Arch Linux

tanphu

Member

Registered: 2010-11-03

Posts: 5

Cannot use Nvidia Optimus VGA and always high CPU load

I have a Asus U45JC laptop with Intel core i5 M460 (2.53GHz), 4GB of RAM, Nvidia Optimus GT 310M graphics card and Integrated Intel graphics graphics card (hybrid and swithchable card). I found that Nvidia have no plan to support Optimus technology on linux. I can not find any suitable driver for Nvidia card, so I install only Intel driver to use Intel integrated card. It'is look like the system only use one Intel card. I install and use xfce4. Here is the result of "lscpi | grep -i VGA"

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 18)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Device 0a70 (rev a2)

The CPU load is alway high (greater than 1.0), althouhgt the system run only firefox with one tab in Idle status.

top - 14:37:30 up  2:10,  3 users,  load average: 1.70, 1.60, 1.39
Tasks: 126 total,   2 running, 123 sleeping,   0 stopped,   1 zombie

Full result of "top" is here http://pastebin.com/JiY66wTj/

Is there any idea to use Nvidia graphics card or reduce the CPU load? Does CPU have to share duty of VGA card?

More information: I use cpufreq to test some frequency in range from 1.2GHZ to 2.53GHz but CPU load is always high (greater than 1.0). I found some message in "dmesg" command like this:

...
ACPI: PCI Interrupt Routing Table [\_SB_.PCI0._PRT]
ACPI: PCI Interrupt Routing Table [\_SB_.PCI0.PEG1._PRT]
...
ACPI: BIOS _OSI(Linux) query ignored
...
ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKF] (IRQs 1 3 4 5 6 7 11 12 14 15) *0, disabled.
ACPI: PCI Interrupt Link [LNKH] (IRQs 1 3 *4 5 6 7 11 12 14 15)
HEST: Table is not found!

Thanks!

ngoonee

Forum Fellow

From: Between Thailand and Singapore

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 7,355

Re: Cannot use Nvidia Optimus VGA and always high CPU load

You cannot (currently) use the nvidia graphics card. The best you can do is switch it off (by default it is on, eating your battery), I saw some information about that in the nvidia linux forums.

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ctarwater

Member

Registered: 2009-02-05

Posts: 300

Re: Cannot use Nvidia Optimus VGA and always high CPU load

Here is a package in AUR that is used to turn off the g210m nvidia card in similar laptops:  https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=34499

I use it on my Asus UL50vt which is also an "Optimus" setup with the g210m and an integrated intel card.

Perhaps it can be tweaked for your specific card.

tanphu

Member

Registered: 2010-11-03

Posts: 5

Re: Cannot use Nvidia Optimus VGA and always high CPU load

Thanks for immediately answer!
I have installed nvidia-g210m-acpi from aur. Is there any configuration must be done after installing this package? How do I know Optimus card is already switch off?
CPU load still high.

ctarwater

Member

Registered: 2009-02-05

Posts: 300

Re: Cannot use Nvidia Optimus VGA and always high CPU load

well, first of all yours is a 310m and that package from AUR is for 210m so I doubt it will work directly. 

Once you install the package you need to add "nvidia_g210m_acpi" to the modules section of your rc.conf.
Then you need to load the module or reboot.

From the comments on the package:

To see if it's working, you have several ways:
1/ 'lsmod | grep nvidia' : you should see the module loaded
2/ 'dmesg| grep nvidia' : you should see "kill_nvidia: disabled the discrete graphics card"
3/ 'cat /proc/acpi/battery/BAT0/state' : you should have a "present rate" lower than ~15000 mW

But again, this package is for a video card similar to yours and is not likely to work.  I merely suggested you use it as a base for building one for your specific card.

Last edited by ctarwater (2010-11-30 09:31:34)

tanphu

Member

Registered: 2010-11-03

Posts: 5

Re: Cannot use Nvidia Optimus VGA and always high CPU load

When loading nvidia_g210M_acpi module, I have an error message:

modprobe nvidia_g210m_acpi
FATAL: Error inserting nvidia_g210m_acpi (/lib/modules/2.6.36-ARCH/extra/nvidia_g210m_acpi.ko): Kernel does not have module support

Is 210M package suitable for 310M card?

unknwn

Member

Registered: 2008-02-02

Posts: 35

Re: Cannot use Nvidia Optimus VGA and always high CPU load

I have asus u30jc which has intel i3 cpu and nvidia optimus 310m. Acpi_call should work for your laptop  http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=39470 https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/As … vidia_card . Find out  which command from test_off.sh works for your laptop and add it to startup. Also there is an issue for not being able to start X if you add it to startup, blacklisting nouveau module solved this for me, unless it was coincidence.
Also from 2.6.36 kernel i get high cpu load during idle (~1,7).

tanphu

Member

Registered: 2010-11-03

Posts: 5

Re: Cannot use Nvidia Optimus VGA and always high CPU load

I currently run X, maybe the system use intel intergrated card. I am not sure whether Nvidia card is disable on my system. I installed acpi_call-git package from aur. System crash when run ./test_off.sh. Then I reboot, file /proc/acpi/call is not created.

I don't care how to disable Nvidia card, the only thing I care is high cpuload during idle (~1.5) and eatting much battery. Could I reduce cpuload?

Thanks unknwn for your help.

unknwn

Member

Registered: 2008-02-02

Posts: 35

Re: Cannot use Nvidia Optimus VGA and always high CPU load

When 310m is disabled where will be less power usage by 2-3watts so you should care. I am not sure why your system crashes.
If acpi_call works when running "lspci | grep VGA" one of the lines should be 01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation Device 0a72 (rev ff)  ff if card is disabled or a2 (or sth like that) if still enabled.

Also i am interested in high cpu load. I am not sure whether it indicates a problem.

tanphu

Member

Registered: 2010-11-03

Posts: 5

Re: Cannot use Nvidia Optimus VGA and always high CPU load

I have downgraded to kernel 2.6.35 then cpuload drops down (~0.1) when idle.
"lspci | grep VGA" return (rev a2), that means Nvidia card is not disable.
When I run "cat /proc/acpi/battery/BAT0/state" present rate approximately 15000mW. Is that okay?
When using latest kernel 2.6.36, cpuload is always (~1.5) higt but battery use is the same (15000mW). I think this is a bug of kernel 2.6.36, something's wrong in calculating cpuload.

Thanks.