Support us on Patreon to keep GamingOnLinux alive. This ensures all of our main content remains free for everyone. Just good, fresh content! Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal. You can also buy games using our partner links for GOG and Humble Store.
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

Today NVIDIA released the 440.26 Beta driver for Linux with a number of new features, enhancements and a few interesting bug fixes.

New Feature Highlight:

  • VP9 decode support to the NVIDIA VDPAU driver.
  • Added EGL support for PRIME render offload.
  • Parallel GLSL shader linking is enabled by default, so it allows using GL_ARB_parallel_shader_compile without first calling "glMaxShaderCompilerThreadsARB()".
  • Support for HDMI 2.1 variable refresh rate (VRR) G-SYNC Compatible monitors on supported GPUs.
  • Support for the GLX_NV_multigpu_context and GL_NV_gpu_multicast extensions.
  • The Nvidia Settings application will now tell you if there's unsaved config changes when quitting.
  • Enabled HardDPMS by default.

Bug Fix Highlight:

  • They also continue improving DXVK support with corruption issues solved in Saints Row IV and Saints Row: The Third.
  • Another important fix is falling back to system memory "when video memory is full for some driver-internal allocations". Something that was causing issues with a few DXVK/Steam Play titles, which they were testing out in the recent 435.19.03 Vulkan Beta Driver so it's good to see that come to their mainline driver.
  • They also fixed a regression from the 435.19.02 Vulkan Beta Driver, that caused some apps to get a segmentation fault with the VK_KHR_DISPLAY extension.
  • A bug that prevented Vulkan working on systems with SLI enabled was solved, although they can only use a single GPU.

There's more to it, I'm just cherry-picking things that sounded fun. Good to see NVIDIA keep up with quick driver releases.

You can find the full details here.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
17 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
33 comments
Page: 1/2»
  Go to:

vipor29 Oct 17, 2019
linus can't throw up that middle finger anymore this is a pretty damn good release.
sub Oct 17, 2019
Quoting: linuxcitylinus can't throw up that middle finger anymore this is a pretty damn good release.

Get back to why he thought rising that middle finger was appropriate.
Not sure, that "pretty damn good release" changed anything of that. :)
poke86 Oct 17, 2019
View PC info
  • Supporter
Would this be the appropriate driver to have for Proton then? I'm kind of confused with the different versions TBH.
mao_dze_dun Oct 17, 2019
Quoting: poke86Would this be the appropriate driver to have for Proton then? I'm kind of confused with the different versions TBH.

I tend to stick to the Vulkan Beta driver, as these tend to be the most bleeding edge in terms of feature support, ergo performance. But if you're on Stable or Beta - probably a safe bet to use this one.
Ehvis Oct 17, 2019
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
This one also has:

QuoteFall back to system memory when video memory is full for some driver-internal allocations. This can help fix Xid 13 and Xid 31 cases in Vulkan applications when video memory is full.

I think this is the one that crashed Vulkan for 7 Days to Die. Of course that leaves the issue of why VRAM was full in the first place, but that may be a 7 days or Unity issue.
dreamer_ Oct 17, 2019
Quoting: sub
Quoting: linuxcitylinus can't throw up that middle finger anymore this is a pretty damn good release.
Get back to why he thought rising that middle finger was appropriate.
Not sure, that "pretty damn good release" changed anything of that. :)
It was never about GPU desktop drivers. It was about the overall attitude of NVIDIA corporation towards kernel, and specifically about NVIDIA chipsets for Android market. Soon afterwards NVIDIA actually started cooperating more and big chunks of Tegra platform got upstreamed in the kernel. So given this context: Linus' outburst was appropriate and successful.
sub Oct 17, 2019
Quoting: dreamer_
Quoting: sub
Quoting: linuxcitylinus can't throw up that middle finger anymore this is a pretty damn good release.
Get back to why he thought rising that middle finger was appropriate.
Not sure, that "pretty damn good release" changed anything of that. :)
It was never about GPU desktop drivers. It was about the overall attitude of NVIDIA corporation towards kernel, and specifically about NVIDIA chipsets for Android market. Soon afterwards NVIDIA actually started cooperating more and big chunks of Tegra platform got upstreamed in the kernel. So given this context: Linus' outburst was appropriate and successful.

Tegra drivers are partly upstreamed because OEM partners/customers pressured them to do so.
Shmerl Oct 17, 2019
Quoting: linuxcitylinus can't throw up that middle finger anymore this is a pretty damn good release.

I think he still can, due to it still being a blob ;) I don't see any change in their attitude in this regard.


Last edited by Shmerl on 17 October 2019 at 6:31 pm UTC
PJ Oct 17, 2019
shame they can't be bothered to support GBM and thus still are one of the obstacles in Wayland adoption.
Shmerl Oct 17, 2019
I think their kernel blob driver causes some major problems if using GBM, so even if they wanted, they couldn't do it. Nouveau on the other hand is totally fine with it. So it's not a hardware issue clearly.


Last edited by Shmerl on 17 October 2019 at 6:54 pm UTC
Derheim Oct 18, 2019
I hope that with this release the game freezes bug doesn't happen anymore on Monster Hunter World.
whatever Oct 18, 2019
Quoting: Shmerl
Quoting: linuxcitylinus can't throw up that middle finger anymore this is a pretty damn good release.

I think he still can, due to it still being a blob ;) I don't see any change in their attitude in this regard.

Well at least it's a working blob, unlike the current AMD's open source driver...
jens Oct 18, 2019
  • Supporter
Quoting: barotto
Quoting: Shmerl
Quoting: linuxcitylinus can't throw up that middle finger anymore this is a pretty damn good release.

I think he still can, due to it still being a blob ;) I don't see any change in their attitude in this regard.

Well at least it's a working blob, unlike the current AMD's open source driver...

It is best to ignore posts from @shmerl about NVidia ;)
Shmerl Oct 18, 2019
Quoting: jensIt is best to ignore posts from @shmerl about NVidia ;)

Good luck ignoring the declining trend of its usage on Linux ;)


Last edited by Shmerl on 18 October 2019 at 5:35 pm UTC
Torqachu Oct 18, 2019
QuoteVP9 decode support to the NVIDIA VDPAU driver.
also for old gtx660? :S:
if yes, when this enter stable driver?


Last edited by Torqachu on 18 October 2019 at 5:41 pm UTC
ageres Oct 19, 2019
It doesn't work on my card, I had to go back to 435. So, Linus is still right.


Last edited by ageres on 19 October 2019 at 6:51 am UTC
Eike Oct 19, 2019
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Quoting: Shmerl
Quoting: jensIt is best to ignore posts from @shmerl about NVidia ;)

Good luck ignoring the declining trend of its usage on Linux ;)

If we had problems to ignore what most people are doing, we wouldn't be using Linux in the first place.

There's a reason most gamers are using Nvidia. And for me, it works very well on Linux, too.
jens Oct 19, 2019
  • Supporter
Quoting: EikeAnd for me, it works very well on Linux, too.

Same here. Of course the driver has severe issues (troubleshooting, wayland, prime etc), but neither is the situation perfect with AMD (hardware support at release time, need of bleeding edge kernel/mesa etc). Both approaches have their pro's and con's.

My initial point was mostly that there is really no need to declare people as being stupid for using nvidia (or AMD for that matter). I'm glad that people here are still mostly civilized, reading some of the extreme positions of the supporting groups at Reddit can be really depressing, e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/djm7o5/i_am_one_of_the_few_who_dont_mind_nvidias_binary/


Last edited by jens on 19 October 2019 at 8:46 am UTC
ageres Oct 19, 2019
Quoting: EikeThere's a reason most gamers are using Nvidia.
Marketing?
Eike Oct 19, 2019
View PC info
  • Supporter Plus
Quoting: ageres
Quoting: EikeThere's a reason most gamers are using Nvidia.
Marketing?

I'd say bang per buck and bang per watt.
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.