I have an 18 month old (expensive) laptop with this configuration:
Operating System: EndeavourOS
KDE Plasma Version: 6.6.3
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.24.0
Qt Version: 6.11.0
Kernel Version: 6.18.20-1-lts (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: Wayland
Processors: 22 × Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 185H
Memory: 24 GiB of RAM (22.9 GiB usable)
Graphics Processor 1: Intel® Arc
Graphics Processor 2: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
Manufacturer: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
Product Name: ASUS Vivobook Pro 15 N6506MV_N6506MV
System Version: 1.0
Linux on this laptop has given me endless problems. I installed Ubuntu Gnome as I had been using it daily for 20 years. I got many issues, mostly Nvidia/hybrid graphics related. And I was bored with Gnome and intrigued by Plasma.
So I initially installed Fedora. Loved KDE, got many problems, again mostly with graphics driver updates.
Then I had Nixos for 6 months or so, which was… interesting. Eventually, it wouldn’t boot either (which is not supposed to be possible).
Then CachyOS which was great for a couple of weeks. Then it stopped giving me DE, and finally wouldn’t boot. I tried a reinstall but it wouldn’t even boot the live system.
Now in EOS, KDE it was great from a week. Now, at least, it boots, but I get constant, random freezes. I put an analogue clock on the laptop screen (I mainly use an external monitor via HDMI) and when it freezes, the second hand even stops so I wait until it starts moving again. Both on and off can last from 1 sec up to about 45 seconds. At least the kb buffer works. This happens on the current and LTS kernels, but not the live USB.
It’s not a temperature or memory problem. Neither are an issue.
This is as frustrating as it sounds. The logs show NVME controller and Nvidia errors. No Grub options changed anything regarding NVME, but sometimes caused the system not to boot. Maybe I need to reinstall Windows and sell it at a huge loss?
Ant suggestions welcome. I’ve created this on my phone as it would have taken hours of frustration on the laptop.
Thanks for reading this far.
Do you use something to switch your GPUs? Like does your laptop have a switch to either use your intel/nvidia or both GPUs? Does it regulate it via software/bios? If not, or you are not shure try to use some software like prime/Optimus or EnvyControl. See if that helps if you just select 1 of the 2 gpus.
Next if that doesn’t work maybe try out x11 instead of Wayland. The live iso uses x11, so if you say that you don’t have issues on the iso maybe this can be related? I myself can’t boot into Wayland for whatever reason, only get my laptop to work under x11… It’s fine on my pc though.
(just note that most if not all DEs are slowly moving away from x11)
Thanks for responding. The switch is controlled in software/bios I guess. For sure I have no switch. I’ll see if what you suggest makes a difference.
I guess x11 is worth a try. Good idea, thanks. I didn’t know the Live ISO used it. Seems odd when Wayland is the default, and that’s what you’ll get if you install, but I am sure there are reasons for that.
I have the latest Nvidia Open drivers. The open source ones didn’t work at all.
If you have freezes, it always helped me to have a journalctl -f on a second monitor and look for what pops up during, right before or right after the freeze. I had a similar problem with freezes a few years ago and diagnosed it this was.
Hi, Thanks for responding. Unfortunately, both screens freeze and no error logs are created. The only ones are created during booting. I’ll have a look again though. Thanks.
This statement is confusing. If the system boots could you post inxi -Gaz
You also said you have been using this for the last 20 years. It’s an RTX 4060 so that doesn’t make sense. You meant you have been using Linux for 20 years as that laptop is obviously newer with an RTX 4060.
Is there a newer Bios available for this laptop? version 313 looks like the latest dated 2025
Would be nice to see some boot logs also.
Edit: Also have you tried using the current kernel instead of lts.
Edit:
You could try the following kernel parameters also.
i915.enable_guc=3 intel_idle.max_cstate=1
I would suggest making sure the UEFI Bios is up to date. Try the latest standard kernel. Then you need to determine what is causing the freezes. Is it Pci related hardware, intel gpu, intel processor power management related or nvidia gpu related.
I have been using Nvidia drivers for some time time. Back when I started there was Nouveau, which had quite a few problems for me, and the closed source Nvidia drivers, which were not error free either. I know the latest ones are open, so it is confusing. TBH - I couldn’t remember the name of the community drivers.
I had an older NVIDIA card in my desktop, which I left behind and bought the laptop when I moved here to Asia. That served me well. If I settle here I’ll build myself another.
I had already updated the BIOS, as you suggested.
See below for the solution, but thanks for taking the trouble.
I took your suggestion and booted into an X11 session and… so far it works. It’s not quite as smooth s using Wayland - my analogue clock second hand is a touch jerky, but that’s much better than it starting and stopping all the time.
I even booted into the current kernel, with no issues.
Thanks very much for the advice to you and everyone. I’m like Endeavour OS and its forum a lot so far.
It’s so weird that some people like you and me have issues with Wayland while others are completely fine. No idea why that is. But good that it works better for you now. Hopefully Wayland improves and maybe some day everyone will be issue free.
As I said above note that support ends with x11, and DEs are moving away from it. Including KDE wants to move away from it till end of the year.
So if there isn’t a solution till then I probably will have to move to a different DE. Currently watching out for SonicDE (fork of KDE plasma) and Xlibre (fork of x11). So should work, if I can’t get Wayland to work.
Over the past several years, between an Intel Samsung laptop, a custom-built Intel PC (with a Nvidia GPU), an Intel mini PC, and a late 2014 Intel Mac Mini, I’ve been using KDE Plasma in Wayland session without issues.
Yeah it’s fine on my pc but on my laptop, nuh uh
I mean my laptop also has this weird thunderbolt issue where it gets either freeze or kernel panic on boot if it’s plugged to the monitor but unplugged I make it to the login screen and have the Wayland vs x11 issue.
Not shure if OP also has thunderbolt, but maybe it could also explain the weird behavior OP has encountered over time..
Ok then this is different. I don’t have a HDMI port so I only can use thunderbolt/usb-c with adapter or dock, which gives me issues.
But yeah, I have my own post on this and won’t abuse yours to complain about mine
So, if your issue is resolved please mark the comment that solved it as solution, so we know that you are fine. If you still need help you leave it open so we can help you more.. Though I myself am not shure how to help with this, maybe someone else knows something, who knows
I don’t think it’s weird. I just believe the issue hasn’t really been identified. I don’t feel 100% it’s an nvidia issue. I also use nvidia without issues on Wayland. To me it’s hardware related but hasn’t been identified as to what is the cause.
