I have a computer which contains an nvidia graphics card. But I do not know how to make it the default. Here is a screenshot of inxi -G:
And here is a list (from pacman-aur-git) of the nvidia programs I have installed:
I cannot figure out any means of making the nvidia driver my default.
Do I need any other programs installed.
I hope someone can help me (and please pardon this “newbie-type” question.
Thank you.
Lawrence
Must read for any Hybrid / Optimus user 
keybreak Thank you for this reply though I’m afraid that it’s a bit too much for me. (I have read it twice.) One thing I do not understand: does Bumblebee use the native nvidia drivers or does it use nouveau? Bumblebee is in the community repositories and it seems that it should be easier to install.
Lawrence
Not sure to be honest, what i know is that Bulblebee is easiest to install, but performance and usage is…crap.
Above link is the best way to gain full control and performance, so…
Just try to follow it step by step, once you’ll get it, surely it will be easy 
I’m sure @linesma could help and answer all the question you have too
It can use the nVidia driver, and it can use nouveau. It is all in how you set it up. However, personally, I have never been able to get Bumblebee to work properly. I can tell you, with the RTX line of cards, you do not want to use Nouveau. Using this driver with that card, you will be stuck at idle clock speed period. The Nouveau driver can’t change the clock speed on newer nVidia cards, so they are set at and will remain at their idle clock speed.
Sorry, there is no easy way on an Arch based distro to set what you want up. You are going to have to do some typing work.
You can start on step 4 of the linked guide.
Also, please refrain from posting screenshots. Depending on the screen someone is reading the forum on, they can be hard to read. Copy the text in the terminal and paste it here. Then highlight it and tick the </> button above.
Hello @lhb1142
Did you install the the Nvidia drivers when you installed Endeavouros? Right now it’s running on the Intel driver. What desktop is this installed on?
On my laptop it use the intel and switches on the nvidia card when I plug in an external monitor. I think thats probably easiest, this way my laptop has a good battery life but when I plug in the monitor it uses nvidia gor more serious workloads.
Thats in hybrid mode.
It looks like they did. From their screenshot.
Ya I see the driver but thought i’d ask anyway. He should be able to just install optimus-manager but i wanted to know what desktop in case he need qt and also i would rather that he use nvidia-dkms version?
Is there a optimus switch and optimus-manager or is this one and the same?
Optimus-Switch does exactly what it says, it deactivates one card and switches to another. This way, when you are using your “Intel” GPU, the nVidia card is completely powered off. To the system, it looks like the card is not even there. This maximizes battery life. The downside is, switching cards requires a reboot. The upside is, when in nVIdia “mode” you do not have to use any “arguments” to have a program run on the nVidia card. Also, it does not require a custom display manager, ie gdm, from the AUR, and it works on both QT and GTK desktops.
So this is different than optimus-manager is what i was asking?
Dear ricklinux,
I just recently installed the nVidia drivers. I am using the Xfce DE.
Lawrence
Yes and no. They both do the same things but handle the switching of the cards differently. The biggest differences are what I mentioned in my previous post. Also, it relies totally on bash scripts.
Okay… I understand. I have helped some users install nvidia-dkms and optimus-manager. I have not used optimus switch. Does it require a restart to switch cards?
Yes. It is, in my opinion, the best option for users who want to use their nVidia card all the time. It makes the card work the same way as it would if it were on a desktop.
Since my laptop is plugged in 99% of the time, I stay in “nVidia mode”. That rare occasion that I want to use the battery, I switch to the “Intel Mode” and reboot. The nVidia card is then shut totally down and I am running on the Intel iGPU only.
Okay i understand that and it makes sense but i guess it depends on the user. If they are on battery a lot it may consume too much battery life too quickly for some. With optimus-manager i guess you just switch to it when you want? As i said I’m not that familiar with optimus switch but i get what you’re saying. I’m not a laptop user …mostly desktops. I am looking at a laptop but it will be Ryzen with AMD graphics onboard. Otherwise it will be Ryzen with an dGPU which will also be AMD so i would imagine the Ryzen may have onboard graphics also so may have to use switching there too?
I think we are confusing and not helping the OP of the thread. I think we should move this over to a PM.
When you follow the instructions, Go step 4, 5, 6, and on step 7, follow the directions for “LightDM”.
I think I did everything as specified but now my OS is ruined. I’m going to have to reinstall the system. (I’m writing this from another computer.)
Fortunately I have everything backed up.
I’m sorry I ever asked. Please forget all about this question.
Thanks for the attempts to help. Evidently it’s just too complex for me.
Lawrence
@lhb1142
Sorry this happened. What is the issue?
Edit: It won’t boot? Boots to black screen?