![[Dell.png]] # Dell's G15 5530 laptop and freezes This is a fun retro-styled gaming laptop, (https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/g15-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-15-5530-laptop). ![[DellG155530.png]] It's certified for Ubuntu 22.04 but has issues with system freezes with the 6.8 GNU/Linux kernel. On Dell's forums there is an official solution to the issue: * Original: https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/inspiron/resolving-freezing-and-internal-problems-of-ubuntu-2204-on-dell-g15-5530-2024/66d466aedfc136313f1cfd99 * Archived: https://archive.today/SOdZN I've played around with downgrading the kernel to 6.5 with mixed results, mainly the external display support intermittently working and intermittently freezes after a hour of heavy use of the Nvidia RTX 4060 video card. So I went further back to what Ubuntu is based on, that being Debian. Debian 12 is the latest version of that distro and does have a 6.x series GNU/Linux kernel; specifically it comes with 6.1.0. Why Debian? Well, it's not a rolling distro with many updates. It's a solid stable distro. Tested for three days before saying it's a solve to the G15 freeze issues. # My G15 5530 specs * Dell G15 5530 * Intel i7-13650HX * 16 Gigs RAM * Have upgraded to 32 Gigs with no ill effects. * Nvidia 4060 8GB * 1 TB Samsung NVMe drive * Added a 2 TB NVMe drive in the second slot for games and VM storage. # The Process ### Debian 12 * Install Debian 12 * https://www.debian.org * This installs a stable GNU/Linux kernel in the 6.1 series ### Lock the kernel from updates * ```sudo apt-mark hold linux-image-$(uname -r)``` * This will prevent the kernel itself from being upgraded and prevent a sudden system issue before you have had the chance to test a new kernel. ### Setup Nvidia repositories * ```sudo add-apt-repository contrib``` * ```wget https://developer.download.nvidia.com/compute/cuda/repos/debian12/x86_64/cuda-keyring_1.1-1_all.deb``` * ```sudo dpkg -i cuda-keyring_1.1-1_all.deb``` * ```sudo apt-get update``` ### Install Nvidia Drivers * ```sudo apt-get -V install nvidia-open``` * ```sudo reboot``` ### Test Nvidia Drivers * ```sudo apt install -y hashcat``` * ```hashcat --benchmark``` * You should see the Nvidia card as the first device. * Let the benchmark run to confirm no system freezes. * If you like to use Steam on Linux, that's the ultimate test. That's it, you are all set. I've been running games from Steam on the Proton 7.06 version with any issues. QEMU runs like a champ and everything else is solid