2

So I have just done a fresh install of Ubuntu 20.04 on my laptop (Intel i7 7700HQ + NVIDIA 1050Ti), I noticed that when enabling the NVIDIA driver (version 440.62) the laptop screen suffers from screen tearing, and I tried to enable Prime Synchronization by the following method:

  1. Create a new file /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-graphics-drivers.conf;
  2. Input options nvidia_drm modeset=1 to the file;
  3. Run sudo update-initramfs -u
  4. Reboot.

After rebooting the GUI had very slow response at login screen, sometimes I had to wait several minutes after input the password for my desktop to show up, sometimes the desktop never appeared. Even if the desktop appeared, it may still freeze after a random time. Reverting the previous steps can solve the problem but screen tearing re-appeared.

I hope to know what is the cause of this problem? Did I enable Prime Synchronization correctly?

2 Answers 2

1

Answering my own question here. It appears that the problem is caused by an old bug in gdm3 when Prime Synchronization is enabled. I found two potential solutions (or workarounds) from the discussions of the bug:

  1. Use lightdm instead of gdm3. To do this, run the command sudo apt install lightdm, then choose lightdm as the default display manager when the terminal prompts you to do so. However, using lightdm will disable screen locking, and has a annoying bug that the mouse will change color at the desktop. Therefore, I use the second solution.

  2. Continue to use gdm3 as the display manager, but add needs_root_rights=yes to /etc/X11/Xwrapper.config, then reboot the machine.

I experienced no further problems when using the second solution. However, I am not sure about the potential security consequences of giving root access to Xwrapper. Many some experts on X11 or X server can comment on this.

2
  • I had this annoying problem for more than 6 months and the second solution worked for me like a charm!
    – vahid-dan
    Nov 21, 2020 at 1:49
  • didn't fix it for me. GTX 1050 TI on Ubuntu 20.04
    – rob
    Apr 30, 2021 at 11:15
1

If you don't use your Nvidia card regularly which was the case for me I just disabled my nouveau drivers which not only resulted in a smoother system but also solved my screen tearing.

For disabling my nouveau drivers I used this https://moduate.com/blog/disabling-nouveau-drivers-in-ubuntu-18.04/

1
  • This is related to the proprietary driver, not noveau. Oct 12, 2020 at 20:55

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .