Here is the best way to Install NVIDIA drivers on laptop to run LLMs

9 min read1 day ago

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Okay here! I am back with something that happened to me yesterday. I wanted to run docling on my laptop (Alienware with RTX 4090). I had to install ubuntu-server and then start from there. All of the issues I mentioned below are related to that setup. If anyone is using their laptop with NVIDIA graphics card as a local LLM server to serve vLLMs, this will help you!

Here we go,

The process of installing proprietary NVIDIA drivers on Linux systems, particularly Ubuntu, is a critical first step for any data scientist or LLM enthusiast. For systems equipped with cutting-edge hardware, like the Dell Alienware R15 with an RTX 4090, choosing the correct driver is not just about graphics; it is about unlocking the full potential of CUDA the parallel computing architecture essential for training and running large language models (LLMs) like docling.

I created this guide to explores the four common failure modes that (I experienced during my setup.. Sigh) can lead to a black screen, dependency hell, or degraded performance, then clarifies the essential AI software stack, and finally provides the definitive, battle-tested PPA solution necessary…