# nVidia Driver Options

## sdfg

I've got a list of settings that I've taken from Windows that give me amazing performance and quality. I've been told that I the Linux drivers offer more performance over the Windows ones, but so far I haven't found this to be true. So, in an aide to matching them side-by-side, I'm trying to set the settings on Linux as they are on Windows. I have the list here, but I haven't been successful finding how to set half of these settings - indeed even something simple like the v-blank settings don't seem to be applied, I'm getting page-tearing all over the place!

Does anyone know where there are full settings instructions for the nVidia drivers, or know how to set these settings? I've checked all through nvidia-settings, and also through all the possible options to add in xorg.conf - above that, I can't find anything.

Thanks in advance,

-K

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## schachti

Check the file /usr/doc/nvidia-drivers-169.07/README.bz2 (if you do not use version 169.07 of the driver, you have to change the path), especially "Appendix B. X Config Options".

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## sdfg

 *schachti wrote:*   

> Check the file /usr/doc/nvidia-drivers-169.07/README.bz2 (if you do not use version 169.07 of the driver, you have to change the path), especially "Appendix B. X Config Options".

 

Thanks for your help, but as I said I've already looked through those.

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## schachti

Then I do not understand what you want to know - you asked "how to set these settings", and in the file I mentioned in Appendix A, it is written how to set them:

 *Quote:*   

> 
> 
> The following driver options are supported by the NVIDIA X driver. They may be specified either in the Screen or Device sections of the X config file.
> 
> 

 

If we look at a special option

```

Option "NvAGP" "integer"

    Configure AGP support. Integer argument can be one of:

        Value             Behavior

        --------------    ---------------------------------------------------

        0                 disable AGP

        1                 use NVIDIA internal AGP support, if possible

        2                 use AGPGART, if possible

        3                 use any AGP support (try AGPGART, then NVIDIA AGP)

    Note that NVIDIA internal AGP support cannot work if AGPGART is either

    statically compiled into your kernel or is built as a module and loaded

    into your kernel. See Chapter 12 for details. Default: 3.

```

So if you want to disable AGP, you add

```

Option "NvAGP" "0"

```

to "Device sections of the X config file".

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## sdfg

 *schachti wrote:*   

> Then I do not understand what you want to know - you asked "how to set these settings", and in the file I mentioned in Appendix A, it is written how to set them:
> 
>  *Quote:*   
> 
> The following driver options are supported by the NVIDIA X driver. They may be specified either in the Screen or Device sections of the X config file.
> ...

 

I did post exactly the settings I am looking for. In case you didn't look at them, here they are:

```

*Anisotropic filtering               8x

Anisotropic mip filter optimization      On

Anisotropic sample optimization         Off

*Antialiasing settings               4x

Conformant texture clamp            Use hardware

Error reporting                  Off

Extension limit                  Off

Force mipmaps                  Trilinear

*Gamma correct antialiasing         On

Hardware acceleration            Single display performance mode

Negative LOD bias               Clamp

*Texture Filtering               Quality

Threaded optimization            Auto

Transparency antialiasing            Multisampling

Trilinear optimization               On

*Triple buffering                  On

*Vertical sync                  Off

```

Of this list, those entries with stars at the front I have found, either through nvidia-settings, or by applying them in xorg.conf. Which I mentioned in my first post. The remainder, however, have no options listed in the readme you listed, or in nvidia-settings - or at least, are not named exactly the same, though I cannot find even similar functions in the linux drivers.

Whilst I did ask 'how to set these settings', I was specifically referring to the settings above, which I had referenced. Further, I specifically mentioned what I had done to prevent exactly this duplication of effort in saying what I had done. I asked 'where to find how to do' because I actually want to learn, I do not simple want 'the answer' - showing me how is just another way of doing this. I do, however, RTFM before I post questions given that that is usually the first (arrogant) response, as shown here.

I will sum up concisely, explicitly and un-amiguously what I am looking for:

There are some settings that I require that I cannot find in either the options to append to xorg.conf as listed in the official driver's readme, or in the official settings manager, nvidia-settings. These settings are as follows:

```

Anisotropic mip filter optimization      On

Anisotropic sample optimization         Off

Conformant texture clamp            Use hardware

Error reporting                  Off

Extension limit                  Off

Force mipmaps                  Trilinear

Hardware acceleration            Single display performance mode

Negative LOD bias               Clamp

Threaded optimization            Auto

Transparency antialiasing            Multisampling

Trilinear optimization               On

```

These settings have been taken from the Windows drivers for the same computer, and thus the same graphics card, after much experimentation to find the optimum balance of performance and quality for me.

I would like to know the following:

Are these settings available in the Linux drivers? If so:

Is there a reference available where I can investigate how to set these settings myself?

Can anyone show me how to set these settings that I can use in the future?

I don't mean to seem ungrateful, but I did post (what I thought were) concise details of what I had already researched. I'm sorry if this wasn't clear enough.

-K

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## schachti

 *Kasyx wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Of this list, those entries with stars at the front I have found, either through nvidia-settings, or by applying them in xorg.conf. Which I mentioned in my first post. The remainder, however, have no options listed in the readme you listed, or in nvidia-settings - or at least, are not named exactly the same, though I cannot find even similar functions in the linux drivers.
> 
> 

 

That is the point that was not clear to me - I understood your posting as a combination of two questions, namely (1) which linux settings correspond to the windows settings you mentioned above, and (2) where you in generell can apply settings for the linux driver. So I tried to answer (2).

 *Kasyx wrote:*   

> 
> 
> I do, however, RTFM before I post questions given that that is usually the first (arrogant) response, as shown here.
> 
> 

 

There is a big difference between "RTFM" and "have a look at file x, chapter y", isn't it? I misunderstood your question and gave a - in my opinion very helpful - answer to the question as I understood it.

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## sdfg

 *schachti wrote:*   

> 
> 
> That is the point that was not clear to me - I understood your posting as a combination of two questions, namely (1) which linux settings correspond to the windows settings you mentioned above, and (2) where you in generell can apply settings for the linux driver. So I tried to answer (2).
> 
> There is a big difference between "RTFM" and "have a look at file x, chapter y", isn't it? I misunderstood your question and gave a - in my opinion very helpful - answer to the question as I understood it.

 

I see now your confusion. However it wasn't general settings I was looking for, it was full settings I was after, given my (perhaps mistaken) assumption that the Linux drivers have the same functionality as the Windows ones.

And whilst true 'look here specifically' is more useful than 'RTFM', I still indicated that I had done so. 

As I said, sorry if this sounds harsh, disrespectful or ungrateful, but I did mention everything in my first post that you have thus far answered  :Very Happy:  (although it's always a nice fluffy feeling to be proven right!)

I'm still confused though. Especially given why these settings are so important to me. Under Windows I could quite happily have AA and AF enabled, over-riding application settings, and it still wouldn't be applied (this was especially obvious with Eve Online, there are some fairly triangular ships that always have a edge at an angle). It was only through applying the rest of these settings (albeit together, as a quality slider) that the AA and AF settings were actually used to any noticeable degree. It's confusing because I've never had to change deeper settings than 'enable AA over-riding application settings' to get it working. 

I really hope these extra settings can be enabled, otherwise I feel I've lost out. (Yes I know it could be worse, and I could be using ATI, but still).

I'm going to cross-post this to the nVidia forums, they may have a better understanding. Maybe someone here will have been in the same boat and knows the answer though.

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## i92guboj

 *Kasyx wrote:*   

>  *schachti wrote:*   
> 
> That is the point that was not clear to me - I understood your posting as a combination of two questions, namely (1) which linux settings correspond to the windows settings you mentioned above, and (2) where you in generell can apply settings for the linux driver. So I tried to answer (2).
> 
> There is a big difference between "RTFM" and "have a look at file x, chapter y", isn't it? I misunderstood your question and gave a - in my opinion very helpful - answer to the question as I understood it. 
> ...

 

If it is not in the readme in one or another form, it doesn't exist.

There are two basic places to configure your driver: the xorg.conf file and the /etc/modules.d/nvidia file. All the details are in the README, I haven't checked your list, but as said above, if it is not in that file, it doesn't exist. That is, as far as I know (only NVidia knows everything, since this is closed source code).

EDIT: I don't think the linux drivers performs like the windows one, they have less devs involved in making the linux drivers, and the drivers are not on the same level of quality. It is true, however, that the thing has improved, and in most cases, the difference is negligible. In some other cases, the performance is not that good. That is based on my personal experience. As I said, only nvidia could demonstrate or deny this, because they are the only ones who knows what the hell the source code is.Last edited by i92guboj on Thu Jan 03, 2008 1:39 pm; edited 1 time in total

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## sdfg

 *i92guboj wrote:*   

> If it is not in the readme in one or another form, it doesn't exist... (only NVidia knows everything, since this is closed source code).

 

That's my worry  :Sad: 

/etc/modules.d/nvidia, however, is not something I have looked at or (to be honest) even realised, despite needing to edit /etc/modules.d/alsa to get my speakers working fully. Perhaps there is something there. At least it's a new avenue to research! Thanks!

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## i92guboj

 *Kasyx wrote:*   

>  *i92guboj wrote:*   If it is not in the readme in one or another form, it doesn't exist... (only NVidia knows everything, since this is closed source code). 
> 
> That's my worry 
> 
> /etc/modules.d/nvidia, however, is not something I have looked at or (to be honest) even realised, despite needing to edit /etc/modules.d/alsa to get my speakers working fully. Perhaps there is something there. At least it's a new avenue to research! Thanks!

 

If you have opened it you probably already notice that the file is small and self documented, there is not much to research about in that file.

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## sdfg

 *i92guboj wrote:*   

>  *Kasyx wrote:*    *i92guboj wrote:*   If it is not in the readme in one or another form, it doesn't exist... (only NVidia knows everything, since this is closed source code). 
> 
> That's my worry 
> 
> /etc/modules.d/nvidia, however, is not something I have looked at or (to be honest) even realised, despite needing to edit /etc/modules.d/alsa to get my speakers working fully. Perhaps there is something there. At least it's a new avenue to research! Thanks! 
> ...

 

I'm at work just now, so not opened it yet. But if it's a small file even when documented, I'm not sure if it'll help all that much. I've been searching around and alas whilst there are many references to it, no one has it listed.

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## i92guboj

http://pastebin.es/1913

The only relevant line is usually this one:

```

options nvidia NVreg_EnableAGPSBA=1 NVreg_EnableAGPFW=1

```

That is, if both your card and motherboard supports those features.

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## sdfg

 *i92guboj wrote:*   

> http://pastebin.es/1913
> 
> The only relevant line is usually this one:
> 
> ```
> ...

 

I must have looked at it at one time, it looks surprisingly familiar! But yes you are correct, that's the main reason I've found for editing the file when I was searching, and something I'll have to do anyway  :Very Happy: 

Still, puts me back at square one  :Sad: 

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## Master Shake

Most of the options you want are in the nvidia-settings package.  It ships with all newer nvidia-drivers.  If you don't have it emerge it.  You can manually set all the things you want.  I think that's what your asking.

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## sdfg

 *Master Shake wrote:*   

> Most of the options you want are in the nvidia-settings package.  It ships with all newer nvidia-drivers.  If you don't have it emerge it.  You can manually set all the things you want.  I think that's what your asking.

 

 *Kasyx wrote:*   

> Does anyone know where there are full settings instructions for the nVidia drivers, or know how to set these settings? I've checked all through nvidia-settings, and also through all the possible options to add in xorg.conf - above that, I can't find anything.

 

Bolded for your convenience.

-K

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