to force the use of specific drivers in certain situations, like when pressing ctrl+alt+f2? Becuse if I run with the video-linux drivers, other tty:s work. And that is why I have been nagging so much about the checkbox for open source next to the nvidia drivers.
They arent checks you need to make … they are checks showing what is. Those profiles (*“nvidia”*) are not open source - hence they will never have a check in that column.
The way prime works (though this can go the other way - ‘reverse prime’) by using the iGPU by default and using the dGPU when you call it. Ex:
glxinfo | grep 'renderer string'
prime-run glxinfo | grep 'renderer string'
Assuming all is working correctly … While using one of the ‘prime’ profiles your system should be running the same as if you were using ‘video-linux’ until you use prime-run, because in both cases it should be running the (open) amd by default.
video-hybrid-amd-nvidia-prime
amdgpu by default - prime-run - proprietary nvidia
video-linux
amdgpu by default - DRI_PRIME=1 - opensource nouveau
So this gfx card switching works also on desktop computers, not only laptops with hybrid installs? Should the monitor be connected to the internal gfx card’s port, or the discrete cards’s, or does it not matter?
Not sure what you mean by this, but I have been thinking about it all night, had a hard time sleeping. Do I upset people by not understanding? Now I’m starting to be afraid to ask, this is still very unclear to me.
Is this the expected behavior by using nvidia and manjaro (not being able to use ctrl+alt+f?)?
Where is the fault/bug casuing this? Is it nvidia? Manjaro? Plasma? Kde? SDDM?
I changed back to the drivers I originally ran, video-hybrid-amd-nvidia-prime and I get EXACTLY the same result whether I run with prime-run prefix or not, it only reports the nvidia card.
$ glxinfo | grep 'renderer string'
OpenGL renderer string: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090/PCIe/SSE2
$ prime-run glxinfo | grep 'renderer string'
OpenGL renderer string: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090/PCIe/SSE2
I ask again, because this is VERY weird to me, is this not fixable? Are you guys saying I should give up on this and go back to windows? I REALLY DON’T WANT TO, but I do NOT want to rely on an os where one of the core mechanics are broken, and nobody seems to know WHY it’s broken. It just seems very… not smart and a crash waiting to happen.
I’m so scared to ask now. Went from being super impressed to not trusting the os at all… 
previously you said you used video-nvidia. So of course it would work like that, you don’t have hybrid support installed. Since video-nvidia did not fix your issue, just go back to the hybrid driver. Maybe even test the older series 470xx version just to rule out one possible reason for your VT problem.
OR just use video-linux, if i understood correctly it made your VT work. But you miss out on many features of your gfx card.
I never said I “used video-nvidia” I followed YOUR advice and bugtested, ie, testing all different drivers and happened to end up with the video-nvidia because I saw no difference in performance no matter what driver I was using (prime or “normal”). I REMOVED my nvidia drivers and fell back to video-linux (thats when I realized changing tty WORKS with video-linux drivers and asked what drivers to install and understood it as I was recommended to try them all. I just HAPPENED to end up with video-nvidia because that was the last I tested.
I don’t want to upset ppl any more, I give up I guess.