[Şerban S.]

System Specs

Operating System – Linux Lite	Linux Lite 8.0
CPU / Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS
Memory (RAM)	16 GB
Storage	NVMe SSD
Graphics (GPU)	Radeon 780M Graphics
Network device	Realtek RTL8192EU, Realtek RTL8153

Linux Lite on Radeon 780M Graphics

After failing many times (over 20 attempts by now...), I started scavenging the net for a solution.
The problems are described in this thread:

Linux Lite 8.0  Installer- Severe bug  on Manual Partitioning
https://dfgkh547-jsdfv8.iyhkj.tk/forums/showt...p?tid=9880

The idea of starting this thread is to narrow the conversation around the problem itself, rather than spreading among various theories and possible scenarios.

So, if you have anything close to this machine, subscribe to this thread and maybe we can do something about it.
I will keep updating, anyway.

Machine specs:

System:
  Kernel: 6.8.0-124-generic x86_64 bits: 64 Desktop: Xfce 4.18.1
  Distro: Linux Lite 7.8 LTS
Machine:
  Type: Laptop System: LENOVO product: 83KB v: IdeaPad Slim 3 16AHP10
  serial: <filter>
  Mobo: LENOVO model: LNVNB161216 v: NO DPK serial: <filter> UEFI: LENOVO
  v: QACN22WW date: 03/18/2025
CPU:
  Topology: 8-Core model: AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS w/ Radeon 780M Graphics
  bits: 64 type: MT MCP L2 cache: 8192 KiB
  Speed: 1932 MHz min/max: 400/5132 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1932 2: 400
  3: 4828 4: 400 5: 1946 6: 400 7: 4814 8: 400 9: 400 10: 400 11: 400
  12: 400 13: 1875 14: 400 15: 400 16: 400
Graphics:
  Device-1: AMD Phoenix3 driver: amdgpu v: kernel
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 21.1.11 driver: amdgpu,ati
  unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa resolution: 1920x1200~60Hz
  OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon 780M Graphics (radeonsi phoenix LLVM 20.1.2
  DRM 3.57 6.8.0-124-generic)
  v: 4.6 Mesa 25.2.8-0ubuntu0.24.04.1
Audio:
  Device-1: AMD Rembrandt Radeon High Definition Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
  Device-2: AMD ACP/ACP3X/ACP6x Audio Coprocessor driver: snd_pci_ps
  Device-3: AMD Family 17h/19h HD Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k6.8.0-124-generic
Network:
  Device-1: MEDIATEK driver: N/A
  Device-2: Realtek RTL8192EU 802.11b/g/n WLAN Adapter type: USB
  driver: rtl8xxxu
  Device-3: Realtek RTL8153 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter type: USB driver: r8152
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 534.67 GiB used: 63.74 GiB (11.9%)
  ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 vendor: Western Digital
  model: WD PC SN5000S SDEPMSJ-512G-1101 size: 476.94 GiB
  Message: No Optical or Floppy data was found.

Now, you can figure out at least what kind of machine creates problems. 
I am not aware if this happens on other brands or machines, but it seems that the same GPU (AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS + Radeon 780M) creates (as by now) many problems on other configuratiopns too.

Here is an excerpt I found relevant on the net:


"AMDGPU, especially 780M, is not ready
The title, I genuinely regret that I confirmed another redditor on the usability of 780M, over my half a year of usage (and my partner who also purchased the same model),
amdgpu had consistently showed occasional problems that cannot be fixed via tweaking the kernel parameters, from regression to artifacts, to freeze, quite a few kernel minor versions have been released in the time lapse,
none had really solved the issue with AMDGPU.

Tbf this is not a tuxedo problem but an amd problem, but still, linux's amdgpu driver has been know for its problems, and it is specifically worse on the 780M.
So for now, do not buy a laptop that has 780M as its sole graphical processor."

https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers...not_ready/

If you read ahead this thread, you'll find some other machines.

Is there any hope?

After failing to install and/or run 8.0 (both ways, via USB ISO and via Lite Series Upgrade), I thought that installing the previous version,  LL 7.8, would do the trick. 
Unfortunately, it looked like OK, but when it came to "Reboot", I got the same "Black Screen Of Death". Keyboards stopped to respond and the only way to reboot was the Power Off button.
After rebooting, the machine seemed to work some 30 - 50 minutes, but using YouTube, VLC and Zoom caused the screen freeze.

Zoom
I am using Zoom daily and what my wife tells me, is at least weird (it is her laptop and she works in Germany):
- Image gets frozen;
- Sound, working OK;
- Integrated WebCam works (I see and hear her);
- Keyboard, unresponsive.

Updating the packages
It seems that if started right after login, the Update works.
If you are running the LL 7.8, you probably know that there are frequent updates.

Yesterday's (19 June, 2026) news: 

There were at least two updates that were made: 18 and 19 June.
After those updates, my wife said that the only issue she detected, was running YouTube videos.
Zoom, seems to work for now, both audio and video, without glitches (as of yesterday).

Conclusions, as of NOW:
While running LL 7.8 seems to get better, I can hope that LL 8.0 will be able to run someday soon.
Even if the kernel support is not at its best for now and the MESA drivers still need corrections, the improvements over time might solve the problems with the Radeon 780M Graphics.

I hope this info will help you somehow!

Best regards!

[valtam]

I hope people find this useful. Thanks Şerban S.

Linux Lite on AMD Radeon 780M (Ryzen 7 8840HS and similar) — black screen & freezes

Status: Known upstream issue (AMD amdgpu / kernel), with reliable workarounds.

Affected hardware:

Laptops/mini-PCs using the AMD Radeon 780M integrated GPU as their only graphics - most commonly the Ryzen 7 7840 / 8840 / 8845 series (RDNA3 “Phoenix” iGPU). Other early RDNA3 iGPUs (760M, 740M) can show the same behaviour.

Symptoms

• Black screen on reboot / resume, often with an unresponsive keyboard (only the power button recovers it).
• The desktop works for 30–50 minutes, then freezes — typically while playing video in YouTube, VLC or Zoom (image freezes, audio may continue).
• Linux Lite 8.0 fails to install or boot (black screen) from both the USB ISO and via Lite Series Upgrade.
• Some tasks (e.g. running updates immediately after login) succeed before the system becomes unstable.

Why this happens

This is not a Linux Lite bug - it is the state of AMD’s amdgpu driver and kernel support for the 780M:

1. Kernel version. Linux Lite 7.x ships the Ubuntu 24.04 GA kernel (6.8). The 780M is a 2023/2024 GPU that received a long series of stability fixes in later kernels. The 6.8 branch is simply too old for it.
2. Panel Self Refresh (PSR). A power-saving display feature that the 780M mishandles on many panels - the most common cause of the black-screen-on-resume and frozen display.
3. Hardware video decode (VCN engine). Early RDNA3 video acceleration can trigger a GPU reset, which is why the freezes cluster around YouTube / VLC / Zoom.

Fixes and workarounds

1. Add a kernel boot parameter (fixes most cases)

Edit GRUB’s default command line:

Code:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Find the line starting GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT= and add amdgpu.dcdebugmask=0x10 inside the quotes, for example:

Code:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash amdgpu.dcdebugmask=0x10"

Then update GRUB and reboot:

Code:

sudo update-grub sudo reboot

amdgpu.dcdebugmask=0x10 disables Panel Self Refresh and clears the black-screen / freeze for the majority of these laptops.

If you still get freezes, add amdgpu.sg_display=0 as well (corruption/black-screen on iGPUs that share system memory):

Code:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash amdgpu.dcdebugmask=0x10 amdgpu.sg_display=0"

2. Stop video apps from freezing the GPU

If the freezes are specifically during video, turn off hardware video acceleration:

• Firefox: Settings → General → Performance → untick “Use recommended performance settings”, then untick “Use hardware acceleration when available”.
• Chrome / Chromium: Settings → System → turn off “Use graphics acceleration when available”.
• Zoom: Settings → Video → Advanced → turn off hardware acceleration options.

3. Installing Linux Lite 8.0 on this hardware

Do not stay on 7.8 to avoid the problem - 8.0 ships a much newer kernel that has far better 780M support, and is the real path forward. The black screen you hit while installing 8.0 is the same display issue, and the same parameter clears it:

1. At the boot menu of the 8.0 USB, highlight the boot entry and press e to edit it.
2. Find the linux line and add amdgpu.dcdebugmask=0x10 to the end of it.
3. Press F10 (or Ctrl+X) to boot, then install as normal.
4. After installing, apply the same parameter permanently using Fix 1 above.

(If the installer still won’t show, you can boot once with nomodeset to get through the installer, then switch to amdgpu.dcdebugmask=0x10 after install — nomodeset is only a temporary fallback, not a setting to keep.)

Reverting

These changes are safe and easy to undo. To remove a parameter, edit /etc/default/grub again, delete the amdgpu.… text you added, then run sudo update-grub and reboot.

The bigger picture

The Radeon 780M improves with each kernel and Mesa release, so stability will keep getting better over time. But you don’t need to wait - for most people the single line amdgpu.dcdebugmask=0x10 plus moving to Linux Lite 8.0’s newer kernel is enough to make these machines usable today.

[Şerban S.]

@jerry

Thanks for the detailed breakdown!
Yesterday, my wife said that she could use Zoom without any fail (video or audio).
I asked her to test some video online (content is irrelevant), different from YouTube.
YouTube, seems to work (as of yesterday).

I found this very relevant:

[...]
1. Kernel version. Linux Lite 7.x ships the Ubuntu 24.04 GA kernel (6.8). The 780M is a 2023/2024 GPU that received a long series of stability fixes in later kernels. The 6.8 branch is simply too old for it.

[...]

My practice says that I could perform the LL 7.8 --> LL 8.0 upgrade, but hit the wall with reboot/screen/keyboards.
This might have been possible due to the "free computing" time frame, which I found to range from 30 to 50 minutes, if tasks are low video demanding.
Since "sudo apt update" is a low res video task, the update went OK. That I think misled me to belive it further works, so I went ahead and there we are, glitches again...
Happily, till my wife comes home (somewhere in November - December), the LL 8.2 will be available.
Until then, she will have to live with that. (She's not up to the task of tweaking).
On the other hand, if the time frame keeps growing or at least remain constant, she will be able to use the laptop for the important tasks she has. If necessary, she can do a cold reboot and get a second time-frame.
Now given the "Speedy-Gonzales" rhythm of improvements I saw, I guess that the firmware and MESA updates, will at least reduce the negative events.
Since LL 7.8 is fairly new, the updates will keep coming till June 2029. We need this to happen only till December, when I can get my hands again on the machine and do whatever suitable.

I hope this conversation will help people with similar machines to get along with the situation, long before they get desperate.

A final question for Jerry:

Suppose I have to choose the long path to move from LL 7.8 to LL 8.x, the Lite Series Upgrade will go up to installing all, including the new 8.2 packages, or it will stop at LL 8.0?

[valtam]

...the Lite Series Upgrade will go up to installing all, including the new 8.2 packages - yes and right up to 8.8