u/manukimmerle

Hey all,

Looking for some help troubleshooting a persistent display server handoff issue when switching from Game Mode to Desktop Mode.

The Problem: Booting into Game Mode (Gamescope) works flawlessly on my main TV connected to my dedicated GPU. However, whenever I select "Switch to Desktop Mode", the TV loses its signal completely and goes blank/no output.

Here is the weird part: If I physically plug a second monitor into the motherboard's motherboard HDMI port (the CPU's integrated graphics), that second monitor lights up and displays an extended desktop layout. The system configuration shows that it recognizes the TV on the dGPU as the primary monitor, but the dGPU port refuses to output a physical video signal once the GNOME desktop session takes over.

I cannot disable the iGPU in the BIOS due to my specific home lab/routing needs, so I need to find a way to make GNOME reliably handshake with the NVIDIA card while the iGPU remains active.

I have tried manually wiping ~/.config/monitors.xml and setting __NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 in /etc/environment, but GNOME continues to prioritize the iGPU display architecture and drop the dGPU signal on the TV during the handoff.

System Specs:

• Bazzite Image: Bazzite Game Mode NVIDIA GNOME
• NVIDIA Driver Version: 595.50.03
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
• Motherboard: ASRock B650I Lightning WiFi
• RAM: 16GB Kingston DDR5
• Storage: 1TB Crucial P310 NVMe SSD
• Display: Samsung TV connected via HDMI directly to the RTX 3070 Ti, secondary monitor connected to the motherboard HDMI.

Has anyone dealt with this specific dual-GPU handoff quirk on the GNOME/NVIDIA image? Are there any specific systemd or GDM overrides to force the proprietary NVIDIA driver to own the primary display server handshake when exiting Gamescope?

Thanks in advance.

Hey everyone,

I am completely stumped by a thermal issue on my rig and could use some outside eyes. My Ryzen 7 5800X is hitting a hard thermal wall at exactly 90C almost instantly under synthetic load, capping my multi-core boost clocks to around 4.27 GHz.

My Hardware:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (Stock settings)
• Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB
• Motherboard: ASUS Prime X370-Pro
• Thermal Interface: Arctic MX-4 (Previously tried Honeywell PTM7950)
• Case: Lian Li PC-A71F (Full tower aluminum case)
• OS: CachyOS (Arch-based)

How I Found Out: My previous tower cooler (Alpenföhn Groß Clockner) had failing heat pipes. I was tracking the thermals using s-tui in Linux and realized the CPU was pinning at 90C. I ordered the Phantom Spirit 120 SE as a permanent replacement, expecting temperatures to drop back down to normal levels. However, after installing the new hardware, the exact same behavior is happening under load: an instant spike to 90C and clock degradation down to 4.27 GHz.

What I Have Done So Far To Fix It:

1. Verified Mounting Brackets: I am using the updated Thermalright universal kit with the pink spacers. I initially suspected an alignment issue, but I did a completely dry test-fit (no paste/pad) and torqued the two main spring-loaded screws down to their absolute physical hard stops. The cooler sat completely solid against the CPU lid like a tank with zero wiggle room.
2. Checked Protective Film: The clear plastic warning sticker on the copper base of the heatsink has been entirely removed.
3. Swapped Thermal Interfaces: My first installation was done with a freshly cut, full-sized sheet of Honeywell PTM7950 phase-change material (both protective plastic layers peeled off). Because it thermal throttled immediately, I unmounted it, cleaned the CPU and cooler base back to bare mirror metal with Isopropyl alcohol, and applied fresh Arctic MX-4 paste. The issue persists identically with regular paste.
4. Physically Monitored Heat Transfer: While running the load test at 90C, the aluminum fin towers themselves do not feel warm to the touch. However, I can clearly feel warm air actively being pushed out of the fin stack by the fans.

The mounting pressure seems totally correct, the plastic film is off, the paste application is clean, and the hardware is robust enough to handle a 5800X.

What am I missing here? Could this be an internal BIOS voltage bug on this older X370 board pushing unsafe currents, or is there an undocumented quirk with this specific mounting hardware combination under Linux?

Any diagnostic suggestions are appreciated.