This laptop has an i7 processor and a discrete Nvidia GTX 960M card. I'm trying to run Gnome Shell. Has anyone got this working really well? And if so, how?
My research/trials on Ubuntu Gnome 16.04, installed in UEFI mode. Note: stock Ubuntu with Unity works fine with/without proprietary drivers.
Intel/Nouveau
The nouveau drivers work for everything (i.e. I get Gnome up with the full resolution, touch works) except HDMI. When I plug in a FHD external monitor (VGA or HDMI), either I get what looks like a proper image on the external screen but with a flashy-mostly-black laptop display, or I get static images on both screens and a complete hang that you have to hard-boot from.
Nvidia 361.28
Both the 'tested' and the 'updates' versions work the same way: they don't.
On booting I get a console screen in UHD that flashes on and off and does not accept keyboard input, most of the time.
Hybrid: Gnome Shell installed on main Ubuntu image/lightdm
Gnome shell runs with both intel and nvidia graphics if it is started by lightdm, however it still kills the system if an external monitor is plugged in.