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Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025 · 2 revisions

Linux Graphics Drivers Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to installing and configuring graphics drivers on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions for NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs, including hybrid graphics setup.

Table of Contents

  1. Detecting Your GPU
  2. NVIDIA Drivers
  3. AMD Drivers
  4. Intel Graphics
  5. Hybrid Graphics (Dual GPU)
  6. CachyOS CHWD Tool
  7. Verifying Installation
  8. Troubleshooting

Detecting Your GPU

Identify Graphics Card

Check your GPU:

# List PCI devices
lspci | grep VGA

# Detailed GPU info
lspci -k | grep -A 2 VGA

Expected output:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation ...
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation ...

Check Current Drivers

See what's loaded:

# Check loaded modules
lsmod | grep -E "nvidia|amdgpu|intel"

# Check Xorg drivers
ls /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/

🟢 NVIDIA Drivers

Install NVIDIA Drivers

For modern GPUs (600 series and newer):

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils nvidia-settings

# For 32-bit support
sudo pacman -S lib32-nvidia-utils

For older GPUs (400-600 series):

# Install legacy drivers
sudo pacman -S nvidia-470xx-dkms nvidia-settings

# For 32-bit
sudo pacman -S lib32-nvidia-470xx-utils

For very old GPUs (before 400 series):

# Install very old drivers
sudo pacman -S nvidia-390xx-dkms nvidia-settings

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install nvidia-driver

Fedora:

sudo dnf install akmod-nvidia

NVIDIA DKMS

Dynamic Kernel Module Support:

# Install DKMS version
sudo pacman -S nvidia-dkms

# Rebuild modules after kernel update
sudo dkms install nvidia/XXX

Why DKMS:

  • Works with custom kernels
  • Automatically rebuilds after kernel updates
  • Good for CachyOS custom kernels

Verify NVIDIA

Check installation:

# Check NVIDIA driver
nvidia-smi

# Check OpenGL
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"

AMD Drivers

Install AMD Drivers

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install AMD drivers
sudo pacman -S mesa xf86-video-amdgpu vulkan-radeon lib32-mesa lib32-vulkan-radeon

# For older AMD GPUs (GCN 1-3)
sudo pacman -S mesa xf86-video-amdgpu xf86-video-ati

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install mesa-vulkan-drivers

Fedora:

sudo dnf install mesa-dri-drivers

Verify AMD

Check installation:

# Check OpenGL
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"

# Check Vulkan
vulkaninfo | grep deviceName

Intel Graphics

Install Intel Drivers

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install Intel drivers
sudo pacman -S mesa xf86-video-intel vulkan-intel lib32-mesa lib32-vulkan-intel

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install xserver-xorg-video-intel

Fedora:

sudo dnf install xorg-x11-drv-intel

Verify Intel

Check installation:

# Check OpenGL
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"

Hybrid Graphics (Dual GPU)

Understanding Dual GPU

Dual GPU systems have two graphics cards:

  • Dedicated GPU: High-performance card (NVIDIA or AMD)
  • Integrated GPU: Built into CPU (Intel or AMD)

Common configurations:

  • NVIDIA + Intel: Most common on laptops
  • AMD + Intel: Common on laptops
  • NVIDIA + AMD: Rare, usually workstations

NVIDIA + Intel Setup

Install both drivers:

# Install NVIDIA
sudo pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils

# Install Intel
sudo pacman -S mesa vulkan-intel

# Install PRIME support
sudo pacman -S nvidia-prime

Switch GPU:

# Use NVIDIA
prime-run application

# Or set default
prime-select nvidia

# Use Intel
prime-select intel

AMD + Intel Setup

Install both drivers:

# Install AMD
sudo pacman -S mesa xf86-video-amdgpu

# Install Intel
sudo pacman -S mesa xf86-video-intel

Switch GPU:

# Use AMD
DRI_PRIME=1 application

# Use Intel (default)
application

NVIDIA Optimus

For automatic switching:

# Install optimus-manager
yay -S optimus-manager

# Configure
sudo optimus-manager --switch nvidia
sudo optimus-manager --switch intel

CachyOS CHWD Tool

What is CHWD?

CHWD (CachyOS Hardware Detection) is a CachyOS-specific tool for hardware detection and driver management.

What it does:

  • Detects hardware: Identifies graphics cards automatically
  • Installs drivers: Automatically installs correct drivers
  • GPU migration: Switches between GPUs easily
  • Driver management: Manages graphics drivers

Using CHWD

Detect hardware:

# Detect and show hardware
sudo chwd -h

# Auto-detect and install
sudo chwd -h -a

GPU migration:

# Migrate to NVIDIA
sudo chwd -h -a nvidia

# Migrate to AMD
sudo chwd -h -a amd

# Migrate to Intel
sudo chwd -h -a intel

What this does:

  • Detects your GPU automatically
  • Installs appropriate drivers
  • Configures system for selected GPU
  • Much easier than manual installation

CHWD for Dual GPU

Detect dual GPU:

# CHWD detects both GPUs
sudo chwd -h

# Install drivers for both
sudo chwd -h -a

See CachyOS CHWD GPU Migration for detailed CHWD usage.

See CachyOS Dual GPU Setup for detailed dual GPU configuration.

Verifying Installation

Check Drivers

NVIDIA:

# Check NVIDIA
nvidia-smi

# Should show GPU info and driver version

AMD/Intel:

# Check OpenGL
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"

# Check Vulkan
vulkaninfo | grep deviceName

Test Graphics

Run test:

# Install test tools
sudo pacman -S mesa-utils

# Test OpenGL
glxgears

# Test Vulkan
vkcube

Troubleshooting

Driver Not Loading

Check kernel modules:

# Check loaded modules
lsmod | grep -E "nvidia|amdgpu|intel"

# Load module manually
sudo modprobe nvidia

Black Screen

NVIDIA issues:

# Check Xorg logs
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep -i error

# Reinstall drivers
sudo pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils

Performance Issues

Check GPU usage:

# NVIDIA
nvidia-smi

# AMD/Intel
sudo intel_gpu_top

Summary

This guide covered graphics driver installation for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions, including NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, hybrid graphics, and CachyOS-specific CHWD tool.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. CachyOS-specific CHWD tool is highlighted where applicable.

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