I've been using Linux for about 15 years, so I'm not completely new to the system, but I've never really had to deal with GPU drivers until now. I'm currently using Arch Linux with an AMD GPU, and I've noticed my machine has been running sluggishly lately. I've read that updating the GPU drivers might help improve performance, but I'm unsure where to start with it. The Arch wiki seems a bit too technical for my needs. Is there a straightforward guide that I can follow to update my drivers and optimize my system?
3 Answers
Good news! For AMD GPUs on Linux, the drivers are usually included in the kernel, so if your kernel is up-to-date, your drivers are too. You just need to ensure you have 'mesa' and 'vulkan-radeon' installed. One other tip: Arch doesn’t enable 'fstrim' by default, which can slow down your system over time. You might want to run 'sudo systemctl start fstrim.service' to see if that helps improve your performance!
If you're reading guides focused on Windows, that could lead to confusion. The performance issues might not be driver-related at all. And regarding rendering engines, they depend more on the software rather than the graphics drivers themselves. If you want a stable experience, maybe you should consider switching distributions from Arch, which can sometimes be a bit cutting-edge for stability. But hey, that's just my two cents!
Remember, updating GPU drivers on Linux isn't like Windows. Drivers typically get updated with kernel and mesa updates automatically. It could be a bad idea to try some suggested updates you find online. Double-check your hardware and problems. Provide info about your desktop environment and whether you're using Wayland or X11 for more tailored help!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I’ll keep that in mind about stability.