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Alienware M18 R1 AMD & Linux

Alienware M18 R1 AMD & Linux

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I recently got the Alienware M18 R1 AMD gaming ‘laptop’. I got this computer because AMD GPUs are supposed to be better supported in Linux than NVIDIA ones. Of course, I have almost always used NVIDIA before, so it actually seems a little tougher at the moment!

Anyway, I’m just going to list some things that I’ve been figuring out…

In order for GPU switching to actually work, I need to add a boot time kernel parameter. My original source used two… I’m not sure if the pcie one is necessary, but I included it.

amdgpu.runpm=0
pcie_aspm=off

The parameters can be added to /etc/default/grub.conf. In Fedora Workstation, you can add them in one command:

grubby --args="amdgpu.runpm=0 pcie_aspm=off" --update-kernel=ALL

In Fedora Silverblue, the parameters can be added using the following commands:

rpm-ostree kargs --append=amdgpu.runpm=0
rpm-ostree kargs --append=pcie_aspm=off

The Steam client doesn’t like to work using the dedicated graphics card. That’s okay, because the games will. To make Steam start using the integrated GPU by default, copy the steam .desktop file from /usr/share/applications (or /var/lib/flatpak/exports/share/applications/ if you use flatpak) to ~/.local/share/applications/, then edit it to change these lines from true to false:

PrefersNonDefaultGPU=false
X-KDE-RunOnDiscreteGpu=false

Also, for Steam, the download speeds are super slow unless you apply the following fix:
Edit the file ~/.steam/steam/steam_dev.cfg.
Add the following line:
@nClientDownloadEnableHTTP2PlatformLinux 0
You can also add the following line to increase the number of servers that the client connects to, though it can sometimes actually slow the downloads down: @fDownloadRateImprovementToAddAnotherConnection 1.0

Fix KDE on NVIDIA Driver

Fix KDE on NVIDIA Driver

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For KDE font/gui size issues after switching to NVIDIA driver, I found the following post:

It’s a nvidia thing lol I had the same issue and never even noticed it until one day I gave the free noveau drivers a try and everything looked way better and smaller. For some reason nvidia sets/forces my DPI to I believe 120, anyways it’s really easy to solve.

Open the nvidia.conf file in your text editor

sudoedit /etc/X11/mhwd.d/nvidia.conf

Then edit or add the option DPI under the screen display sub section and disable UseEdidDpi.

To make things easier here is what I have under my “Screen” section which now forces the use of 96 for dpi scaling.

Section "Screen"
    Identifier "Screen0"
    Device "Device0"
    Monitor "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth 24
    SubSection "Display"
        Depth 24
        Option "UseEdidDpi" "False"
        Option "DPI" "96x96"
    EndSubSection
EndSection

I hope this helps you as it did for me.

How to configure Plex Media Server in Linux

How to configure Plex Media Server in Linux

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You need to configure fstab to set the proper permissions.

There is a whole page about how to do this on the Plex site, see: https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200288606-Mounting-NTFS-Drives-on-Linux

To make it short:

  • Find the UUID of your drive:

    sudo blkid | grep ntfs

  • create a directory where you will mount the drive:

    sudo mkdir /media/ext_NTFS_USB_Drive

  • edit file /etc/fstab with command:

    gksu gedit /etc/fstab

  • add a line to this file and save.

    UUID=485CBF485CBF3014 /media/ext_NTFS_USB_Drive ntfs-3g permissions,auto 0 0

    where the UUID is the one your drive and the mount point is the folder you created.
  • now mount the drive:

    sudo mount /media/ext_NTFS_USB_Drive(you might get an error saying the drive is already mounted, in Nautilus for example. Just unmount it – Safely Remove Drive, or click the Eject Icon in Nautilus)

Now in Plex, you need to change the location of the media folder you were trying to add to somewhere inside: /media/ext_NTFS_USB_Drive

Slayaway Camp Killer Kodes

Slayaway Camp Killer Kodes

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Slayaway Camp is a fun little puzzle game for those of us who love 80s slasher movies. I’m going to post some Killer Kodes which are used to unlock additional killers in the game:

campgate2016
freshmaker
gygax
badu
smiggles
beaster
lichee
griffin
gnollnumbertwo
forhades
comewithme
theyfloat
nananananananana
adieutube
slashback
awristrocket
scooper
dont-hang-up
groundhog
butthead
woodguardian
gotyoubabe
cup-of-wishes
soafraid
blowholepower
postlakeview
gonnalaughatu
bowels-out

Chrismation Day

Chrismation Day

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We were finally Chrismated in the Orthodox Church today! It is great to finally belong to a church again. I’ve felt homeless for a while, not being able to take Communion. I’m really excited about being a part of the One, Holy, Apostolic, Catholic, and Orthodox Church. Following the Mass, we had a potluck and all-parish meeting. It has been a great day!

YNAB: How Compact Database

YNAB: How Compact Database

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How to contact the database in YNAB4:  CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+C

This will remove all devices except for the computer being used.  This device will be assigned to ‘A’, and then I can add all my other devices again.  This is useful, because everytime I flash a new ROM on my phone and add YNAB to it, it adds a new device.  YNAB will only let you add up to 26 devices (letters A – Z).