How to Get Your AMD Graphics, Sound & Other Drivers to Work in Linux on Your Laptop « Null Byte :: WonderHowTo

With the purchase of mylatest computer, installing Linux turned into a nightmare fromHell. The graphics drivers are probably thebiggestissue that anyone with a newer computer will run into when installing Linux. AMD and NVIDIA are the dominant ones on the market, both of which have awful support.Not only do graphics give us trouble, but anyone with a switchable power laptop (when you can use just AC without battery, with the battery plugged in), HDMI, audio in and out, or anyone with any kind of wonky hardware will be likely scared off from the computer and from Linux until the end of time.From first hand experience, and a fiery, passionate love for Linux, I almost found myself running scared until I hacked together these lovely fixes that we will be going over today. As far as I know, I'm the only person on the planet running an Alienware M18x without any hardware issues under Linux with AMD graphics cards, because only failed documention exists.Let's look at the issues that we will encounter, depending on which graphics driver the system is using.RequirementsLinuxA laptop with any of the issues described below (Alienware, AsusG7x, Vaio, etc)Common Issues with New Hardware & How to Fix ThemAudioAlsa does not workWhen you have alsa id configured properly, yet still your computer produces no sound, it's because the computer incorrectly probes the hardware. This is likely caused by HDMI in and out on newer laptops. In order to fix this, we need to force the device inalsa.conf.Edit thealsa.conffile.sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/alsa.confAdd specified hardware information to the configuration file.options snd-pcsp index=-2alias snd-card-0 snd-hda-intelalias sound-slot-0 snd-hda-inteloptions snd-hda-intel model=alienware (change depending on brand)options snd-hda-intel enable_msi=1Motherboard speaker beepsWhen using auto-completion, or backspacing in a program, your motherboard speaker beeps. This is loud, and annoying, and even if the module is removed and the channel is muted, you will still hear beeps. Here is a work-around.Edit yourmodprobe.conffile.sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.confAdd this line to make it not load the module on boot.blacklist pcspkrOpen up alsa and mute the beep channel by pressing "M".alsamixerVideoOpensource drivers for AMDThis driver makes the GPU(s) at an extremely high load by default, using much more power and shortening the life of your hardware. It also has terrible colors and 3d rendering when compared to the proprietary catalyst drivers.Mount the debugfs.sudo mount -t debugfs none /sys/kernel/debugAppend this line to/etc/fstab.debugfs /sys/kernel/debug debugfs defaults 0 0Look at your current clock speeds and load on your GPU.cat /sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/radeon_pm_infoNow, echo a low power value as root user to the card(s):echo low > /sys/class/drm/card0/device/power_profileAnd if you have two cards:echo low > /sys/class/drm/card1/device/power_profileThese two lines can be added to the end of/etc/rc.localfor a permanent change. Simply change "low" to "high" or "mid" for different power levels.Proprietary drivers for AMDThe proprietary drivers seem to work better in nearly every area, except you may notice that it's become rather impossible to watch videos on your media player, or recieve video on Skype. This is due to a driver bug with thexvvideo driver. To fix it, we just need to change which driver our media playback program is using. I use mplayer in this example.Open upmplayer.ClickOptions > Preferences > Video.Click the dropdown withxvcurrently selected, and change it to literally any other one. I usegl.If you've got any more hardware issues or fixes, post them below or to thecommunity corkboard! Let's get our funky hardware tearing it up in Linux.Be a Part of Null Byte!Post to theforumsChat onIRCFollow onTwitterCircle onGoogle+Want to start making money as a white hat hacker?Jump-start your hacking career with our2020 Premium Ethical Hacking Certification Training Bundlefrom the newNull Byte Shopand get over 60 hours of training from cybersecurity professionals.Buy Now (90% off) >Other worthwhile deals to check out:97% off The Ultimate 2021 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle99% off The 2021 All-in-One Data Scientist Mega Bundle98% off The 2021 Premium Learn To Code Certification Bundle62% off MindMaster Mind Mapping Software: Perpetual LicenseImage viakevinelkinsRelatedHow To:Use the ATI Overdrive utility to overclock your ATI AMD Radeon Graphics CardHow To:Fix AMD Radeon HD Series Not Detecting Second ScreenHow To:Stream PC Games to Your Phone Using AMD LinkHow To:Build a desktop PC powered by AMD Dragon platform technologyNews:Multi-Cores, AI & Computer Parallelism — How Gaming Chips Drive CarsHow To:Install nVidia video drivers in Ubuntu Linux 7.10How To:Make Skyrim (& Other Games) Utilize AMD Crossfire Before the Patch is ReleasedHow To:AMD vs. Intel processors - How to pick your ideal PC.How To:Play Emulated Games on Linux with Your Xbox 360 ControllerHow To:Get Packet Injection Capable Drivers in LinuxHow To:9 Tips for Maximizing Your Laptop's Battery LifeHow To:Share Your Laptop's Wireless Internet with Ethernet DevicesHow To:Mine Bitcoin and Make MoneyHow To:Your Guide to Buying Computer Parts: How to Get the Most for Your MoneyNews:Virtual Box with Ubuntu on MacbookHow To:Fix the Channel -1 Glitch in Airodump on the Latest KernelHow To:Get Free Wi-Fi from Hotels & MoreNews:Complete Arch Linux Installation, Part 2: Graphical User Interface & PackagesNews:Ubuntu Remix On Virtual Box using a New MacbookNews:Day 2 Of Our New WorldNews:Roof Top Rock