Installing NVidia Drivers in Adrenaline v2.5 (DKMS Method)

DKMS Method is a ridiculously simple way to install NVidia drivers in Adrenaline and it takes hardly 10 minutes! The process is painless, even for newbies and is therefore highly recommended. We will use DKMS – Dynamic Kernel Module Support for installing these drivers. DKMS allows adding new kernel modules on-the-fly with no need to compile the kernel from source. This way even if the kernel gets an upgrade, the modules are compiled automatically. You don’t have to install the drivers again.

Yes, since we’ll be using packages from the repo, the drivers won’t be the most recent ones. But trust me, they work very well and you don’t really need the latest drivers unless it’s for some specific task.

Fire up the Root Terminal (Menu -> System Tools -> Root Terminal) and we’ll begin the process.

Step 1: Update the repos:

Let’s update the repos first. Give the following command:

apt-get update

Step 2: Install NVidia Drivers and related packages

IMPORTANT: This will install NVidia drivers for a discreet graphics card. If your computer is powered by NVidia Optimus, do not install drivers this way. Driver installation for Nvidia Optimus is covered immediately after this section.

So, to install NVidia drivers just give the following command:

apt-get install nvidia-kernel-dkms nvidia-glx nvidia-xconfig nvidia-settings

This command will install the NVidia Drivers and other related packages. If the system gives you a message about ‘Conflicting Nouveau kernel module loaded’, just press the OK button.

For NVidia Optimus:

Nvidia Optimus powered computers can switch between Intel and NVidia graphics cards on-the-fly. This conserves battery when performance is not needed. To install drivers for such a system, give the following command:

sudo apt-get install bumblebee-nvidia primus

Bumblebee is the driver that does the trick. It will automatically switch to the discreet graphics card if performance is needed, for example, while playing Full HD videos. At other times, your onboard Intel GPU will be used.

IMPORTANT: Optimus installation is over right here. DO NOT follow the steps given below. DO NOT run nvidia-xconfig. You’re done with the installation. Just restart your system.

Step 3: Update xorg.conf file:

We will now update your ‘xorg.conf’ file so that the system uses the new NVidia Driver. Before that, let’s back up your old ‘xorg.conf’. Very useful, just in case the new xorg.conf doesn’t work then we’ll need our old settings back! Give the following command:

mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup

If you get an output saying – ‘No such file or directory’, no problem. Just go ahead with the following command:

nvidia-xconfig

The NVidia Utility will create the new xorg.conf file for you which will point to Nvidia Drivers we just installed! Great!

And you’re done! Restart your computer. Congratulations! Adrenaline is now using NVidia Video Drivers.

Step 4 (Optional): Install VDPAU library:

The Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix is a library used to decode video on the graphics card, thus improving the overall video playback performance. This library works only on GeForce 8 series or higher graphics cards from NVidia. Roughly, the VDPAU is equivalent to Microsoft Direct X Video Acceleration (DxVA). If you wish to install it, give the following command:

apt-get install nvidia-vdpau-driver vdpau-va-driver

That’s it. A reboot is recommended.

Let’s wrap it up here. If you need any help, just ask! I’m always happy to help!

Namaste!