The NVIDIA situation

NVIDIA GPUs using an architecture older than Turing (this means anything older than GTX 1630) require NVIDIA’s proprietary kernel modules. These modules cannot be loaded at runtime because the base OS is immutable, and pre-installing them appears to be in a legal gray area. To be safe, KDE Linux doesn’t include them.

Newer NVIDIA GPUs (Turing/GTX 1630 and newer) can use NVIDIA’s open kernel modules which are redistributable with the base OS in a legally clear manner, so KDE Linux pre-installs them. Necessary NVIDIA userspace drivers and utilities are also pre-installed, so these GPUs should work without drama.

Older NVIDIA GPUs should work with the less-performant Nouveau drivers, which are included. However support for this must be manually enabled right now, and is not recommended for non-experts. Follow the instructions, and temper your expectations accordingly.

Article contributed by Nate Graham under the CC-BY-4.0 license.