Hey everyone! I'm making the switch to Linux but keep hitting a wall with a few issues. I've tried several user-friendly distributions like Ubuntu, Mint, and Zorin, but I'm still having trouble. My setup includes an HP OMEN 15-dc1003nl with an RTX 2060 Mobile and an i5-8300H. Despite installing the proprietary Nvidia drivers, streaming 4K videos on YouTube is choppy, and the system overall feels sluggish. Even though Linux recognizes my laptop's 144 Hz screen, it sometimes behaves like it's stuck at 60 Hz. Additionally, the touchpad is slow and unresponsive compared to what I'm used to on Windows. Has anyone faced similar challenges or found a good configuration for Linux on hardware like this? I'd really appreciate any tips or solutions!
3 Answers
A lot of people run into issues like this with Nvidia. I faced them myself! I switched to AMD because it plays much nicer with Linux. If drivers are your problem, you really might have to switch them out. I can send you some guides on changing GPU drivers if that helps; Mint tends to be a user-friendly option for that.
Have you checked out some other distributions that are known to better support hardware like yours? Using something that is less demanding or better optimized might save you from a lot of the driver headaches. Sometimes that's what 'beginner-friendly' really means—avoiding those frustrating configurations in the first place!
I've already tried CachyOS, but honestly, I'm still figuring it out.
I can't really speak to the touchpad issues, but I had some similar refresh rate problems when I used Windows too. It turned out to be related to my power management settings that were trying to save energy by limiting the refresh rate. You might want to check your power settings to see if that's affecting you as well!
I've already tried both the performance and standard power profiles, and I didn't have this issue in Windows.
Maybe I'll give switching the Nvidia drivers a shot. Thanks for the tip!