nvidia-driver-installation.md

Looking at your GeForce RTX 2050 laptop GPU, here's what I recommend:

Best Driver Options for RTX 2050 Laptop:

1. nvidia-driver-575-open (RECOMMENDED)

• Version: 575.64.03
• Why: Ubuntu specifically recommends this for your RTX 2050
• Benefits for laptops: the driver also added NVIDIA Dynamic Boost support for Linux notebooks running on battery power
• CUDA: Fully compatible with CUDA 12.9

2. nvidia-driver-570 (Alternative)

• Version: 570.169
• Why: Stable, well-tested, good laptop support
• CUDA: Fully compatible with CUDA 12.9
• Recent versions of 24.04 have the 570.nn version also... NVIDIA-SMI 570.86.15 Driver Version: 570.86.15 CUDA Version: 12.8

3. nvidia-driver-550 (Conservative choice)

• Version: 550.163.01
• Why: Most stable, longest testing period
• CUDA: Fully compatible with CUDA 12.9

Why nvidia-driver-575-open for your RTX 2050?

1. NVIDIA now recommends open kernel modules for RTX 2000+ series GPUs
2. Better laptop features: Dynamic Boost for battery power management
3. Better kernel integration: Less likely to break with kernel updates
4. Your system already recommends it (from earlier ubuntu-drivers output)

CUDA Toolkit Compatibility:

No interference issues with any of these drivers! Here's what matters:

• CUDA 12.9 minimum driver: 535.x (all options above exceed this)
• Your RTX 2050 compute capability: 8.6 (fully supported by CUDA 12.9)

Install the driver + CUDA properly:

# 1. Install prerequisites
sudo apt install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) dkms

# 2. Install driver (choose one)
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-575-open  # Best for your laptop
# OR
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-570       # If you want proven stability
# OR  
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-550       # Most conservative

# 3. Reboot
sudo reboot

# 4. After reboot, verify
nvidia-smi  # Should work

# 5. Install CUDA Toolkit 12.9 (NOT from apt!)
wget https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/ubuntu2404/x86_64/cuda-keyring_1.1-1_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i cuda-keyring_1.1-1_all.deb
sudo apt update
sudo apt install cuda-toolkit-12-9

# 6. Set environment variables
echo 'export PATH=/usr/local/cuda-12.9/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/cuda-12.9/lib64:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# 7. Verify CUDA
nvcc --version  # Should show 12.9

Important: Avoid These Common Mistakes

1. DON'T install nvidia-cuda-toolkit from apt - it's outdated (usually CUDA 11.x)
2. DON'T mix driver installation methods (stick to apt, not .run files)
3. DON'T install server variants (575-server) - they're for datacenter GPUs

My Recommendation:

Go with nvidia-driver-575-open. It's:

• Newest (better laptop power management)
• Recommended by Ubuntu for your GPU
• Open kernel modules (future-proof)
• Fully CUDA 12.9 compatible

If you have issues with 575-open, fall back to nvidia-driver-570 which many users report as very stable on Ubuntu 24.04.