Arch Linux

JustDuto

Member

Registered: 2022-05-15

Posts: 2

[Solved] Dual monitors using xrandr and nvidia-settings

I've been trying to fix this issue for a few hours now but all the results I get have to do with laptops. I believe it's because of a conflict between nvidia-settings and xrandr but I could always be wrong since I'm not very well-versed in the display side of things.

I'm using a GeForce 2070 Super with an intel cpu on Arch. I have no DE and am using the i3 WM right now.

Some background, I've been using a single monitor setup on Arch for a couple of months now, and I've recently added a second for my desktop. The first main monitor uses a Display port which works fine, but the 2nd monitor uses HDMI and is the one currently not working. With the default nvidia settings config, I receive input for both monitors but the 2nd one only picks up input from my mouse and nothing else. I'm assuming this is because in nvidia-settings I have both monitors using separate x screens which I tried changing first. When I set both the monitors to use the same x screen and rebooted, now only the 2nd monitor would display and the first was completely off with no input displaying at all. I reverted the changes and tried using Xinerama which, for what it is supposed to do, does work with both of my monitors. This option disables RandR from what I saw so I couldn't see any info from the xrandr command during it. I went back to the default settings and that's what I'm using now. Throughout this process I checked on the output of xrandr to see what exactly was going on, and xrandr did not show the monitors that were off as connected at any point. With the default nvidia config, only the Display Port monitor was shown as being connected with the 2nd not being shown even any modes despite even its aspect ratio being correct while moving my mouse on that screen. I've also tried reinstalling the nvidia driver which also did not work for me, and also found out that when only the 2nd monitor was working that it did not display a background like the first.

xrandr output:

Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 32767 x 32767
DP-0 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 531mm x 298mm
   1920x1080     60.00 + 144.00*  119.98    99.93    59.94    50.00    23.98
   1680x1050     59.95
   1600x900      60.00
   1280x1024    143.85   119.96    75.02    60.02
   1280x800      59.81
   1280x720      60.00    59.94    50.00
   1024x768     143.86   119.99    75.03    60.00
   800x600       75.00    60.32
   720x576       50.00
   720x480       59.94
   640x480       75.00    59.94    59.93
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
USB-C-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

nvidia xorg.conf

# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings:  version 510.68.02

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig:  version 510.54

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    Screen      1  "Screen1" 1920 0
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
    Option         "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "BenQ ZOWIE XL LCD"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 160.0
    VertRefresh     56.0 - 144.0
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor1"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "AOC 2260WG5"
    HorizSync       30.0 - 83.0
    VertRefresh     50.0 - 76.0
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER"
    BusID          "PCI:1:0:0"
    Screen          0
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device1"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER"
    BusID          "PCI:1:0:0"
    Screen          1
EndSection

Section "Screen"

# Removed Option "metamodes" "1920x1080_144 +0+0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "DP-0: 1920x1080_144 +0+0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "DP-0: nvidia-auto-select +0+0, HDMI-0: nvidia-auto-select +1920+0"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "Stereo" "0"
    Option         "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-1"
    Option         "metamodes" "DP-0: 1920x1080_144 +0+0"
    Option         "SLI" "Off"
    Option         "MultiGPU" "Off"
    Option         "BaseMosaic" "off"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen1"
    Device         "Device1"
    Monitor        "Monitor1"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "Stereo" "0"
    Option         "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-0"
    Option         "metamodes" "HDMI-0: 1920x1080_60 +0+0 {AllowGSYNC=Off}"
    Option         "SLI" "Off"
    Option         "MultiGPU" "Off"
    Option         "BaseMosaic" "off"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

Last edited by JustDuto (2022-05-16 02:27:38)

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,285

Re: [Solved] Dual monitors using xrandr and nvidia-settings

Remove that config and just try to start x without trying to configure/generate anything. Xorg autodetection should generally make better decisions here and your xrandr output should look more sane.

JustDuto

Member

Registered: 2022-05-15

Posts: 2

Re: [Solved] Dual monitors using xrandr and nvidia-settings

Remove that config and just try to start x without trying to configure/generate anything. Xorg autodetection should generally make better decisions here and your xrandr output should look more sane.

Well... oddly enough that seemed to fix it. I've been messing with my i3 setup also and it does pick up both screens and I can move across work spaces very easily.

Screen 0: minimum 8 x 8, current 3840 x 1080, maximum 32767 x 32767
HDMI-0 connected 1920x1080+1920+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 477mm x 268mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+  59.94    50.00
   1680x1050     59.95
   1440x900      59.89
   1280x1024     75.02    60.02
   1280x960      60.00
   1280x720      60.00    59.94    50.00
   1024x768      75.03    70.07    60.00
   800x600       75.00    72.19    60.32    56.25
   720x576       50.00
   720x480       59.94
   640x480       75.00    72.81    59.94    59.93
DP-0 connected primary 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 531mm x 298mm
   1920x1080     60.00*+ 144.00   119.98    99.93    59.94    50.00    23.98
   1680x1050     59.95
   1600x900      60.00
   1280x1024    143.85   119.96    75.02    60.02
   1280x800      59.81
   1280x720      60.00    59.94    50.00
   1024x768     143.86   119.99    75.03    60.00
   800x600       75.00    60.32
   720x576       50.00
   720x480       59.94
   640x480       75.00    59.94    59.93
DP-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP-3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI-1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
USB-C-0 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

Pretty silly that such a simple thing fixed it but thanks a lot for the advice.

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 25,285

Re: [Solved] Dual monitors using xrandr and nvidia-settings

nvidia-xconfig is mainly still present with logic and definitions that were necessary way back when X itself didn't have good auto detection/multi screen support. A lot has happened from 20+ years ago that just running nvidia-xconfig without having a specific reason/plan for what you want to do with the xorg file it generates is often counter-productive to just trying to run Xorg on it's own.