NVIDIA has released a beta version of its 595 Linux graphics driver, which introduces several promising features for various operating systems including GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris. Among its highlights, this version supports the new Wayland 1.20, along with the VK_EXT_descriptor_heap and VK_EXT_present_timing Vulkan extensions.
The 595 driver aims to enhance the handling of Vulkan swapchains which can help to reduce stuttering issues when resizing application windows. The updated driver also allows the nvidia-smi tool to reset GPUs while the nvidia-drma module is running with modeset enabled. Furthermore, it transitions the nvidia.ko kernel module to independently manage video memory preservation when using NVIDIA Open Kernel Modules, underlining the importance of enabling specific options for ensuring optimal performance.
Significant improvements include the automatic enabling of the nvidia-drm.ko modeset parameter, enhanced compatibility with GNU C Library 2.27 and Xorg Server 1.17, as well as better support for adaptive sync displays when used with USB-C-to-HDMI adapters.
However, users are advised that this pre-release version is not intended for production environments. Until a stable release is available, NVIDIA recommends using the latest stable version, NVIDIA 580.126.18, for production use.
For those interested in further details, the complete release notes provide comprehensive insights into the updates and changes included in this beta release.