NVIDIA has released a fresh beta update to its Linux display driver lineup with version 575.51, now available for 64-bit Linux systems.
It brings a noteworthy series of fixes, performance enhancements, and new features, many geared toward smoothing out the desktop experience under Wayland and improving gaming stability across various popular titles.
One of the more notable changes is the extension of the __NV_DISABLE_EXPLICIT_SYNC environment variable, which disables explicit synchronization behavior. Previously limited to EGL applications, it now applies to GLX and Vulkan as well, expanding its utility for developers and users dealing with synchronization challenges.
Gaming-related fixes feature prominently in this update:
- Marvel Rivals, a newer title making waves in the multiplayer scene, received a crash fix that resolves issues occurring either at startup or during level loading.
- Minecraft, another staple among Linux gamers, should now operate more reliably under Xwayland, where it previously faced crash issues.
- For those utilizing the VK_KHR_present_wait extension, a fix has been introduced to resolve application hangs on Wayland.
Beyond games, the driver update also includes a host of Wayland-specific improvements. Support for GLX front buffer rendering on Xwayland is now in place, and a long-standing bug causing display freezes when toggling Night Mode in GNOME on Wayland has been addressed.
Other technical improvements include:
- Enhanced PRIME Render Offload reliability when both source and sink use NVIDIA GPUs.
- Support for COLOR_ENCODING and COLOR_RANGE DRM plane properties.
- A fix for broken VRR functionality when using EDID overrides.
- Updates to nvidia-settings to ensure TGP values are correctly reported when on battery power.
- Resolution of rendering issues post suspend/resume when
NVreg_PreserveVideoMemoryAllocations=1is set.
This beta also brings a couple of new knobs and toggles at the kernel level. The conceal_vrr_caps parameter allows users to enable display features like ULMB (Ultra Low Motion Blur), even if they’re incompatible with VRR.
Another feature that stands out is NVIDIA Smooth Motion, which delivers fluid motion on supported displays. The updated README provided with the driver details both this and Dynamic Boost (now extended to battery-powered notebooks).
Lastly, it’s worth noting that support has been dropped for several DRM plane properties, such as NV_PLANE_BLEND_CTM and others, on Linux kernel versions earlier than 6.8, to avoid property limits defined by the DRM subsystem.
Visit the release notes for a complete list of changes and downloads. While NVIDIA recommends keeping drivers up to date, users should note that this is a beta version and thus may not be suited for all production environments.
