With the R515 driver, NVIDIA released a set of Linux GPU kernel modules in May 2022 as open source with dual GPL and MIT licensing. The initial release targeted datacenter compute GPUs…
I'm newer to Linux gaming, but the consensus I've seen is that AMD is better on Linux. Will these actions change your mind? I already have Nvidia hardware, so an open source kernel module sounds like a win.
As comment in another post said - this is for modules only. There's still a ton of binary fluff that is the main cause of issues and that is not getting open sourced.
Both of them have their own issues, but historically, Nvidia have been considerably worse, because they not only required a proprietary driver, but also adamantly refused to support certain features, crippling the functionality of a lot of compositors.
Today, I'm having zero issues with an Nvidia card, on Kwin/Wayland. Everything that runs in native Wayland runs flawlessly. Games through Xwayland run great too, now that explicit sync is actually there.
Worth noting that I don't have a VRR display, and don't have a card that supports frame generation. The latter just is not implemented at all, and the I've heard there are issues with the former
Is why I can’t use AMD. My primary display is a TV. Yea, there are large monitors with Display Ports, but they didn’t exist until recently and most if not all are inferior to a high quality TV in picture quality.
I'm probably not getting NVIDIA for my next card, but this certainly is a step in the right direction. If they prove they can keep up with the Linux ecosystem and play nice (e.g. the debacle around Wayland), I'll consider getting one.
For now, AMD provides a fantastic Linux experience and that'll need to be matched for me to even consider NVIDIA. NVIDIA used to be way better on Linux, but they broke that trust and it'll take a while for me to give them another shot.