[SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

bananabrain · 2011-04-25 15:37:22

This has been done to death but I've been unable to resolve my woes by reading anything I've found so far. Basically, the framebuffer on the default arch install will drive my graphics card/monitor combination perfectly, but as soon as I install the proper device driver for my graphics card - even before configuring or running X - the console display is then (relatively) terrible and there seems to be nothing I can do about it.

I have a GeForce 6200 (PNY) card driving a Samsung 220 1680x1050 monitor via the dvi port.

After a clean base install I have a beautiful 1680x1050 (32bit) framebuffer on my virtual consoles.

Installing and running "fbset" returns the mode currently in use:

mode "1680x1050"
geometry 1680 1050 1680 1050 32
timings 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
accel true
rgba 8/16,8/8,8/0,0/0
endmode

So far so good. However, installing and running "vbetest" returns:

VBE Version 3.0
NVIDIA
[256] 640x400 (256 color palette)
[257] 640x480 (256 color palette)
[259] 800x600 (256 color palette)
[261] 1024x768 (256 color palette)
[263] 1280x1024 (256 color palette)
[270] 320x200 (5:6:5)
[271] 320x200 (8:8:8)
[273] 640x480 (5:6:5)
[274] 640x480 (8:8:8)
[276] 800x600 (5:6:5)
[277] 800x600 (8:8:8)
[279] 1024x768 (5:6:5)
[280] 1024x768 (8:8:8)
[282] 1280x1024 (5:6:5)
[283] 1280x1024 (8:8:8)
[304] 320x200 (256 color palette)
[305] 320x400 (256 color palette)
[306] 320x400 (5:6:5)
[307] 320x400 (8:8:8)
[308] 320x240 (256 color palette)
[309] 320x240 (5:6:5)
[310] 320x240 (8:8:8)
[317] 640x400 (5:6:5)
[318] 640x400 (8:8:8)
[327] 1400x1050 (256 color palette)
[328] 1400x1050 (5:6:5)

Why is the resolution in use not mentioned in this list of available/detected resolutions?

What is it in the default install that causes the monitor's full 1680x1050 resolution to be used, with acceleration and 32bit colour depth?

I then install packages "nvidia" and "nvidia-settings" together with the xorg base packages.
When I reboot, the nice sharp hi-res framebuffers are gone.

"fbset" returns:

open /dev/fb0: No such file or directory

"vbetest" returns the same as before the nvidia driver was installed.

What's happening here? I've exhausted all lines of enquiry that I can think of.
All I want is to be able to use the equipment I have to its full capability.
A lot of people out there say something along the lines of "your graphics card needs to have your particular required resolution capability in its bios". But this GeForce 6200 of mine that gives a crap output after I've installed the correct driver is the very same card that behaves flawlessly with a default core arch install without that driver.

Any help will be gratefully received.
Any more required info will be readily supplied.

Last edited by bananabrain (2011-04-25 16:12:33)

Gusar · 2011-04-25 15:46:07

To get a high-res console, you need the nouveau driver. But nouveau and nvidia can't co-exist, so when you installed the nvidia package, nouveau got blacklisted. There's no other way. If you want a high-res console, you can't use the nvidia driver for X.

bananabrain · 2011-04-25 16:10:59

Many thanks for this Gusar.

I can't believe I haven't come across this simple explanation after spending so long reading about it.

My first thought was "but I haven't installed any *nouveau* console driver", but now I see it's there's a module with the stock kernel. Poor show from me for missing the line at the bottom of the nvidia wiki that mentions it...

I use the virtual consoles a lot, so will look at the nouveau xorg driver and see if the compromise is worth it.

It's a pity nvidia aren't more supportive with their bios capabilities.

Thanks again.

karol · 2011-04-25 16:52:10

Alternatively, you can try uvesafb.

bananabrain · 2011-04-25 17:14:14

karol wrote:

Alternatively, you can try uvesafb.

I didn't have any luck with that either. I read that it should provide more screen resolutions that you get natively, but there was still nothing available at 1680x1050. Also, when I did try it, full width console apps such as mc would wrap the last couple of characters off the right edge of the screen onto the left, and no amount of tweaking I tried would stop it.

siriusb · 2011-04-25 17:50:45

I have grub2 and nvidia installed. With the following settings in grub.cfg I have my monitor native resolution (1680x1050) both in grub menu and console.

set gfxmode=auto
set gfxpayload=keep

One remark: it takes some seconds to get back to X with ctrl+alt+F7 from console and sometimes the screen is messed up.

mlane · 2011-10-16 23:05:34

If I remember correctly, grub.cfg is supposed to be in /etc/defaults/grub, right? I don't seem to have anything there.

I spend a lot of time in the terminal, and I don't always want to start an X session. However, I need the nVidia drivers for their power management capabilities. I have 2 GTX460 cards. If the drivers don't underclock the cards it generates a lot of heat, and wastes electricity.

If anyone could suggest where my grub.cfg is, or what I'm over looking, I'd appreciate it!

bjackman · 2012-05-09 16:06:24

OK, I know this is quite old, but I've had this problem for a while and never bothered to fix it since I always use X at home. I just stumbled across a solution in a comment in my grub menu.lst.

If you have this problem, try adding "vga=773" to your kernel line in `/boot/grub/menu.lst`. Mine looks like this:

`42 kernel /boot/vmlinuz-linux root=/dev/sda5 ro vga=773`

I don't know what 773 means, but it looks like an octal permissions setting. That seems improbable though. I'd be very interested if anyone knew.

Gusar · 2012-05-09 16:36:25

bjackman wrote:

I don't know what 773 means, but it looks like an octal permissions setting. That seems improbable though. I'd be very interested if anyone knew.

Every resolution in the vbios has a number. Maybe it's an index or something. But basically, that's it. See the list in the first post, the numbers in []? Add 512 to those and there you have it.

For standard resolutions (320x200-1280x1024), the numbers are the same in every vbios. For non-standard ones that may or may not be there, the numbers differ. An example: In my specific vbios, 865 means 1280x800-32. Bananabrain's vbios doesn't even have 1280x800.

bellera · 2014-05-17 09:15:08

bjackman wrote:

I don't know what 773 means, but it looks like an octal permissions setting. That seems improbable though. I'd be very interested if anyone knew.

Linux video mode numbers, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VESA_BIOS_ … de_numbers

Last edited by bellera (2014-05-17 09:15:30)

jasonwryan · 2014-05-17 09:17:51

Please don't necrobump, particularly solved threads: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fo … Bumping.27

Closing

Arch Linux

#1 2011-04-25 15:37:22

[SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

#2 2011-04-25 15:46:07

Re: [SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

#3 2011-04-25 16:10:59

Re: [SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

#4 2011-04-25 16:52:10

Re: [SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

#5 2011-04-25 17:14:14

Re: [SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

#6 2011-04-25 17:50:45

Re: [SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

#7 2011-10-16 23:05:34

Re: [SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

#8 2012-05-09 16:06:24

Re: [SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

#9 2012-05-09 16:36:25

Re: [SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

#10 2014-05-17 09:15:08

Re: [SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

#11 2014-05-17 09:17:51

Re: [SOLVED] nVidia framebuffer console resolution

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