More NVIDIA news for you today, not only is it possible to use GeForce NOW on Linux in the browser, we also have a new stable NVIDIA driver release.
The majority of the 450.66 driver is to add new support for multiple Quadro and Matrox GPUs, the type of stuff used in professional settings and not really for consumers. Still, NVIDIA constantly add to their Linux support which is good for the Linux industry as a whole.
Apart from that, there was one single listed bug fix. Small but it sounded quite important:
Fixed triple buffering support of Vulkan X11 swapchains when applications are syncing to vblank.
Since it made me curious how and when it might happen, I spoke to NVIDIA about this specific fix.
Here's what they sent along earlier about it:
This addresses the issue of applications being capped to half the display refresh rate (for example, capped to 30 FPS on a 60 Hz display) when 1) they are flipping sync'd to vblank 2) use more than two swapchain images (which is the case of DXVK) and 3) they render below the display refresh rate. If such application renders at 54 FPS on a 60 Hz display, it should now flip at 54 FPS instead of 30 FPS.
Damien Leone, NVIDIA
So that's another tick in the box for improved Vulkan, Linux and NVIDIA together.
You can see the 450.66 driver here. As this is a stable driver, you should be good to go on upgrading. Whenever your distribution offers packages that is. If you're on Arch, I've recently been shown the TkG installer and it worked great.
Update 20/08/20 - NVIDIA sent word that the 450 series will be the last to support these three SLI modes: AA, AFR and SFR. However "SLI Mosaic, Base Mosaic, GL_NV_gpu_multicast, and GLX_NV_multigpu_context will continue to be supported in future driver series". You can see more about their deprecation schedule here.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
slaapliedje 18 Aug 2020
Quadro and Matrox GPUsDid Matrox get bought by nVidia? Not sure why they'd be releasing drivers for them... :)
Still wondering if nVidia is going to buy ARM.
Luke_Nukem 18 Aug 2020
benjamimgois 18 Aug 2020
slaapliedje 18 Aug 2020
Quoted from Phoronix
The NVIDIA-powered Matrox D-Series D1480 and D1450 are also now supported by this Linux driver.I am so confused.....
Edit: Okay, now it makes sense...
https://www.anandtech.com/show/15449/matrox-unveils-dseries-graphics-cards-with-nvidia-quadro-gpus
Somehow missed that Matrox is now making multidisplay cards powered by Quadros. Interesting. I used to love Matrox cards, sadly the Parhelia was my last one, as they basically dropped out of the crazy performance race.
Last edited by slaapliedje on 18 Aug 2020 at 9:10 pm UTC
Dunc 18 Aug 2020
Well I'll be....I feel as if I've just seen a shiny new [Bedford](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_Vehicles) van on the street. I honestly thought Matrox was defunct, or had been bought out by NVidia or ATi (as was).
slaapliedje 19 Aug 2020
Nah, they have been around, just more or less got out of 'consumer' level products, and sell cards for massive amounts of displays. I think their highest end one is 16 on a single card.Well I'll be....I feel as if I've just seen a shiny new [Bedford](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedford_Vehicles) van on the street. I honestly thought Matrox was defunct, or had been bought out by NVidia or ATi (as was).
Weird that they are now even giving up on their own ASICs (maybe?).
Oh shit, so that *was* an issue! I thought I was going mad.That could still be the case. For instance, I'm pretty sure you use Linux!
Luke_Nukem 19 Aug 2020
Oh shit, so that *was* an issue! I thought I was going mad.That could still be the case. For instance, I'm pretty sure you use Linux!
Naaa, it was Windows that made me mad. That's why I use Linux... Hmm, hang on a sec.
TheSHEEEP 19 Aug 2020
Windows developed by Linux developers to drive people mad and into using Linux confirmed.Oh shit, so that *was* an issue! I thought I was going mad.That could still be the case. For instance, I'm pretty sure you use Linux!
Naaa, it was Windows that made me mad. That's why I use Linux... Hmm, hang on a sec.
Comandante Ñoñardo 20 Aug 2020
Liam Dawe 20 Aug 2020
slaapliedje 20 Aug 2020
And again, the Ubuntu's driver ppa team is sleeping.This is one of the reasons I hate Ubuntu. Debian does it better with backports, as then it can be part of your main distribution (with all the extra support that entails) and you have a choice of which actual packages to update and use the backports version, so it is easier to opt for 'stable' vs 'latest' on those particular packages.
The PPAs have always caused instability issues for me when I'd use them (either in broken packages/dependencies or otherwise).
CatKiller 21 Aug 2020
This is one of the reasons I hate Ubuntu. Debian does it better with backports, as then it can be part of your main distribution (with all the extra support that entails) and you have a choice of which actual packages to update and use the backports version, so it is easier to opt for 'stable' vs 'latest' on those particular packages.Nvidia drivers on Ubuntu are updated through Stable Release Updates now, the same as browsers. You don't need to use the PPA to get updated drivers over the lifetime of a release any more.
robvv 25 Aug 2020
slaapliedje 27 Aug 2020
Wow, I used to have a Matrox Millennium card (I forget which one) back in the day! Good to hear they're still going.I apparently still have the Millennium II (PCI) and 2x G400s (AGP). I used to have a Marvel G400 as well and the Parhelia.
It is funny, there are many articles stating that the thing that killed the Amiga was Doom. Doom 3 was certainly what killed the Parhelia, as it was one of those games where their openGL was so broken it wouldn't render everything right. Then people just moved on.
Was sad as ATI had crappy drivers, and nvidia's were blurry as hell on CRTs.
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