I tried to turn on VSync and killed my linux laptop

LonM

The title says it all.

To elaborate further, I noticed that my laptop, ever since updating to linux, has been overheating a lot. I also noticed a lot of screen tearing. turns out whoever decided to set up the drivers thought it would be a good idea for the GPU to use 100% of the power available 100% of the time. Makes perfect sense for a server in a game streaming datacentre, but for a laptop… not so much.

So I tried to turn on VSync. My naivete led me to believe it would be as simple as flicking a switch in the NVidia control panel, like it is on windows. Not so. Some internet searching indicated that there are two options (?) in the nvidia-settings console that can be turned off. This enables the equivalent of VSync. When I looked, there was naught but a grey box where the tick boxes should have been.

Another net search indicated that I could enable it by adding Option "TearFree" "true" to a specific section of /etc/X11/xorg.conf. That's not Vsync, buit it kind of describes what I want. So I did.

Then I rebooted my machine. And it no longer boots past the system boot screen, getting stuck on one of the start jobs. I am now attempting to use the recovery prompt to get things back to normal by undoing my changes.

Let this tale serve as a cautionary warning that if you try to use linux with an nvidia-powered laptop, your choices are to let it melt, or to not use it at all.

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Caution: Observations
about desktop linux being
useless are intended
as humour.
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(mod self edit: moved to chit-chat)

Pathduck

@LonM At first I was like "Wait, they have games on Linux now?!"

But then I realised you're talking about the desktop refresh rate itself. Ouch, unlimited framerate on the desktop would be really bad. I do see it in some games where the developers have not thought of limiting the frame rate and even simple games the GPU fans go nuts.

No idea how it works in X11, but having to force Vsync for the desktop sounds strange. In Windows of course you just set your preferred monitor refresh rate and it sticks with that.

luetage

@LonM NVidia is a bad choice for Linux, just don’t use it. NVidia has decided that they don’t want to release open source drivers and while the efforts of the community to bring support to Linux are admirable, it just doesn’t work out. It’s comparable with trying to use an AMD CPU for a hackintosh. Will it work? Kinda…

npro

@LonM said in I tried to turn on VSync and killed my linux laptop:

Let this tale serve as a cautionary warning that if you try to use linux with an nvidia-powered laptop, your choices are to let it melt, or to not use it at all

Sorry but your specific experience does not legitimize a general warning full of negativity, especially when you haven't stated the model of the laptop, the distribution, Desktop Environment and usage of free or non-free drivers, as well as your experience with Linux, which sounds like minimal. You should have checked the power-management the very first second you noticed the fans working maybe more than intended.
I also use (and have used) a laptop with nvidia drivers and never had a problem with overheating or tearing, and enabling VSync is one click, so with all the above said, sorry for putting it so blunt but this thread has so much value as much as a trolling one used for OS wars.

LonM

@npro This was intended as humour. That obviously didn't come across very well.

I wasn't posting this asking for help, that's why I didn't include my specs. I just needed to vent my frustration.

npro

@LonM said in I tried to turn on VSync and killed my linux laptop:

@npro This was intended as humour. That obviously didn't come across very well.

I wasn't posting this asking for help, that's why I didn't include my specs. I just needed to vent my frustration.

Posting your specs wouldn't mean you would be asking for help but it would show that the problem you had was tied to a specific machine, distro, DE and free or proprieatry drivers, instead of that you have just generalized leaving a bad impression, exactly what is needed for starting a flamewar.

Ornorm

@LonM said in I tried to turn on VSync and killed my linux laptop:

[Linux is terrible for users]

I hope someone around won't see this...

hlehyaric

@Ornorm I hope too…