Do I need PPA?

ihazcat · ‎02-02-2025

I have few HP mini PCs for several purposes. They have only iGPUs (Intel UHD Graphics 630). I usually don't experience any problems but a common glitch made me think that maybe I experiencing one single Linux related bug(?) and should change the driver IF possible. I'm using Ubuntu 24.04. It is up to date. As far as I understand the default driver is very similar to the so called "non-free". Sadly I did not find any comparison which driver is better and why. Also I found the official repository which contains Intel drivers, but I don't know are those useful or not for my machine/system:

https://dgpu-docs.intel.com/driver/client/overview.html

Basically I have two questions:

1. Free or non-free?

2. PPA or no PPA?

ACarmona_Intel · ‎02-03-2025

Hello ihazcat,

Thank you for posting in our communities.

Before I can provide you the appropriate recommendation or answer to your query, kindly provide the following information:

When did the glitch happens? And have you made any changes before the glitch occurred?
Please generate an SSU report to help me further analyze important details on your system, graphics driver version, complete model of your system, etc. To generate the SSU report, please refer to the article: Intel® System Support Utility for the Linux* Operating System. Please send me the generated SSU.txt file.

Best regards,

Carmona A.

Intel Customer Support Technician

ihazcat · ‎02-08-2025

It happens when I move the mouse to some totally random points on the desktop. I did nothing except setup the basic settings for my needs. No matter what session I run it will starts to flicker when the pointer overlap these points. It takes 1-2 seconds to trigger this flickering. And it stops when I move away the pointer.

I experience this issue only under Linux (Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04) and also noticed on older HP G3 desktop mini machines too. Tested with different cables and monitors. The result always the same.

JeanetteC_Intel · ‎02-06-2025

Hello ihazcat,

I'm following up to check whether you have had the chance to review our prior correspondence. Let me know if you have further clarification on the details that I was asking for.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

JeanetteC_Intel · ‎02-10-2025

Hello ihazcat,

Thank you for sharing these details. I'll check on this internally and I will post an update once it's available.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

JeanetteC_Intel · ‎02-12-2025

Hello ihazcat,

I have reviewed the computer specifications and noticed that only Windows-based operating systems are listed as supported OS. Could you please confirm whether the issue is occurring on Windows or Linux? Additionally, it would be helpful to know if the system was working fine before and if you already reached out to HP regarding this matter.

Please check the following links for reference:

1. Free or Non-Free Drivers?

The main difference between free and non-free drivers is that free drivers are open-source and included in the Linux kernel, while non-free drivers are proprietary and may offer additional features or optimizations. However, if you are experiencing glitches, you might want to try the proprietary drivers from Intel's official repository.

2. PPA or No PPA?

Using a PPA can provide you with the latest drivers and updates directly from Intel. This can be beneficial if you need the most recent fixes and optimizations. However, PPAs can sometimes introduce instability if not properly maintained.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

ihazcat · ‎02-18-2025

This is why I don't wanted to dive deep in the issue. It is clearly a software side behaviour and I thought seeking another driver can fix this. It is a Linux only issue as mentioned above. I know it is not an HP machine and I know that most vendors simply not involved to care about non bussiness users. But it is an Intel based machine and it has an Intel VGA and Intel has many open projects. This is why I came here.

But my second question is still not really answered. Now you know what kind of machine I have and the anwser is still not clear. Does it makes any sense to add this official Intel PPA to my system or not? Because you mentioned that "PPAs can sometimes introduce instability if not properly maintained". I know the consequences, but it is not promising if you tell me that the official Intel PPA is riskier and maybe not maintained.

JeanetteC_Intel · ‎02-17-2025

Hello ihazcat,

Were you able to check the previous message?

I will wait for your reply.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

JeanetteC_Intel · ‎02-27-2025

Hello ihazcat,

Good day.

I just need to set your expectation that we have an older system with Linux installed - Dell OptiPlex 3050 mini PC (8th gen CPU) and does not have the same issues you've raised. We've only used the standard updates to run this system.

To further check on this, I would like to ask the following information:

Please let me know about all peripherals (exact brand and model) currently connected on your system.
If you are using wireless peripherals, please try to use wired components to test the issue.
It would be best to check the sensors of mouse to check if dirt or debris is causing the glitch.
Alternatively, testing with a live distro to isolate the issue would be a good idea.

I will wait for your reply.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

JeanetteC_Intel · ‎03-04-2025

Hello ihazcat,

Have you had the chance seeing my previous post?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician

JeanetteC_Intel · ‎03-18-2025

Hello ihazcat

Distro drivers should be enough and work well. If you are experienced enough to test PPA or use our GitHub source, then it's up to your decision.

For further information on your concern, please proceed to reach out to your OS community for assistance.

I will proceed in closing this thread. Should you need assistance in the future, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Sincerely,

JeanetteC.

Intel Customer Support Technician