Linux Laptop Driver and CUDA

I have a Alienware laptop with a 280M GPU running Kubuntu 8.04… The powermizer limits me to stage 1 whenever CUDA code is running. I have tried every driver release since this time last year waiting for proper support and still no luck. I have tried all the xorg.conf hacks I could find on the web. Does anyone from NVIDIA have thoughts on what I can do?

I can’t help you, really, but I do have a question. If you create an OpenGL context on that GPU (don’t really use it, just create it and allocate a vertex or something), will that fool the driver into promoting the GPU to full speed?

Have you tried option Coolbits ? See below for an example from my xorg.conf:

Section “Device”

Identifier     "Device[0]"

Driver         "nvidia"

VendorName     "NVIDIA"

BoardName      "GeForce GT 330M"

Option         "Coolbits" "5"

Option         "RegistryDwords" "EnableBrightnessControl=1"

EndSection

Adding this to my xorg.conf file did the trick for me:

Section "Device"

	Identifier	 "Device0"

	Driver		 "nvidia"

	VendorName	 "NVIDIA Corporation"

	Option	 "RegistryDwords" "PowerMizerEnable=0x1; PerfLevelSrc=0x3322; PowerMizerDefaultAC=0x1"

EndSection

i will try each or the recs when i get home… thanks

Well, I tried all of the suggestions individually and in various combinations with no signif results. The Coolbits feature suggests that the problem may be that the driver is not properly recognizing CUDA calls as a reason to increase the performance level.
My code includes OpenGL display functionality and that does not trigger the powermizer state change either.

Looks like I now have a 1 year old 5k brick.

Are you using the latest (v195.36.24) drivers?

N.

yeah latest driver… I have waited anxiously for each driver release over the past 12 months hoping that the issue would be resolved.

Hmm, don’t these alienware laptops have integrated GPU (something like 9400M) + discrete GPU (something like GTX280M)?
Maybe that’s the problem

N.

yeah… i have the 9400M disabled through the bios. only the 2x 280M are running. both 280M show up in the settings as functioning at level 1.

Same problem here with Alienware M15x GTX260m. 4 available perf levels and highest it will go is 1. Even tried the reg settings via xorg.conf with no effect. Tried with drivers 256.35 and 256.44

Even running glxgears won’t bump the perf level up to maximum.

Same problem here with Alienware M15x GTX260m. 4 available perf levels and highest it will go is 1. Even tried the reg settings via xorg.conf with no effect. Tried with drivers 256.35 and 256.44

Even running glxgears won’t bump the perf level up to maximum.

There was one driver release in the 196 series where there were only two perforance levels available, but the second one corresponded with the settings of max performance. Don’t remember exactly which one that was. Suffice it to say that I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.
Maybe I will run into someone from the driver group at GTC…

There was one driver release in the 196 series where there were only two perforance levels available, but the second one corresponded with the settings of max performance. Don’t remember exactly which one that was. Suffice it to say that I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.
Maybe I will run into someone from the driver group at GTC…