GPU Select

Balance Performance with Battery Life

Select the right GPU to meet your needs. Use the NVIDIA GPU to drive maximum performance and support three 4K external monitors. Use the Intel GPU to maximize battery life. This guided solution applies only to Kubuntu Focus M1 and M2 systems. Kubuntu Focus XE, Ir14, Ir16, and NX models have Intel integrated graphics.

• Use System Tray Widget
• Check GPU
• Using Hybrid GPU
• Use Command-line
• Use NVIDIA Settings
• Troubleshooting
• Revisions
• Disclaimer

Switch GPUs to maximize performance or battery life as needed.

Please read the disclaimer before proceeding. We review and update guided solutions regularly. If you have suggestions or requests, please write support@kfocus.org.

Use System Tray Widget

Click on the System Tray GPU widget to change to your preferred GPU. One may also launch NVIDIA Settings from this interface. This is the simplest way to move between graphics modes.

We recommend selecting Nvidia GPU (Performance Mode) or Intel GPU (Power Save Mode). WE DO NOT RECOMMEND USING Hybrid GPU (On-Demand Mode) except as discussed in Using Hybrid GPU, below..

Switch GPUs using Plasma Optimus.

Check GPU

The NVIDIA RTX GPU is needed for demanding tasks such as deep learning, video editing, or gaming. However, if you aren't using those capabilities, switching to the integrated graphics can extend battery life by 2 hours or more in practice.

When the power cable is unplugged, KFocus Power Pincher takes actions to conserve power and extend battery life. The most obvious actions — all of which are Kubuntu Focus optimizations — include:

• CPU: Disable Turbo-boost
• Keyboard: Disable LEDs
• GPU: Check in-use GPU and alert the user if they can conserve battery power
• GPU: Offer to power-down the Nvidia GPU if using the Intel GPU

Power Pincher informs you when switching to the Intel iGPU can save battery life.

Using Hybrid GPU

WE DO NOT RECOMMEND USING Hybrid GPU (On-Demand Mode) in almost all circumstances: it keeps both the dGPU and iGPU running, can make multi-display systems run slowly, and can use significantly more power than Intel Mode alone even when idle. In addition, this technique does not free up as much VRAM as Intel GPU (Power Save Mode) because the Nvidia GPU drivers must still reserve some VRAM for frame buffers.

There is, however, one use-case where using Hybrid GPU make sense, and that is when you want to have more available VRAM for GPU tasks like ML, CUDA, or OPTIX; AND you need to drive multiple monitors. Just remember to switch back when you are done.

When using Hybrid GPU (On-Demand Mode), if you wish to launch an app using the NVIDIA GPU and Vulkan:

When using Hybrid GPU (On-Demand Mode), if you wish to launch an app using the NVIDIA GPU and OpenGL:

See this discussion for more detail.

Use NVIDIA Settings

The NVIDIA Settings app is not recommended for most daily tasks, as there are far friendlier mechanisms in place. See the GPU widget in the system tray (at bottom right) to change the GPU in use. See Start Menu > Kubuntu Focus Tools > Video Sync Utility to eliminate video tearing. To adjust screens, see the Displays Guided Solution to select and change refresh rates. However, there are some advanced settings that may be explored here.

WARNING: The NVIDIA Settings app may encourage you to save an /etc/X11/xorg.conf file. Please do NOT do this as it will, in most cases, disable the laptop panel and the ability to add and remove displays in real time. If you believe you have this issue, see the answer to Troubleshooting - Q: I booted my system and it never got past the splash screen to fix.

Troubleshooting

Q: This seems related to battery life. Where can I learn more?

A: See Battery Management to learn more.

Q: I booted my system and it never got past the splash screen. How do I fix this?

A: NVIDIA Settings and other applications may ask you to save an xorg.conf file. Doing so may disable your internal display from functioning with a GUI upon logout or restart, and you will not be able to sign-in. If this happens, we recommend you remove this file:

• Press [Ctrl][Alt][F3] simultaneously.
• Sign-in with your username and password.
• Type sudo /bin/rm /etc/X11/xorg.conf, type your password when prompted.
• Type sudo systemctl restart sddm && exit.

You should now be able to sign-in as usual.

Q: Recently with external monitors the display is slow. What could be happening?

A: This commonly happens to Deep Learning scientists who are using NVIDIA On-Demand to maximize VRAM availability for compute jobs. Switch back to NVIDIA Performance as shown above to fix this condition.

Q: My screen flickers when I playing games. What could be the issue?

A: Night Color can cause this, especially with Intel i915 graphics (standard on Ir14, NX, and XE models). Please see Night Color for more detail and illustrations. Another solution that we found works completely in both Dota 2 and Team Fortress 2, and enables butter-smooth gameplay, is to enable vsync. Here is a complete checklist that should work in all instances.

• Close Steam
• Ensure Night Color is turned off from the system tray
• Toggle off desktop compositing (ALT + SHIFT + F12)
• Start the game and turn on Vertical Sync in the graphics settings

Q: I have found when using Intel graphics that websites with text have corrupted or missing characters. When running Nvidia graphics, there isn't an issue. Is there some way to fix this?

A: Intel graphics are standard on Ir14, ir16, NX, and XE models. We have seen this only on Chrome-based browsers on Gen 11+ Intel graphics, and only on certain sites. It is not a character encoding issue, but a bug with Chrome that has recurred from time to time. If you encounter this problem, you can click on the three dots in the upper right corner and use Menu > Settings > System and disable "Use hardware acceleration when available.". Clicking the Relaunch button that appears will apply the change to your browser without losing any tabs. You will want to re-enable acceleration for sites that run WebGL to get maximum performance.

Disclaimer

We try hard to provide a useful solution validated by professionals. However, we cannot anticipate every situation, and therefore cannot guarantee this procedure will work for your needs. Always backup your data and test the solution to determine the correct procedure for you.

THIS SOLUTION IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS “AS IS” AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOLUTION, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.