Video

The purpose of this page is to give you streamlined steps for setting up your video hardware for X, and desktop environments such as GNOME.

   Note

Editors: Keep this page relatively simple, and link to dedicated pages for more exhaustive coverage of a particular video driver. These instructions are intended to get users set up as quickly and simply as possible, without having to wade through lots of minute details.

Video Drivers

first determine which video card you have and which driver it requires.

root # lspci -k

Intel

Add or Edit the VIDEO_CARDS global variable in /etc/make.conf to the value in the following table appropriate for the Intel graphics hardware.

• NEED TABLE: available drivers, hardware gen, VIDEO_CARDS variable

gen 1&2:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="intel"

gen 3

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="intel i915"

gen 4+

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="intel i965"

• custom kernel menuconfig settings

AMD/ATI

Users can choose between free (x11-drivers/xf86-video-ati) and proprietary (x11-drivers/ati-drivers) video drivers. The free drivers are recommended as the proprietary drivers are not currently maintained very well by AMD.

Add or Edit the VIDEO_CARDS global variable in /etc/make.conf to the value in the following table appropriate for the AMD/ATI graphics hardware.

• NEED TABLE: available drivers, hardware gen, required VIDEO_CARDS variable

Open source drivers:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="radeon"

Closed source drivers:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="fglrx"

• custom kernel menuconfig settings

Nvidia

Users can choose between Open (nouveau) and Closed-Source (nvidia) video drivers. Add or Edit the VIDEO_CARDS global variable in /etc/portage/make.conf to the value in the following table appropriate for the Nvidia graphics hardware.

• NEED TABLE: nouveau + nvidia-drivers versions, hardware gen, required VIDEO_CARDS variable

Open source drivers:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="nouveau"

Closed source drivers:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia"

• custom kernel menuconfig settings

different settings for nouveau and nvidia

Other

Multiple Cards (Hybrid Graphics)

recommended make.conf VIDEO_CARDS Hybrid intel/ati:

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="fglrx intel"

Virtual Machine Guests

(details?) These settings are used by Parallels VM's and presumably others

   /etc/portage/make.conf - set video global variable

VIDEO_CARDS="vesa vga"

Raspberry Pi

(details?)

Install

once your video cards variable is set in make.conf merge changes into your system

root # emerge -avuND world

eselect profile?

Configure X.org

Intel

?

Nvidia

nvidia-xconfig, etc.

AMD/ATI

aticonfig, etc.

root # aticonfig --initial --input=/etc/X11/xorg.conf

Configure framebuffer

What to put in boot.conf etc. Assumes that the kernel is correctly configured.

Intel

?

Nvidia

• settings for nouveau
• settings for nvidia-drivers
• How to use sys-apps/v86d

AMD/ATI

• settings for fglxr
• settings for radeon, etc.

Finalise and test

• eselect opengl

   Note

change the number of card eselected to match the card of your system

root # eselect opengl list
root # eselect opengl set 1

• eselect opencl

   Note

some setups can make use of opencl

root #eselect opencl list
root #eselect opencl set 1

• reboot/test process

Tips and Tricks

compressed video playback

• VDPAU, VA-API
• how to set up mplayer, etc.

Troubleshooting

• what to do if only a blank screen
• nvidia-drivers users updating media-libs/mesa