Nvidia Linux Drivers: A Fix is Coming Soon TM!

Summary

A Linux graphics stack developer discovered the root cause of Nvidia card performance issues on Linux, particularly with DirectX 12 games. The problem stems from inefficient descriptor models that work better for AMD cards. The developer Faith is leading efforts to optimize the Vulkan API for Nvidia, improving performance across Nvidia, AMD, and Intel cards. Expected improvements are slated for late 2025 to early 2026, offering a smoother experience for Nvidia users on Linux. The work aims to reduce performance gaps and stuttering, providing significant benefits for gaming on Linux.

Takeaways

• 😀 Nvidia GPU performance on Linux has been subpar, especially in DirectX 12 games, with users experiencing up to 30% performance drops compared to Windows.
• 😀 The root cause of the performance issues has been identified: the descriptor models used by Vulkan, which were optimized for AMD cards, not Nvidia.
• 😀 Descriptor models are key in how Vulkan handles data processing for the GPU, and the inefficiency in Nvidia's handling was causing extra processing cycles.
• 😀 Faith, a leading developer at Collabora, has been working on optimizing the Vulkan graphics stack for Nvidia GPUs, as well as contributing to the NVK open Nvidia driver project.
• 😀 The new Vulkan descriptor models are being designed to be more efficient for Nvidia hardware, aiming to match or even exceed the performance seen in AMD setups.
• 😀 These improvements will not only boost Nvidia's performance but will also help Intel and AMD users, as the Vulkan API will be optimized for all GPUs.
• 😀 The Vulkan improvements are expected to be ready for release in late 2025 or early 2026, with beta drivers from Nvidia following shortly after.
• 😀 Proton, the tool that enables running Windows games on Linux, will be updated to integrate these improvements, providing a better experience for DirectX 12 games on Linux.
• 😀 Faith predicts a timeline of roughly two months for the release of the Vulkan API improvements and one additional month for Nvidia to roll out beta drivers.
• 😀 Despite the promising improvements, there's still a small chance that there could be other underlying causes for the performance issues, but the team's optimism remains high.
• 😀 Linux users, particularly those with Nvidia GPUs, can expect a major performance boost by mid-2026 as these changes are rolled out, making the switch from Windows to Linux more appealing.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the video?

The video discusses the performance issues of Nvidia graphics cards on Linux, particularly in DirectX 12 games, and how developers are working on improvements to optimize performance through the Vulkan API and NVK drivers.

How does the performance of AMD cards compare to Nvidia cards on Linux?

AMD cards typically have near parity in performance between Windows and Linux, with a performance difference of around 5-6%. In contrast, Nvidia cards suffer from significant performance drops, often as high as 25-30% or more, especially in DirectX 12 games on Linux.

What is the root cause of Nvidia's performance issues on Linux as discussed in the video?

The root cause of the performance issues is related to the way Nvidia handles Vulkan's descriptor models. Unlike AMD, which requires only one cycle to process these models, Nvidia requires five cycles, leading to inefficiency and performance degradation.

What are descriptor models and why are they important?

Descriptor models in Vulkan are structures that manage and transfer data to the GPU. They are crucial because they directly impact how efficiently the GPU processes data. Optimizing these models for each hardware type can significantly improve performance.

Who is Faith, and what role does she play in solving Nvidia's performance issues on Linux?

Faith is a developer working at Collabora and is the lead maintainer of NVK, the open-source Nvidia driver for Linux. She is directly involved in improving Vulkan's support for Nvidia GPUs, working on optimizing descriptor models to address performance issues.

How are Vulkan descriptor models currently optimized for AMD and Nvidia differently?

Vulkan descriptor models are optimized for AMD hardware, which processes these models in one cycle. For Nvidia, however, the process takes five cycles, leading to inefficiencies. Faith and her team are working on implementing new descriptor models that are better suited for Nvidia's architecture.

What are the expected improvements once the new descriptor models are implemented?

Once the new descriptor models are implemented, performance for Nvidia cards on Linux should improve significantly. These improvements will also benefit other GPUs, such as Intel and AMD, by making the Vulkan API more efficient and cleaner overall.

What is the timeline for these improvements to be released?

The timeline is as follows: the new Vulkan API with updated descriptor models should be released around December 2025 or January 2026. Nvidia's beta drivers with these improvements are expected around March or April 2026, with full implementation and testing following shortly after.

What other factors could still impact Nvidia's performance on Linux despite these improvements?

Despite the expected improvements, the issue may not be fully resolved if there are other underlying factors affecting performance. While the descriptor model changes are expected to significantly improve performance, it is possible that additional optimization or other issues remain.

Why is it important for Nvidia, Vulkan, and Proton teams to collaborate on these improvements?

The collaboration is critical because Vulkan is the API that powers Linux gaming through Proton. Nvidia, Vulkan, and Proton teams must work together to ensure that the new Vulkan features are properly implemented, tested, and optimized for Nvidia's hardware to provide the best possible performance for Linux users.