Ubuntu GPU check

lemming3k · 24 Aug 2023 at 20:44

Hi,
I've just installed Ubuntu 22.04 LTS on my new build. First time using this in about a decade and slowly getting the hang of doing things and seems to be better than last time, but have one major concern with my GPU.

I'm running a 7900XTX and AMD Catalyst Control Centre is presumably not compatible as the AMD site just directs to downloading a driver. I've managed to get this to install via the Terminal, but under the 'about' section for my system it still lists a weird "GFX1036 (gfx1036, LLVM 15.0.7, DRM 3.49, 6.2.0-26-generic) / GFX110...." as Graphics. I would guess that refers to the CPU graphics, as I am running both monitors from the card just fine. Before I go any further, is there a way to check my card is indeed being detected correctly? I've read a terminal command but it doesn't specify the GPU name and comes back as 33MHz, which I guess is idling?

Any advice? I'd like to ensure it's all working before I get too deep into learning the O/S as it seems like it'll be a labour of love.

lemming3k · 25 Aug 2023 at 00:25

Thanks. It seems like a lot of things to learn compared to Windows and I'm just slowly making my way through it. I don't mind if it's worth it in the long run but I remember giving up before. Tbh the default steam install seemed to be all over the place and I couldn't change the game install location or figure out what the equivalent was for %appdata% where I should place my saves from windows. :/ Also lost all my collections and can't seem to find where to copy the alleged file over that contains them. I'm sure it's just learning where things are but it is a bit of starting from scratch.
I think I got the flatpak version installed now, but I can't find it anywhere.
I also clicked the button in steam to only show linux compatible games and my library went from 700+ to under 200. That may be a sticking point if that's accurate.

CPU is 7800X3D, but as I say, nothing plugged into it so it does seem the GPU is detected. I guess when I start running some games I'll know for sure.

I went with the LTS version thinking it might be a bit of a hassle to upgrade every 6-9 months otherwise. Stability seemed like a good plan.

lemming3k · 25 Aug 2023 at 10:12

Thanks, I'd uninstalled the snap version but I think I needed a restart to see the flatpak one. Looks like it has a gamepad error for me to fix, but I'll get to that.

The GPU is an odd one. It's now showing Raphael Mendocino, which I'm certain is the 7800X3D - but unless that can physically run through the dGPU where my cables are plugged in, I can't see that I'm using it. I found someone about 'swapping' the GPU in the terminal, but I'm reluctant to break anything.
It also failed the AMD verification tool, but if all that does is look at the system info then of course it would be wrong.

lemming3k · 25 Aug 2023 at 10:19

I mean, I suppose it's possible I just need to disable the on board graphics in the bios or something. I just would have expected it to detect automatically.

lemming3k · 25 Aug 2023 at 13:34

TangoEchoAlpha said:
I seem to recall having to install a 'steamdevices' package on Pop OS to get a controller working. May or may not be your issue.....

Could be. I wrote down the error for later. Trouble is I've got a long list already of adjustments and things that don't work (which may or may not have workarounds) already. Several things I've tried to install don't seem to exist anymore. Sometimes it says they're in another package, but doesn't say what.
I'm not an expert with grubs and kernels so the compatibility issues may be something that just isn't going to work for me in the long run.

lemming3k · 25 Aug 2023 at 15:28

dreamcat4 said:
Then I believe you need to be more specific there, for each individual case(s). Many answers are on places like StackExchange* (though not always).

I've found a few. Some good, some seem to be out of date. For example there was one about Gnome so I could customise the desktop bars etc, but it came back as being in another package.

It's by no means a bad O/S. I think a lot is just that things aren't supported, so you're relying on a community to build things to make it work or looking at Wine and Proton as workarounds (if possible) among a long list of other things. Then there's the added complexity of trying to implement it all and understand what you're being directed to.

lemming3k · 25 Aug 2023 at 19:05

dreamcat4 said:
Well in terms of 3rd party pkgs then [a bit] improved way is to install deb-get. To assist with that. It's by no means ideal or perfect. But can help sometimes, since it does things like: auto-adds the 3rd party PPAs for you when installing a pkg. Or fetches and updates other software direct from github releases as a standalone .deb download (if not in any such apt repos). That you would otherwise have to be downloading manually. And updating manually.

Another nice tool is topgrade. Because that helps you update more than just the apt pkgs. But other pkgs too. Of course I am not saying you have to use these. Or and other specific ones (apx and distrobox comes to mind...)

In terms of 'relying upon a community to build things'... it's not necessarily any different or better situation on other distros. For example arch or fedora. This is just generally how the broader linux ecosystem works. There will always be some portion of pkgs (at least for gaming) that are 3rd party. And officially included with the core distro. Be that thru the AUR or whichever other mechanism(s).

Yes. Which is why I write down notes for everything I do. So that there is a record to refer back to. A bit like a laboratory journal - it's just a text file with the lines of commands in it, and comments to explain what is what. In fact I already posted some such example earlier here in this thread.

In terms of learning / understanding part - that also does require some time and effort to become familiar. So as a general go-to resource (to gain better familiarity) then I strongly recommend reading the relevant section(s) on the arch wiki. Perhaps I should have mentioned earlier but they have some great pages on GPU drivers specifics too. There really isn't any better resource out there for that purpose. It's really handy, and just as useful on any other distro(s) that isn't arch. Highly recommended.

Interestingly deb-get is one of the packages that comes back as unable to locate. I'm probably missing a step though. Obviously a lot comes down to market share, so windows being more accessible and GUI friendly is fair enough. I do hope I can get it set up in the way I like, and for now I have to go with it as Win7 crashes on install so isn't an option unless I find a workaround.

I appreciate your comments. I will probably end up posting more in here as I get to grips with it all.

I'll take a look at the arch wiki. I may just be experiencing a visual bug and all is perfectly well. I checked my bios and it's set to prioritise iGPU.