Setting up HybridGraphics on Dell xps 15z (L511z) Ubuntu 14.04

Question

Few days ago I installed Ubuntu 14.04 on my Dell xps 15z (L511z) laptop. First problem I encountered was with installation (from CD) not willing to start. With acpi=off selected installation always stopped on the last step - copying installation logs, so I had to install with nomodeset selected.

After the install finished successfully only resolution I could chose was 1280x1024 (5:4). I tried installing nvidia-331 driver together with nvidia-settings and nvidia-prime, reboot the system and Ubuntu freezes after log-in screen (I can only see Ubuntu 14.04 wallpaper and move cursor around, but no desktop loads). With ctrl + alt + F1 and

sudo prime-switch intel

I managed to switch to intel graphics which allowed me to log in normally. Resolution is still 1280x1024 (5:4) with additional choice of 1024x768 (4:3), which is nothing near my screen resolution 1920x1080 (16:9). When I start Nvidia X server settings I can see only 2 tabs: application profiles, nvidia-settings Configuration. And if I try to switch back to nvidia card with

sudo prime-swich nvidia

I get the same freezing after log-in.

Can anybody help me pls, because I've been struggling with this HybridGraphics for few days and didn't get any results?

Laptop specs:
CPU: Intel Core i7 (2nd Gen) 2640M / 2.8 GHz
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M

Answer 1

This is a bit late but I will still post this answer so that other people can see, since I spent a good 24 hours looking for the solution.

I have the exact same laptop and exact same problem. The full solution (for Fedora) can be found here: http://www.forum.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=289685.

The most important thing is to realize that you need to get rid of the nomodeset option since that prevents ubuntu from loading your intel (or any other) drivers. It is necessary during installation but only hurts after that.

With that in mind, the solution is to edit the /etc/default/grub file by editing the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX variable to the following:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="acpi_osi=linux noapic nolapic i915.i915_enable_rc6=1 i915.lvds_downclock=1 i915.i915_enable_fbc=1 pcie_aspm=force"

Some of the options may not be necessary but I am too tired to try to figure out what each one does.

Now you need to do sudo update-grub, restart, and then you can use your native resolution.

Answer 2

I used a Dell XPS15z (L511z) laptop with Ubuntu 14.04 and the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX in /etc/default/grub file is as follows:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="acpi_osi=linux nolapic i915.i915_enable_rc6=1 i915.lvds_downclock=1 i915.i915_enable_fbc=1 pcie_aspm=force"

In this setting, the Ubuntu is able to boot with minidisplay and HDMI ports working, while only one core is detected by the system since nolapic prevents going into SMP mode.

However, when I remove nolapic, Ubuntu will not be able to boot normally but to boot through the recovery mode. All of the four cores can be detected, while the mini display and HDMI ports fail to work properly. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I added the following slight variation found in a feodora article (yes, working for ubuntu!) with success:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="acpi_osi=linux noapic nolapic rd.md=0 rd.lvm=0 rd.dm=0 $([ -x /usr/sbin/rhcrashkernel-param ] && /usr/sbin/rhcrashkernel-param || :) rd.luks=0 vconsole.keymap=us rhgb i915.i915_enable_rc6=1 i915.lvds_downclock=1 i915.i915_enable_fbc=1 pcie_aspm=force"