Mint on aMacBook Air 3,2 (2010) - GPU config experiment

Forum rules
Before you post read how to get help. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Locked
Rareitor
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2019 2:07 pm

Mint on aMacBook Air 3,2 (2010) - GPU config experiment

Post by Rareitor »

Like many others, I have an old Macbook with an Nvidia GPU and find that Linux Mint works the best on it, except for a a set of issues regarding the GPU drivers.

The first problem is enabling the GPU driver as, by default on install, the driver enabled is noveau, which is functional but prone to overheating and as such the internal fan being very loud. If the nvidia proprietary driver is enabled after a clean install (with of without fully running Software Updater), then the screen goes black on next boot and stays that way after that.
This problem is solved relatively easily, with a script like this:

Code: Select all

sudo bash -c "cat > /etc/grub.d/01_enable_vga.conf" << END
cat << EOF
setpci -s "00:17.0" 3e.b=8
setpci -s "02:00.0" 04.b=7
EOF
END
sudo chmod 755 /etc/grub.d/01_enable_vga.conf
sudo update-grub
reboot
which creates a grub script, configures it to run subsequent boot, and then reboots. After running this, and then enabling the nvidia driver, the computer boots correctly with no annoying eternal black screen.

The second problem is the brightness hotkeys. Screen brightness is easily changed with the F1 and F2 keys when noveau is the enabled driver, but with the nvidia one the hotkeys no longer work. This second issue, in theory, is solved with a script like this, run only after the nvidia driver is enabled and running:

Code: Select all

sudo bash -c "cat >> /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/nvidia-drm-outputclass-ubuntu.conf" << END
Section "Device"
    Identifier  "Device0"
    Driver      "nvidia"
    VendorName  "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName   "GeForce 320M"
    Option      "RegistryDwords" "EnableBrightnessControl=1"
EndSection
END
reboot
which appends to a config file (generated automatically on enabling the proprietary driver) the "Section" codeblock, which itself contains the brightness control config, and reboots.

So, following many a reinstall and test, I have this:
  • The LAST version of Linux Mint that this works for is 19.3 MATE
  • With ANY version of Mint 19.x or 20.x (aside from 19.x MATE), the first problem can be successfully solved. The second part, the brightness controls, does not work at all however.
At first I thought that this could be an issue related to the base Ubuntu LTS version used for Mint 19 and 20, but as the problem appears on both branches and the only working DE is MATE, that seems unlikely.
On the other hand I did find something that seems suspicious. When running the following commands after a clean install, and before doing anything else, I get:

Code: Select all

##On Mint 19.x##
setpci -s "00:17.0" 3e.b
00
setpci -s "02:00.0" 04.b
07

##On Mint 20.x##
setpci -s "00:17.0" 3e.b
02
setpci -s "02:00.0" 04.b
07
then, after doing the previous 2 steps (running the scripts and enabling the nvidia driver), I get:

Code: Select all

##On Mint 19.x##
setpci -s "00:17.0" 3e.b
08
setpci -s "02:00.0" 04.b
07

##On Mint 20.x##
setpci -s "00:17.0" 3e.b
0a
setpci -s "02:00.0" 04.b
07
and then, after running the full set of available updates with Software Updater, I get:

Code: Select all

##On both 19.x & 20.x##
setpci -s "00:17.0" 3e.b
0a
setpci -s "02:00.0" 04.b
07
In full, this has been the entire process I have followed many times over to find some sort of pattern that might indicate where the true problem might be. The only complete success has been Mint 19 MATE, but I am posting this in the hope that someone might know what to test, or where another bit of information to completely enable the nvidia driver and hotkey options might be.

Most of the information I used for the test I got from these sources:
https://askubuntu.com/questions/264247/ ... 573#613573
https://askubuntu.com/questions/76081/b ... dia-driver
https://askubuntu.com/questions/878548/ ... -driver-bl
https://blog.virtualwolf.org/installing ... cbook-air/
https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxmint/comm ... late_2010/
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Locked

Return to “Graphics Cards & Monitors”