How to Download NVIDIA Driver for Your Computer

If you're looking for a reliable way to download the NVIDIA driver, this article will guide you through the process. In this tutorial, we'll cover the steps to install the correct driver for your specific NVIDIA card.

Choosing the Right Driver

Before you start, it's essential to identify which series of NVIDIA cards you have in your system. For Tesla (NV50/G80-90-GT2 XX) and Fermi (NVC0/GF1 XX) series, you'll need to install a different driver compared to older or newer models.

Installing the Driver

For Tesla and Fermi series, download the nvidia-340xx-dkms AUR package. For other series, use the nvidia-390xx-dkms AUR package instead. Keep in mind that NVIDIA no longer actively supports drivers for older cards. If you're using an outdated card, you might want to consider using the nouveau driver instead.

Post-Installation Steps

After installing the driver, make sure to reboot your system to ensure the nouveau module is blacklisted. This will prevent the kernel from loading it during early boot. Remove 'kms' from the HOOKS array in /etc/nf and regenerate the initramfs.

Additional Tips

If you need support for 32-bit applications, install the corresponding lib32 package from the multilib repository. For even older cards that are no longer supported by NVIDIA, check out our guide on unsupported drivers.

Security Feature

Be aware that a security feature in the driver can cause compatibility issues with some systems. You can disable this feature by setting the ibt=off kernel parameter at your boot loader. Keep in mind that 470xx and older drivers may not function correctly on Linux 5.18 (or later) on systems with Intel CPUs 11th Gen and newer due to an incompatibility with Indirect Branch Tracking.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully download and install the correct NVIDIA driver for your computer.

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