Ubuntu 20.04 - NVIDIA GPU consuming power even when using only integrated graphics card (Intel iGPU)

[TommyBirba]

The issue is pretty simple: using Nvidia X Sever Settings GUI to switch from NVIDIA GPU to Intel iGPU doesn't work and the NVIDIA GPU does still consume some power after rebooting and, as a consequence, it generates unnecessary heat. Same thing (obviously) happens if I use prime-select from the terminal. I can see from powertop that when I have everything on idle, I am still consuming around 18-22W which is at least 10W more than I would expect.

This seems to be a rather old bug and supposedly it got "fixed". I can find at least two launchpad bug reports (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-prime/+bug/1765363) and there are some workaround there. Problem is that at this point I am not even sure what works and what doesn't since most posts are over 3 years old. I tried for example installing ubuntu without selecting "install third party drivers" since someone suggested it would fix the problem but it didn't work in my case. 
Someone else here recently posted about this issue again -> https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/nvidia-prime-not-powering-off-the-dgpu/21856
I used to have another Optimus laptop years ago and I remember it worked fine in older Ubuntu versions but now something seems wrong.

 

Config:
- Zephyrus M16, 11800H, 3070
- Ubuntu 20.04 (but same problem with 21.10)
- Nvidia Driver 470 and 460 tested.

[Radium_Angel]

3 hours ago, TommyBirba said:

Ubuntu 20.04 (but same problem with 21.10)

I hate to be "that person" but have you tried running a live install of a different distro?

[Kilrah]

Thread cleaned. If you have nothing useful / helpful to say or don't intend to say it in a friendly way, don't. 

[D-reaper]

22 minutes ago, Kilrah said:

Thread cleaned. If you have nothing useful / helpful to say or don't intend to say it in a friendly way, don't. 

Fine. But I'll still say that as a Linux user, Nvidia is no good to use. It's a fact people need to face. That's me being helpful. If it doesn't work, don't use it. Don't support a company who won't help you.

[TommyBirba]

2 hours ago, Radium_Angel said:

I hate to be "that person" but have you tried running a live install of a different distro?

Not really, I might try this weekend but, from reading online, I think it might work right away on Fedora and POP OS. This seems to be more of a Ubuntu problem rather than NVIDIA (although I am sure their Linux approach doesn't help).

[xAcid9]

I found this on Arch Wiki. https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/PRIME#PCI-Express_Runtime_D3_(RTD3)_Power_Management
Maybe you can try google similar topic for Ubuntu? 

[D-reaper]

18 hours ago, TommyBirba said:

The issue is pretty simple: using Nvidia X Sever Settings GUI to switch from NVIDIA GPU to Intel iGPU doesn't work and the NVIDIA GPU does still consume some power after rebooting and, as a consequence, it generates unnecessary heat. Same thing (obviously) happens if I use prime-select from the terminal. I can see from powertop that when I have everything on idle, I am still consuming around 18-22W which is at least 10W more than I would expect.

This seems to be a rather old bug and supposedly it got "fixed". I can find at least two launchpad bug reports (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-prime/+bug/1765363) and there are some workaround there. Problem is that at this point I am not even sure what works and what doesn't since most posts are over 3 years old. I tried for example installing ubuntu without selecting "install third party drivers" since someone suggested it would fix the problem but it didn't work in my case. 
Someone else here recently posted about this issue again -> https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/nvidia-prime-not-powering-off-the-dgpu/21856
I used to have another Optimus laptop years ago and I remember it worked fine in older Ubuntu versions but now something seems wrong.

 

Config:
- Zephyrus M16, 11800H, 3070
- Ubuntu 20.04 (but same problem with 21.10)
- Nvidia Driver 470 and 460 tested.

Best thing you can do is trade that laptop (or sell it) for one that's AMD. It will spare you a great deal of grief. Nvidia has never worked right on Linux. As a Linux user, you are a second class citizen to Nvidia. For this reason, I am not surprised Valve is going full AMD with their Steam Deck either.

 

This is why I don't use anything Nvidia anymore. Because, over the years, it just gave me a bunch of problems on Linux. Like I said; don't support a company who won't help you. If anything, Nvidia is more focused on selling to crypto miners (which has been contributing to global warming). They don't care about gamers either.

 

Videos like this wouldn't exist otherwise:

Or this by Linus Sebastian himself:

Funny how both of these Linus's have something bad to say about Nvidia.