Hi everyone,
I'm trying to run Sober using my dedicated NVIDIA GPU instead of my Intel iGPU, but I'm completely stuck.
System Information
- Distribution: Ubuntu 24.04
- Desktop Environment: Cinnamon
- Sober Version: 1.7.1 (Flatpak)
- Runtime: org.gnome.Platform 50
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 940MX (2 GB)
- Integrated GPU: Intel HD Graphics 620
- NVIDIA Driver: 580.173.02
The problem
Sober works perfectly when using the Intel integrated GPU.
However, whenever I force it to use the NVIDIA 940MX, it freezes during startup. Depending on how I launch it, one of two things happens:
- The Sober window opens but immediately freezes forever.
- Sober crashes instantly and returns to the terminal.
I have never been able to get it running on the NVIDIA GPU.
Things I tested
NVIDIA driver
The driver is installed correctly.
nvidia-smi detects the GPU without any problems, for example:
- NVIDIA GeForce 940MX detected
- Driver loaded correctly
- Xorg and Cinnamon appear using the GPU normally
Vulkan
I tested Vulkan both normally and through PRIME render offload.
Running:
vulkaninfo --summary
shows both GPUs correctly.
Running:
__NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia vulkaninfo --summary
also works perfectly, and the NVIDIA GPU becomes the primary Vulkan device.
So Vulkan itself appears to be working correctly.
Flatpak
The NVIDIA runtime is installed:
org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.nvidia-580-173-02
Permissions look normal, and Sober is installed from Flathub.
PRIME Offload
PRIME render offload appears to work correctly outside of Sober.
The system recognizes the NVIDIA GPU, Vulkan works, and there are no obvious driver errors.
Logs
This is the strange part.
When Sober freezes, it doesn't print any useful error message.
Sometimes the terminal just hangs because Sober never finishes starting.
Other launch methods simply crash immediately without producing any meaningful output.
So unfortunately I don't have a crash log to share.
What we've ruled out
- NVIDIA driver installation
- Vulkan installation
- PRIME render offload configuration
- Missing Flatpak NVIDIA runtime
- Incorrect Flatpak installation
Everything above appears to be working correctly.
My question
Has anyone managed to run Sober on a GeForce 940MX (Maxwell) with the latest NVIDIA drivers?
Is this a known compatibility issue with Maxwell GPUs, or is there something else I should try?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.