NVIDIA Optimus and prime-select command with its driver

anassahmed · 2014-11-20 22:42:30

Hello,

I don't know if someone had written about that before, but I searched a lot and I couldn't find anything about it.

I've Lenovo Z500 Ideapad which contains Nvidia GeForce 740M VGA card. I used to run apps using bumblebee but I've noticed something today.
My friend has a lenovo ultabook with Nvidia GeForce 720M and he uses Ubuntu 14.10. I asked him about how he use his card and I discovered that he use a command called prime-select which come with the official nvidia 331.89 driver!!!
The prime-select command enables him to run everything using Nvidia.

The most surprising part that when I benchmark my Nvidia using "glxgears", it gives me only 1200 FPS. but with him, it gives him 6000 FPS.
I've quickly installed Ubuntu and tested this command and I got 10000 FPS using the same driver!

I searched a lot about this driver on Archlinux and I read the entire wiki articles of NVIDIA, NVIDIA Optimus, PRIME and Bumblebee and I got nothing. PRIME articles mentions that only nouveau supports it but this is not correct with Ubuntu!!

Do you have any information how Archlinux Nvidia driver doesn't contain PIME support though it's more updated than Ubuntu one? And how to get that prime-support to Arch from Ubuntu? Is it possible?

Thanks in Advance.

Last edited by anassahmed (2014-11-20 22:44:26)

mrunion · 2014-11-20 23:59:28

Honestly, glxgears is not a true benchmark. But the discrepency is suprising. Have you went through the Wiki (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bumblebee) and checked if there is any troubleshooting steps? Also, how are you executing glxgears to test your results?

anassahmed · 2014-11-21 07:22:22

I tried everything in Bmblebee and NVIDIA Optimus articles.

How do I use glxgears? as described in Bumblebee Article:
$ optirun glxgears -info

But on Ubuntu, I use it without optirun (No bumblebee there but native official Nvidia-driver).

The most important thing is how they got PRIME support officially in NVIDIA driver while they're using an old driver version and we don't have that support in the newer version???

The following image fom Nvidia-Settings window on Ubuntu:

mrunion · 2014-11-21 14:08:13

What does the following do:

primusrun glxgears -info

As for not having to specify "optirun" or "primusrun", there is a tool (can't remember the name, but should be on the Bumblebee Wiki) that basically takes a list of programs and when you run one, automatically appends the "optimus" stuff. Ubuntu is heavily customized to do things a specific way. Arch is a basic "build-it-as-you-want-it" system. As far as I know, the "PRIME Profiles" is an Ubuntu-only thing that is provided by their nvidia-prime package. I do think there was a script that kinda did the same thing -- set up the machine for nVidia only, then reboot. But I don't know about that.

Last edited by mrunion (2014-11-21 14:09:08)

anassahmed · 2014-11-21 14:28:39

I tried to set up my archlinux to use Nvidia only using (xorg.conf) but I've failed to boot to GUI (Except using modestting and KDE in a very bad low resolution).
I would like to get the entire power of my Nvidia through bumblebee or just boot up in Nvidia Mode!

Arch Linux

#1 2014-11-20 22:42:30

NVIDIA Optimus and prime-select command with its driver

#2 2014-11-20 23:59:28

Re: NVIDIA Optimus and prime-select command with its driver

#3 2014-11-21 07:22:22

Re: NVIDIA Optimus and prime-select command with its driver

#4 2014-11-21 14:08:13

Re: NVIDIA Optimus and prime-select command with its driver

#5 2014-11-21 14:28:39

Re: NVIDIA Optimus and prime-select command with its driver

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