I'm curious about setting custom screen resolutions on my Linux system. In Windows, I can do this easily through the AMD or Nvidia control panels. For example, I use a 55-inch 4K TV as my main display, and I have it running at an ultrawide resolution of 3840x1600 at 120 Hz. Is there a way to achieve similar results on Linux? I also use Gamescope for gaming, but I'd love to be able to set that ultrawide resolution for my desktop environment as well. By the way, I'm using Plasma on Wayland.
5 Answers
Can you adjust the aspect ratios on your TV? I’ve found that some TVs will limit refresh rates based on aspect settings. For instance, if you set it to 20:9, you may only get 60 Hz instead of the 120 Hz you want.
Setting custom resolutions takes me back to the good old days of tweaking xorg.conf for refresh rates. If you're using Gnome on Wayland, there's some helpful info here: you can find good guides online to get this done.
Custom resolutions can be tricky since the hardware usually only supports specific ones. For example, if your TV doesn't support 120 Hz, it won’t display that refresh rate. But on Linux, you can change resolutions to match what your hardware supports. Just check out xrandr to see your monitor's supported resolutions, and you can even trick the system into using custom ones—though it often leads to issues like visual tearing.
You know, it’s Linux—it’s always possible to make things happen! You just need to dig a little deeper to find solutions suitable for your setup.
Yeah, but how exactly can I do that?
If you're looking to set a non-native resolution for your monitor in Linux, you can definitely do that on X11 using a tool called xrandr. You can even create virtual displays and map multiple ones to a single monitor. However, when it comes to Wayland, it’s a bit trickier and not as straightforward. It's possible, but not as user-friendly as on X11.
That’s exactly what I want to do! But since I'm on Wayland, is there any workaround?
Yes, but when I switch to 20:9, I get capped at 60 Hz. On Windows, I can adjust those settings and still achieve the 120 Hz.