Drivers for most standard computer hardware are included in the Linux kernel in Ubuntu. They are open-source and created by the community of Linux users, and some of them do not utilize the. Most Linux-based* distributions include Intel® Graphics Drivers. Contact your operating system vendor (OSV) and use their distribution for driver access and support. Intel Graphics Drivers for Linux* are available in source form. The Intel Graphics for Linux site describes other ways you can obtain.
- Ubuntu Graphics Card Driver
- Ubuntu Change Graphic Card Driver Command Line
- Ubuntu Graphics Card Driver
- Ubuntu Install Video Driver
- Ubuntu Intel Graphics Driver
- Ubuntu Graphics Card Driver
With the recent advancements in Linux desktop distributions, gaming on Linux is coming to life. Linux users are beginning to enjoy gaming like Windows or Mac OSX users, with amazing performance.
Ubuntu Graphics Card Driver
Nvidia makes top-rated gaming graphics cards. However, for a long time, updating Nvidia drivers on Linux desktops was not so easy. Luckily, now the Proprietary GPU Drivers PPA packages updated nvidia-graphics-drivers for Ubuntu ready for installation.
Although this PPA is currently in testing, you can get fresh drivers from upstream, currently shipping Nvidia from it. If you are using Nvidia graphics card, this article will show you how to install the latest Nvidia drivers on Ubuntu and its derivatives such as Linux Mint.
How to Install Nvidia Drivers in Ubuntu
First start by adding the Proprietary GPU Drivers PPA to your system package sources and update your system package cache using apt command.
Then install the latest stable nvidia graphics (which is nvidia-387 at the time of writing this article) using the following command.
Alternatively, open Software & Updates under System Settings and go to Additional Drivers tab, select the required driver version and click “Apply Changes”.
Next, reboot your computer for the new driver to start working. Then use the lsmod command to check your installation status with the following command.
It will list all currently loaded kernel modules in Linux, then filter only nvidia using grep command.
Some times updates do not work well as expected. If you face any issues with the latest drivers installation such as black screen on startup, you can remove it as follows.
If you want to completely remove graphics-drivers PPA as well, run the following command to remove PPA.
You might also like to read these following related articles on Gaming.
That’s all! You can ask questions or share any useful additional information via the feedback form below.
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Linux users have a wealth of open-source software at their fingertips. But sometimes, proprietary software is required. It might be something like running Microsoft WordHow to Install Microsoft Office on LinuxHow to Install Microsoft Office on LinuxMicrosoft Office on Linux is possible. We cover three methods for getting Office working inside of a Linux environment.Read More — which is a bit unnecessary given the quality of LibreOfficeIs LibreOffice Worthy of the Office Crown?Is LibreOffice Worthy of the Office Crown?LibreOffice is the king of free office suites. It's unlikely to replace Microsoft Office in a business environment, but it's an excellent alternative for casual users. Here's what's new in LibreOffice 5.1.Read More — or it could be a proprietary driver.
99% of your hardware will run with open-source drivers, but graphics drivers are another story.
Diehard Linux users will accuse you of sacrilege for even thinking about running proprietary drivers. However, if you’re keen on Linux gaming, then they are pretty much required.
Why Do You Need Proprietary Graphics Drivers?
Almost all Linux distributions ship with open-source drivers. These are provided so that your hardware works out of the box. Install Linux, and use your PC’s hardware as you always had.
Ubuntu Change Graphic Card Driver Command Line
When it comes to graphics drivers, however, the situation is somewhat different. Open-source graphics drivers will (in most cases) let you run the operating system and perform basic tasks, but when it comes to gaming (and perhaps image/video editing and other heavy lifting) failure can occur.
The result is that AMD and Nvidia graphics systems can run at a reasonable level with open-source drivers, but need proprietary drivers — those produced by AMD and Nvidia, respectively — to enjoy the power the brands promise. (Intel graphics drivers are already open-source and included with the Linux kernel).
Getting proprietary drivers, also known as “restricted” driver, used to be tricky or fiddly, but these days it’s straightforward. Here, we look at installing proprietary graphics drivers on three popular distros: Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Fedora.
(Proprietary drivers for other hardware devices — such as wireless network interface cards — are also often available.)
Pre-Installing Proprietary Graphics Drivers
Installing proprietary graphics drivers has become far simpler in recent years. Previously, you may have had to run some specialist software or go looking for the drivers and install them manually. Happily, you can now simply install them as you install your Linux operating system (a feature available in most popular distros).
To do this, just work your way through the installation process, paying close attention to the boxes that pop up. Towards the end of installation, you’ll find a dialogue box concerning graphics drivers. This box requires your action, and gives you the choice of installing proprietary graphics drivers or open-source drivers.
Choosing the proprietary drivers option will save you the bother of installing them later. Fortunately, this isn’t too tricky.
Ubuntu
To find proprietary drivers in Ubuntu, open the menu, type “drivers,” and select Additional Drivers. Upon opening, the system will run a quick scan. This will find out if your system has hardware that would benefit from having proprietary drivers installed. It is here that you will find proprietary drivers.
It can be tricky to make the right decision as to which drivers to choose, so opt for the defaults (usually the most recent). This method is far more straightforward than using the command line, which can result in problems. Rather than risk system stability (and even your graphics card itself), it is safer to use the Additional Drivers utility.
Although you may not be instructed to, it’s often useful to restart your computer after installing a graphics driver. Once rebooted, your Linux system should be ready to offer an enhanced graphics experience!
Fedora
If you’re running a Fedora system with an Nvidia video card, things are a little trickier. This is because the default repositories for Fedora only list open-source software.
You’ll need to begin by checking your video card details:
If you see details for an Nvidia card, head to the RPM Fusion site and install the free and nonfree packages for your version of Fedora. This should be done via the Firefox browser, using PackageKit to install the packages.
It’s also possible to use the command line to install these packages with a single command:
Once installed, these packages will add repository information that you can use to search and install the drivers for your card. For Nvidia cards, search for kmod-nvidia. Remember to reboot your PC after this.
Have an AMD card? If so, the AMDGPU driver is automatically enabled for newer hardware. Older devices, meanwhile, will have to rely on the Catalyst driver, which is no longer maintained.
Linux Mint
The main version of Linux Mint is based on the most recent Ubuntu release5 Reasons Why Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak Is Worth a Look5 Reasons Why Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak Is Worth a LookA year on from Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, a new version has been released. But is the interim release, Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak, even worth installing? Or should you stick with your current Ubuntu version?Read More, and the path to installing restricted/proprietary drivers is the same. However, be aware that there are several variants of Mint5 Flavors of Linux Mint 18 You Can Try Today5 Flavors of Linux Mint 18 You Can Try TodayLinux Mint is a distro that has roots in Ubuntu but lots of changes that make it worthwhile. In this article, we explore the five flavors of desktop environment that you can try.Read More so you might find that you need to check the correct procedure to get this working.
For “mainstream” Mint, open Menu > Administration > Driver Manager, where you’ll find the drivers that you can install.
The resulting Driver Manager screen will be laid out in a similar way to the Additional Drivers screen in Ubuntu. Make your choice, click OK, and reboot.
In the case of Nvidia cards, you might be offered several versions of what appears to be the same driver. The one you should select will be named something like nvidia-[recent_version]. If it doesn’t work so well, however, you may have to try the nvidia[recent_version]-updates driver instead.
When Proprietary Drivers Don’t Help
You might have noticed reading the above that you’ve been dealing mostly with Nvidia drivers. Happily, when it comes to AMD video cards, these are (mostly) supported with open-source versions of the Radeon drivers. Better still, they’re incorporated into the Linux kernel. You can find out more about the AMD’s open-source program on their development website.
However, there are occasions when proprietary drivers don’t help. Although rare, if you’ve bought a brand-new graphics cardNvidia Graphics Cards: Which One Is Right for You?Nvidia Graphics Cards: Which One Is Right for You?Nvidia graphics cards are the most popular for a reason. But which model should you buy and why? We explain the jargon, the cards, and their performance.Read More, it is unlikely to work with the most recent drivers. In such cases, the best option is to rely on the most recent driver available.
Ubuntu Graphics Card Driver
And in all cases, in the event of failure, rely purely on the built-in Intel graphics processor until you’re able to resolve the problem.
Want to Enjoy Gaming and Multimedia on Linux? You Need Proprietary Drivers!
While the prospect of open-source graphics drivers that are of the same quality as the proprietary drivers is attractive, it probably won’t ever happen. Although weaker and older graphics cards are usually 100% supported by open-source drivers, high-end, newer models are not.
As such, proprietary drivers are a vital aspect of gaming on Linux.
Ubuntu Install Video Driver
Do you prefer open-source or proprietary graphics drivers? Do you think proprietary drivers should be open-source? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments!
Ubuntu Intel Graphics Driver
Explore more about: Drivers, Fedora, Ubuntu.
Ubuntu Graphics Card Driver
- Whoever is maintaining this article should make an update. I recently used Kubuntu with an ATI Radeon graphics card and not only I have the default Radeon drivers in the System Settings -> Device Configuration, I also have 2 propriety drivers from ATI installed that I can use already installed and listed in the Drivers list. Of course, the system is set to use the one that is defined as 'recommended' and my new graphics card works like a charm. The whole article and the comments are totally out of date. If you can't provide and update to this article why not take it down or rewrite it?
Ubuntu has change dramatically over the past few years and it's not nice to present information that is simply out of date. - Hi Danny,There's just one problem -- my screen goes black in the middle of installing -any- GUI on Ubuntu Server 12.04. I think it needs the drivers before installing the GUI. Any ideas how I can load those with access only to a command prompt?Thanks,
Sue in Colorado - Good think the default drivers work like a charm since the day one :)
- It makes me angry when I cannot install my nVidia graphics card drivers on Ubuntu... So I changed my Ubuntu to Hanthana Linux... A fedora distro... It works great with any VGA card.
- it would be nice if an article is posted on how to install proprietary drivers from packages available in the manufacturers web site its relly a headche installing those manually
- It would be really nice if card manufacturers supported their products on Linux just a little bit more than they do now. I have no problems with them wanting to keep their code private but I do want my video card to work without the rigamarole of installing proprietary drivers. I just finally got my hybrid graphics running under arch, the only issue I have now is HDMI audio.
- I'll probably get burned for saying it, but the driver(s) issue is why I treat Linux as a toy. It's fun to play with it, but when I have serious work to do, I revert to Windows. Linux is too fractured to have mainstream vendor support. If I have new hardware (or software) that will not function in Linux, then I have to go where it will function in order to get my job(s) done. I have not the skills, nor time to acquire them, to compensate for inadequate drivers of any sort - nor should I have to have them. That's the responsibility of the OS and the vendor(s).
- Agree 100%
- Agree 100%. As new Linux user, I'm building a Linux machine. I put AMD in my old one, the new one will have Intel, because Intel plays nice with Linux. After what I've read here, nVidia is now also on my no-fly list; I will be buying Radeon instead.Wake up manufacturers - you are losing sales by not providing Linux drivers for your hardware; and that loss will only expand in the future. I will not be disposed in the future to buy hardware from a manufacturer who dissed me today by being slow to provide full-function Linux drivers for their products.
- I'll add on to that, as I have done ever since it was a requirement to get Linux to work in the first place: I won't buy a graphics card from a manufacturer who won't open source their drivers completely, or at least open their hardware design for other programmers who want to make open source drivers!