Nvidia Driver not using dedicated GPU | Linux Mint Community🍵 | Page 1

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 10:20 AM

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Hey,
I have a Thinkpad P14s with a dedicated GPU, and it's running stupidly slowly on Linux.
Like even typing this discord message is hell (as everything is running on CPU).
I'm on Linux Mint 22.1 with nvidia-driver-550.
I installed the driver via the Driver Manager app from Mint.

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nvidia-smi returns the following:

Thu Oct  9 12:20:41 2025       
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NVIDIA-SMI 550.163.01             Driver Version: 550.163.01     CUDA Version: 12.4     |
|-----------------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+
| GPU  Name                 Persistence-M | Bus-Id          Disp.A | Volatile Uncorr. ECC |
| Fan  Temp   Perf          Pwr:Usage/Cap |           Memory-Usage | GPU-Util  Compute M. |
|                                         |                        |               MIG M. |
|=========================================+========================+======================|
|   0  Quadro P520                    Off |   00000000:2D:00.0 Off |                  N/A |
| N/A   53C    P0             N/A / ERR!  |     201MiB /   2048MiB |     25%      Default |
|                                         |                        |                  N/A |
+-----------------------------------------+------------------------+----------------------+
                                                                                         
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Processes:                                                                              |
|  GPU   GI   CI        PID   Type   Process name                              GPU Memory |
|        ID   ID                                                               Usage      |
|=========================================================================================|
|    0   N/A  N/A      1266      G   /usr/lib/xorg/Xorg                            133MiB |
|    0   N/A  N/A      2053      G   cinnamon                                       42MiB |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 10:44 AM

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Please show the output of

mokutil --sb-state ; inxi -SGxxx

dusk horizon Oct 9, 2025, 11:55 AM

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__NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia _VK_LAYER_NV_optimus=NVIDIA_only %command% in steam (if you use steam)
or __NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia _VK_LAYER_NV_optimus=NVIDIA_only nvidia-smi
for testing

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 12:50 PM

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tranquil quarry Please show the output of mokutil --sb-state ; inxi -SGxxx

Here you go

meb@meb-p14:~$ mokutil --sb-state ; inxi -SGxxx
SecureBoot disabled
System:
  Host: meb-p14 Kernel: 6.8.0-85-generic arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc
    v: 13.3.0 clocksource: tsc
  Desktop: Cinnamon v: 6.4.8 tk: GTK v: 3.24.41 wm: Muffin v: 6.4.1 vt: 7
    dm: LightDM v: 1.30.0 Distro: Linux Mint 22.1 Xia base: Ubuntu 24.04 noble
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel CometLake-U GT2 [UHD Graphics] vendor: Lenovo driver: i915
    v: kernel arch: Gen-9.5 ports: active: eDP-1 empty: DP-1, DP-2, HDMI-A-1,
    HDMI-A-2 bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:9b41 class-ID: 0300
  Device-2: NVIDIA GP108GLM [Quadro P520] vendor: Lenovo driver: nvidia
    v: 550.163.01 arch: Pascal pcie: speed: 5 GT/s lanes: 4 bus-ID: 2d:00.0
    chip-ID: 10de:1d34 class-ID: 0302
  Device-3: Chicony Integrated Camera driver: uvcvideo type: USB rev: 2.0
    speed: 480 Mb/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 1-8:3 chip-ID: 04f2:b6d0 class-ID: fe01
    serial: 0001
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.11 with: Xwayland v: 23.2.6 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting,nvidia unloaded: fbdev,nouveau,vesa dri: iris gpu: i915
    display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 102 s-size: 480x270mm (18.90x10.63")
    s-diag: 551mm (21.68")
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 mapped: eDP-1-1 model: LG Display 0x0608 res: 1920x1080
    hz: 60 dpi: 158 size: 309x174mm (12.17x6.85") diag: 355mm (14")
    modes: 1920x1080
  API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: intel iris drv: nvidia nouveau drv: nvidia
    platforms: device: 0 drv: nvidia device: 1 drv: nouveau device: 2 drv: iris
    device: 3 drv: swrast gbm: drv: nvidia surfaceless: drv: nvidia x11:
    drv: nvidia inactive: wayland
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6.0 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: nvidia mesa v: 550.163.01
    glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: Quadro P520/PCIe/SSE2

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 12:50 PM

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dusk horizon __NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia _VK_LAYER_NV_optimu...

Where should I set that?
I'm not using Steam :/

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 12:56 PM

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Yeah if you want to use nvidia for everything, go to nvidia settings - prime profiles and switch to performance mode.

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 12:57 PM

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Already on Performance, but it still runs poorly

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 12:59 PM

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Please elaborate then, what runs poorly exactly?

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 1:01 PM

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Everything that is graphics related.
From Discord to IDE, Firefox...

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I had a similar experience on my other laptop that was running on its CPU (you may have a similar experience if you add nomodeset to the options when you start Mint in the GRUB)

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 1:04 PM

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plucky surge Everything that is graphics related. From Discord to IDE, Firefox...

For example, when I press CTRL + Back arrow on Discord, it takes more than 3 seconds to actually go back to the previous window.
When I type, it takes a bit of time for the text to actually appear.

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 1:08 PM

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Was it smoother on "on demand" mode?

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 1:09 PM

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I have to try

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I've been having this issue for some time, tried to resolve it some time back, but kinda gave up.
I've been running on performance mode all along. I'll restart to try the On-Demand

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I feel like On-Demand is the same

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 1:12 PM

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Also, when on performance mode, see if

lsmod | grep nouveau

outputs anything

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And

glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 1:15 PM

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tranquil quarry Also, when on performance mode, see if lsmod | grep nouveau outputs anything

lsmod | grep nouveau doesn't output anything :/

meb@meb-p14:~$ glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"
OpenGL renderer string: Quadro P520/PCIe/SSE2

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 1:21 PM

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In the terminal run

watch -n 1 nvidia-smi

also open system monitor, or htop in another terminal, see if either cpu or gpu spikes to 100% when you type in discord, ide, etc (wherever lag happens).

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 1:26 PM

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tranquil quarry In the terminal run watch -n 1 nvidia-smi also open system monitor, or htop i...

GPU doesn't seem to go crazy (couldn't get a graph tho), but CPU spiked when messing on Discord (I had another instance of a test where it was worse)

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 1:33 PM

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Try exiting out of discord and through terminal run

discord --disable-gpu

see if it's smoother

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 1:49 PM

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tranquil quarry Try exiting out of discord and through terminal run discord --disable-gpu see ...

Nop, it's the same

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 1:51 PM

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Ok, open the terminal so you could see discord and terminal windows at the same time. In the terminal type

xprop | grep -i xwayland

then click on the discord window, see if it prints anything

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 6:36 PM

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tranquil quarry Ok, open the terminal so you could see discord and terminal windows at the same ...

Nop, nothing (excpet leaving the process?)

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 6:47 PM

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Run

top -o %CPU

and see what process or command actually uses cpu most when you're type

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 6:49 PM

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tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 6:50 PM

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and.... when you're not typing?

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 6:50 PM

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tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 6:54 PM

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Does it lag when you type in terminal, text editor or libre office?

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 6:55 PM

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Nop, terminal, text editor and libre office are smooth

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 6:57 PM

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I see.... Go to discord settings - advanced and turn off hardware acceleration, restart discord and see if there is any change.

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 6:59 PM

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Still laggy and takes 200% of CPU :(

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 7:00 PM

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are you using flatpak version of disccrd?

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 7:00 PM

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I've installed the snap one to launch from terminal, but I usually use the flatpak one

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 7:01 PM

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Could you try deb one?

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 7:06 PM

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Same deal :(

whole obsidian Oct 9, 2025, 7:08 PM

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i think quadro has no support .. that old 108 thing.. Maybe still with 470 driver

tranquil quarry Oct 9, 2025, 7:08 PM

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Try disabling hardware acceleration in deb version

whole obsidian Oct 9, 2025, 7:09 PM

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Device-2: NVIDIA GP108GLM [Quadro P520] vendor: Lenovo driver: nvidia
v: 550.163.01 arch: Pascal pcie: speed: 5 GT/s lanes: 4 bus-ID: 2d:00.0
chip-ID: 10de:1d34 class-ID: 0302

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 7:14 PM

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:(

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Gonna try again

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the drive manager doesn't work :(

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going to do it via apt

plucky surge Oct 9, 2025, 7:38 PM

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whole obsidian i think quadro has no support .. that old 108 thing.. *Maybe* still with 470 dri...

Nop :(

whole obsidian Oct 9, 2025, 7:48 PM

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plucky surge Nop :(

do inxi -Gx and show result now plz

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I want to see what you've changed, if any

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also, please install the Resources flatpak app. this is an excellent system monitor that very EASILY shows all GPUs and CPUs workloads

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and cannot be misinterpreted

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 6:39 AM

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whole obsidian do `inxi -Gx` and show result now plz

Here you go:

meb@meb-p14:~$ inxi -Gx
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel CometLake-U GT2 [UHD Graphics] vendor: Lenovo driver: i915
    v: kernel arch: Gen-9.5 bus-ID: 00:02.0
  Device-2: NVIDIA GP108GLM [Quadro P520] vendor: Lenovo driver: nvidia
    v: 470.256.02 arch: Pascal bus-ID: 2d:00.0
  Device-3: Chicony Integrated Camera driver: uvcvideo type: USB
    bus-ID: 1-8:3
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.11 with: Xwayland v: 23.2.6 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting,nvidia unloaded: fbdev,nouveau,vesa dri: iris gpu: i915
    resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
  API: EGL v: 1.5 drivers: iris,kms_swrast,nouveau,nvidia,swrast platforms:
    active: gbm,x11,surfaceless,device inactive: wayland
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6.0 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: nvidia mesa v: 470.256.02
    glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: Quadro P520/PCIe/SSE2

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 6:47 AM

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whole obsidian also, please install the Resources flatpak app. this is an *excellent* system mo...

Thanks for the tip, Resources looks indeed like a great software!

whole obsidian Oct 10, 2025, 6:52 AM

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do inxi -Gxxx

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see which ports the monitors are on

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 7:02 AM

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whole obsidian do `inxi -Gxxx`

meb@meb-p14:~$ inxi -Gxxx
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel CometLake-U GT2 [UHD Graphics] vendor: Lenovo driver: i915
    v: kernel arch: Gen-9.5 ports: active: eDP-1 empty: DP-1, DP-2, HDMI-A-1,
    HDMI-A-2 bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:9b41 class-ID: 0300
  Device-2: NVIDIA GP108GLM [Quadro P520] vendor: Lenovo driver: nvidia
    v: 470.256.02 arch: Pascal pcie: speed: 8 GT/s lanes: 4 bus-ID: 2d:00.0
    chip-ID: 10de:1d34 class-ID: 0302
  Device-3: Chicony Integrated Camera driver: uvcvideo type: USB rev: 2.0
    speed: 480 Mb/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 1-8:3 chip-ID: 04f2:b6d0 class-ID: fe01
    serial: 0001
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.11 with: Xwayland v: 23.2.6 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting,nvidia unloaded: fbdev,nouveau,vesa dri: iris gpu: i915
    display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 102 s-size: 480x270mm (18.90x10.63")
    s-diag: 551mm (21.68")
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 mapped: eDP-1-1 model: LG Display 0x0608 res: 1920x1080
    hz: 60 dpi: 158 size: 309x174mm (12.17x6.85") diag: 355mm (14")
    modes: 1920x1080
  API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: intel iris drv: nvidia nouveau drv: nvidia
    platforms: device: 0 drv: nvidia device: 1 drv: nouveau device: 2 drv: iris
    device: 3 drv: swrast gbm: drv: kms_swrast surfaceless: drv: iris x11:
    drv: nvidia inactive: wayland
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6.0 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: nvidia mesa v: 470.256.02
    glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: Quadro P520/PCIe/SSE2

whole obsidian Oct 10, 2025, 7:04 AM

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is this a desktop or laptop?

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 7:04 AM

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A Laptop

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a P14s (Gen 1 I think)

whole obsidian Oct 10, 2025, 7:05 AM

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alrigth well i cant say anymore

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just gonna have to test running hard graphics and watch Resources by alt-tabbing

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 7:08 AM

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whole obsidian alrigth well i cant say anymore

Thanks for taking the time to help

tranquil quarry Oct 10, 2025, 8:14 AM

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So to clarify, Discord deb version from the site lags, with hardware acceleration disabled? Can you check what lags and what doesn't? Text editor, terminal, firefox, file managers, some games, etc. Also, provide full system info.

inxi -Fxxxz

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Also check if they lag in cinnamon (software rendering). You can select it at the login screen.

livid oracle Oct 10, 2025, 9:15 AM

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is the laptop throttling?

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How old is it? Is thermal paste still a thing on it?

livid oracle Oct 10, 2025, 9:18 AM

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plucky surge GPU doesn't seem to go crazy (couldn't get a graph tho), but CPU spiked when mes...

from your inxi you do seem to be all good. If the problem is discord, keep in mind discord is an Electron app and doesn't use the GPU at all times. Most things are CPU-bound in fact.

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 9:19 AM

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Actually, I think that switching to 470 helped

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Like it's not taking 3 seconds to change between conversations

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 9:19 AM

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livid oracle How old is it? Is thermal paste still a thing on it?

When it was slow, I couldn't hear any fan noises coming from it

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 9:20 AM

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tranquil quarry So to clarify, Discord deb version from the site lags, with hardware acceleratio...

📎 message.txt

livid oracle Oct 10, 2025, 9:21 AM

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What's your cpu?

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nvm it's a 10th gen i7

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Are you on the 'Performance' power profile?

tranquil quarry Oct 10, 2025, 9:36 AM

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@plucky surge Other info too, please

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 9:40 AM

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tranquil quarry <@386559264765902848> Other info too, please

Yep, sorry, I'm working on tons of things at the same time 😅
It's not lagging much anymore, after I switched to 470. I also realized that my laptop switched to Power Saving mode :/
But yeah, Discord was lagging even wether hardware acceleration was enabled or not.
My JetBrains ideas were lagging too.
Text editor, terminal, file managers weren't lagging.
Firefox was though.
I don't have any games to test on.

tranquil quarry Oct 10, 2025, 9:44 AM

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plucky surge Yep, sorry, I'm working on tons of things at the same time 😅 It's not lagging ...

So these lag on balanced power mode?

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 9:44 AM

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Yes

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I feel silly :(

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Thank you so much for helping

tranquil quarry Oct 10, 2025, 9:45 AM

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And cinnamon (software rendering) ?

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@plucky surge Also see what

cpupower frequency-info | grep "The governor"

outputs

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 9:58 AM

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meb@meb-p14:~$ cpupower frequency-info | grep "The governor"
                  The governor "powersave" may decide which speed to use

tranquil quarry Oct 10, 2025, 9:59 AM

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Type

sudo cpupower frequency-set -g performance

and see if that helps with lags

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 10:05 AM

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I don't have lags anymore I feel like

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So, it helped

tranquil quarry Oct 10, 2025, 10:11 AM

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Ok, to check, what does

cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_available_governors

say?

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 10:27 AM

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tranquil quarry Ok, to check, what does cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_avail...

meb@meb-p14:~$ cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_available_governors
performance powersave

tranquil quarry Oct 10, 2025, 10:29 AM

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plucky surge ``` meb@meb-p14:~$ cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_available_go...

btw, did you ever install tlp by chance?

plucky surge Oct 10, 2025, 10:29 AM

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it doesn't ring a bell

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what is it

tranquil quarry Oct 10, 2025, 10:30 AM

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That's a popular package for power saving on laptops, but may not work well on latest mint

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Ok, then do

sudo apt install cpufrequtils
echo 'GOVERNOR="performance"' | sudo tee /etc/default/cpufrequtils
sudo systemctl enable cpufrequtils

It should keep the cpu in performance mode after a restart, since that seems to fix your lag

livid oracle Oct 10, 2025, 1:17 PM

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i wouldn't keep the performance governor at all times

#Nvidia Driver not using dedicated GPU