Installing NVIDIA Drivers on Arch Linux: A Step-by-Step Guide

Arch Linux is renowned for its simplicity and customization capabilities, making it a preferred choice for many Linux enthusiasts. One crucial aspect of optimizing your Arch Linux system, especially for tasks like gaming or GPU-accelerated computing, is installing the appropriate NVIDIA drivers. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough to ensure your NVIDIA graphics card functions seamlessly with Arch Linux.​

Prerequisites

Before diving into the installation process, ensure you have:

• An active Arch Linux installation: This guide assumes you have a working Arch Linux system.​
• Sudo privileges: Ensure your user has sudo rights to execute administrative commands.​
• Internet connectivity: A stable internet connection is essential for downloading packages.​

Step 1: Update Your System

Begin by updating your system’s package database and upgrading existing packages to their latest versions. This ensures compatibility and smooth installation of new drivers.​

bash Copy sudo pacman -Syu

After the update completes, it’s advisable to reboot your system to apply any kernel or critical updates.​

Step 2: Identify Your NVIDIA GPU Model

To determine the exact model of your NVIDIA graphics card, execute:​

bash Copy lspci | grep -i nvidia

This command will list NVIDIA devices on your system, helping you select the appropriate driver version.​

Step 3: Install Necessary Packages

Arch Linux offers different NVIDIA driver packages tailored to various GPU architectures. Based on your GPU model, choose the suitable driver:

• For Turing (NV160) and newer GPUs:
  
  bash Copy
  
  sudo pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils lib32-nvidia-utils

• For Maxwell (NV110) series up to Ada Lovelace (NV190/ADXXX) GPUs:
  
  bash Copy
  
  sudo pacman -S nvidia nvidia-utils lib32-nvidia-utils

• For older GPUs like Kepler (NVE0) series:
  
  bash Copy
  
  sudo pacman -S nvidia-470xx-dkms nvidia-470xx-utils lib32-nvidia-470xx-utils

Replace nvidia with the appropriate package name based on your GPU model. For a detailed mapping of driver packages to GPU architectures, refer to the

Step 4: Configure the Kernel

To ensure the NVIDIA drivers load correctly, configure your system’s kernel parameters:​

1. Edit the GRUB Configuration:
   
   bash Copy
   
   sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Locate the line starting with GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT and append nvidia-drm.modeset=1 to enable DRM KMS. If you’re using Linux kernel 6.11 or newer, also add nvidia-drm.fbdev=1. It should look like:

iniCopyGRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nvidia-drm.modeset=1 nvidia-drm.fbdev=1"

2. Update GRUB:

bash Copy sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
 

3. Regenerate Initramfs: This step ensures the NVIDIA modules are included in the initial RAM filesystem.

bash Copy sudo mkinitcpio -P

Step 5: Blacklist Nouveau Driver

The Nouveau driver is the open-source NVIDIA driver that might conflict with the proprietary drivers. To prevent this:​

1. Create a Modprobe Configuration File:
   
   bash Copy
   
   sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf

2. Add the Following Lines:

nginx Copy blacklist nouveau
options nouveau modeset=0

3. Regenerate Initramfs Again:

bash Copy sudo mkinitcpio -P

Step 6: Install NVIDIA Settings Utility

The nvidia-settings utility provides a graphical interface to configure various NVIDIA driver settings. Install it using:​

bash Copy sudo pacman -S nvidia-settings

Step 7: Reboot and Verify Installation

After completing the above steps, reboot your system:

bash Copy sudo reboot

Upon reboot, you can verify that the NVIDIA drivers are functioning correctly by running:​

bash Copy nvidia-smi

This command should display information about your NVIDIA GPU and its current status.​

Troubleshooting Tips

• Black Screen After Boot: If you encounter a black screen, it might be due to incorrect kernel parameters or conflicting drivers. Review the steps above to ensure all configurations are correct. Consult the ArchWiki NVIDIA page for additional troubleshooting tips.​
• Xorg Not Starting: Ensure that the nvidia module is loaded and that the xorg.conf file is correctly configured.​
• Performance Issues: Check for any conflicting drivers and ensure that your system is up to date.​

Facing Game Bugs? Here’s How Your Nvidia Driver Might Be the Culprit

Conclusion

Installing NVIDIA drivers on Arch Linux requires careful attention to detail, but by following this guide, you should have a smooth experience. Always refer to the ArchWiki for the most up-to-date