Cursor lag on dual monitor setup with NVIDIA (RTX 4090) - Solution included

[al3rez]

My setup

OS: Arch Linux + Omarchy
Kernel: 6.16.8-arch3-1
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4090 (driver 580.82.09) + AMD Raphael iGPU
Monitors:

• DP-3: Apple Studio Display 5K (5120x2880@60Hz, scale 2x)
• HDMI-A-2: Dell S2721QS 4K (3840x2160@60Hz, scale 1.5x)

---

The problem

My cursor was lagging. Bad.

Moving between monitors felt like dragging through mud. The 5K display was the worst. Stuttery. Delayed. Frustrating as hell.

I thought it was the monitors. Or maybe Hyprland. Or just Wayland being Wayland.

It wasn't.

---

What I found

Here's what was actually wrong:

1. Generic monitor config
My monitors.conf had monitor=,preferred,auto,auto. This tells Hyprland absolutely nothing useful. It can't optimize. It just guesses.

2. Hardware cursors on NVIDIA
NVIDIA drivers hate hardware cursors on Wayland. Always have. Causes stuttering and lag.

3. Missing NVIDIA environment variables
I have both an RTX 4090 and an AMD iGPU. Multi-GPU systems on NVIDIA need specific env vars or they shit the bed.

4. Fractional scaling
The Dell at 1.5x scale was adding overhead. Not huge, but noticeable.

---

The fix

I made these changes and the lag disappeared completely.

In ~/.config/hypr/monitors.conf:

# Be explicit about each monitor
monitor = DP-3, 5120x2880@60, 0x0, 2
monitor = HDMI-A-2, 3840x2160@60, 2560x0, 1.5

# This helps with NVIDIA rendering
env = WLR_DRM_NO_ATOMIC,1

In ~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf:

# NVIDIA stuff
env = WLR_NO_HARDWARE_CURSORS,1
env = GBM_BACKEND,nvidia-drm
env = __GL_GSYNC_ALLOWED,1
env = __GL_VRR_ALLOWED,1
env = OGL_DEDICATED_HW_STATE_PER_CONTEXT,ENABLE_ROBUST

In ~/.config/hypr/looknfeel.conf:

misc {
    vrr = 1
    vfr = true
    mouse_move_enables_dpms = true
}

cursor {
    no_hardware_cursors = true
    enable_hyprcursor = true
}

---

Why this works

WLR_NO_HARDWARE_CURSORS=1 - Forces software cursors. NVIDIA's hardware cursor implementation on Wayland is broken. Has been for years.

OGL_DEDICATED_HW_STATE_PER_CONTEXT=ENABLE_ROBUST - Fixes multi-GPU issues on NVIDIA driver 550+. Critical if you have both NVIDIA and AMD GPUs like I do.

no_hardware_cursors = true - Same thing but in Hyprland's config. Double insurance.

Explicit monitor configs - Tells Hyprland exactly what you want instead of making it guess.

---

Result

Cursor is smooth now. Feels like 60fps should feel. No lag between monitors.

Took me way too long to figure this out. Hopefully saves someone else the trouble.

---

Why I'm posting this

This might be useful for Omarchy's default config or docs. A lot of people run NVIDIA + multi-monitor setups. They'll hit this.

Just sharing what worked for me.

[jelenv]

That's interesting, I wonder why I am not seeing this? My setup:

• nvidia 3060 dgpu (driver 580.82.09), AMD Vega igpu, multi-monitor (laptop + another monitor), omarchy 3.0.2, kernel 6.16.8-arch3-1
• ~/.config/hypr/monitors.conf

env = GDK_SCALE,1
# Laptop screen
monitor = eDP-2, 2560x1600@60, 0x0, 1.6
# Ext. monitor
monitor = DP-3, 1920x1080@60, -1920x0, 1
# Fallback
monitor=,preferred,auto,auto

• ~/.config/hypr/envs.conf

env = NVD_BACKEND,direct
env = LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME,nvidia
env = __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME,nvidia
# This is a custom mapping to always run Hyprland with the AMD igpu as primary GPU
env = AQ_DRM_DEVICES, /dev/dri/amd-igpu:/dev/dri/nvidia-dgpu

Even before I configured my setup like this, I did not experience any cursor lag. I am not discouting your solution, just adding my experience and setup, could be useful to someone.

[Admix-software]

Why you're not seeing it

Good question. Here's what's different between our setups.

1. You're using the AMD iGPU as primary

That's the key difference. Check your envs.conf:

env = AQ_DRM_DEVICES, /dev/dri/amd-igpu:/dev/dri/nvidia-dgpu

You explicitly set AMD as primary. NVIDIA is secondary. Your compositor runs on AMD. The cursor is rendered by AMD.

I don't have that. My RTX 4090 is doing everything. Including the broken hardware cursor implementation.

2. Different GPUs

You have a 3060. I have a 4090.

Different architectures. Different driver behavior. Your GPU might not hit the same issues.

3. Fractional scaling is on your laptop screen

You're running 1.6x on eDP-2 (laptop). External is 1x.

I'm running 2x on the 5K (external) and 1.5x on the Dell (also external). Both externals.

Different stress on the compositor. Different code paths.

4. You might just not notice it

Some people don't. Eyes work differently.

Or you don't move the mouse fast enough to trigger it. Or you're used to it.

---

Bottom line

Your setup avoids the problem completely by using AMD as primary.

Mine hits it head-on because NVIDIA is doing everything.

If AMD is your primary GPU, you won't see NVIDIA's Wayland cursor bugs. You're bypassing the whole issue.

Good share though. Shows there are multiple ways to handle multi-GPU setups.

[TegranGrigorian]

Hello

I have a PX13 Laptop with a RTX 4050 and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370. I had this issue where my cursor would lag when I used an external monitor on the HDMI port.

The fix below listed by the @al3rez worked for me:

misc {
    vrr = 1
    vfr = true
    mouse_move_enables_dpms = true
}

cursor {
    no_hardware_cursors = true
    enable_hyprcursor = true
}

Thank you so much for your help!