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Arch Linux and Manjaro Setup Guide

Arch Linux

Both Arch Linux and Manjaro work excellently on the BC-250. Arch provides maximum control and latest packages, while Manjaro offers easier installation with good hardware detection.

Status: Both fully working Difficulty: Arch (Advanced), Manjaro (Intermediate) Mesa: 25.1+ in official repos Kernel: 6.12-6.14 LTS recommended

Why Choose Arch/Manjaro?

Advantages

  • Rolling release - Latest Mesa and kernel versions
  • Native BC-250 support - Mesa 25.1+ in official repos (no COPR/PPAs)
  • Low RAM usage - 1.3GB typical for Arch
  • Full control - Configure everything
  • Community scripts - Automated setup available

Arch vs Manjaro

Arch Linux: - Manual installation following the Arch Wiki - Latest packages immediately - Maximum control, minimal bloat - Requires advanced Linux knowledge

Manjaro: - GUI installer (Calamares) - Boots out-of-box on BC-250 (no nomodeset) - Delayed package updates (tested before release) - Easier for beginners

Performance: Nearly identical. Both use ~1.3-1.5GB RAM.

BIOS Requirements

REQUIRED before installing: 1. Flash modified BIOS (P3.00 recommended) 2. Set VRAM allocation (512MB dynamic recommended) 3. Configure fan speeds 4. Disable IOMMU (IOMMU is broken - MUST disable)

See BIOS Flashing Guide.

Arch Linux Installation

Prerequisites

  • USB drive (4GB+)
  • Ethernet connection (for initial setup)
  • Passive DP-to-HDMI adapter (recommended)
  • Arch Linux ISO from archlinux.org
  • Familiarity with Linux command line

Installation Steps

Follow the Arch Wiki

Arch Linux installation should be done following the official Arch Installation Guide. This ensures you understand the system you're building and can troubleshoot issues.

Key BC-250 Specific Requirements:

  1. Kernel Selection
  2. Install linux-lts package (6.12.x - 6.14.x)
  3. AVOID: Kernel 6.15.0-6.15.6 and 6.17.8+ (GPU initialization failures)

  4. Use 6.15.7-6.17.7 for best performance or 6.12-6.14 LTS for stability

  5. Boot Parameters

  6. If black screen during installation, add nomodeset to kernel parameters

  7. IMPORTANT: Remove nomodeset after drivers are installed

  8. Required Packages During Installation 

    # Base system
pacstrap -K /mnt base linux-lts linux-firmware

# Desktop environment (example with KDE)
pacstrap -K /mnt plasma-meta kde-applications-meta

# Graphics drivers (DO NOT install during archinstall, install after reboot)
# mesa vulkan-radeon xf86-video-amdgpu

# Network and basic utilities
pacstrap -K /mnt networkmanager git base-devel

  9. Swap Configuration

  10. Traditional swap partition recommended

  11. WARNING: Do NOT use ZRAM if using 512MB dynamic VRAM (conflicts)

  12. Bootloader

  13. GRUB recommended for BC-250

  14. Configure with ability to edit boot parameters

  15. Enable Multilib (for 32-bit support and Steam)

  16. Edit /etc/pacman.conf before pacstrap
  17. Uncomment [multilib] section

After Installation - First Boot:

  1. If black screen, use nomodeset:
  2. At GRUB, press e
  3. Add nomodeset to kernel line

  4. Press Ctrl+X to boot

  5. Install Mesa and drivers (see Post-Installation section below)

Manjaro Installation

Installation Steps

  1. Download Manjaro ISO
  2. Get KDE or GNOME edition from manjaro.org

  3. Flash to USB with balenaEtcher

  4. Boot and Install

  5. Boot from USB (should work without nomodeset)
  6. Run Calamares installer
  7. Follow on-screen instructions

  8. Complete installation and reboot

  9. First Boot

  10. Update system: 
    sudo pacman -Syu

Community note: "Out of the box after the BIOS flash, Manjaro KDE just booted fine"

Post-Installation Optimization

After installation, run the automated setup script to configure BC-250 specifics.

For Arch: 

git clone https://github.com/eabarriosTGC/BC250--ARCH.git
cd BC250--ARCH
sudo chmod +x ./Arch-setup.sh
sudo ./Arch-setup.sh

For Manjaro: 

git clone https://github.com/eabarriosTGC/BC250--ARCH.git
cd BC250--ARCH
sudo chmod +x ./bc520-manjaro.sh
sudo ./bc520-manjaro.sh

What the Script Does

  1. Package Installation
  2. Installs base-devel, git, cmake, lm_sensors

  3. Installs build tools for Oberon governor

  4. RADV Environment Configuration

  5. Creates /etc/environment.d/99-radv-bc250.conf: 
    RADV_DEBUG=nocompute

  6. Disables broken compute queue (prevents glitches)

  7. AMD GPU Kernel Module

  8. Creates /etc/modprobe.d/amdgpu-bc250.conf: 
    options amdgpu sg_display=0

  9. Only required for kernels < 6.10, safe to keep

  10. Temperature Sensors

  11. Loads nct6683 module
  12. Creates /etc/modules-load.d/nct6683-bc250.conf

  13. Enables temperature monitoring

  14. Oberon Governor

  15. Clones and compiles governor
  16. Enables dynamic frequency scaling (1000MHz-2000MHz+)

  17. Without this, GPU is locked at 1500MHz

  18. Initramfs Regeneration

  19. Rebuilds initial RAM filesystem with new modules

Kernel Parameters

After running the script, update GRUB with additional parameters.

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

Find GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT and update:

Basic: 

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet amdgpu.sg_display=0"

With performance boost: 

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet amdgpu.sg_display=0 mitigations=off"

Remove nomodeset (if added during install): 

# WRONG:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet nomodeset amdgpu.sg_display=0"

# CORRECT:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet amdgpu.sg_display=0"

Update GRUB: 

sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
sudo reboot

Verification

Check Mesa Version

glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version"
# Expected: Mesa 25.1.X

Check Vulkan Driver

vulkaninfo | grep "driverName"
# Expected: driverName = radv

Check GPU

lspci | grep VGA
# Expected: AMD/ATI Device

vulkaninfo | grep deviceName
# Expected: AMD Radeon Graphics (RADV GFX1013)

Install Utilities

sudo pacman -S mesa-utils vulkan-tools fastfetch nvtop htop

# Test
fastfetch  # Shows system info with GPU
nvtop      # Real-time GPU monitoring

If you see llvmpipe: - Mesa drivers not working - Check Mesa version (must be 25.1+) - Check kernel parameters applied - Check dmesg: dmesg | grep amdgpu

GPU Governor

Verify Governor Running

systemctl status oberon-governor
# Expected: active (running)

Check Frequency Scaling

cat /sys/class/drm/card0/device/pp_dpm_sclk

# Example output:
# 0: 1000MHz
# 1: 1500MHz *
# 2: 2000MHz

The * moves between frequencies based on load.

Known Issue: Governor Not Working on Boot

Symptom: GPU stuck at 1500MHz until you run a game once

Affected: Arch, Manjaro, CachyOS (NOT Fedora/Bazzite)

Workaround: Launch any game/benchmark once after boot to activate

Manual start: 

sudo systemctl restart oberon-governor

Additional Configuration

Temperature Sensors

sensors

# Expected output:
# nct6683-isa-0a20
# GPU Temp: +45.0°C
# SoC Temp: +42.0°C
# Fan1: 1800 RPM
# Fan2: 1800 RPM

If not showing: 

lsmod | grep nct6683
sudo modprobe nct6683
dmesg | grep nct6683

Fan Control (Optional)

For fan control (nct6683 is read-only), use nct6687:

echo 'nct6687' | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/nct6687.conf
sudo mkinitcpio -P
sudo reboot

# Install CoolerControl for GUI
yay -S coolercontrol

Gaming Tools

# Steam and Proton
sudo pacman -S steam

# Performance overlays and optimization
sudo pacman -S mangohud goverlay gamemode gamescope

# Proton GE manager
sudo pacman -S protonup-qt

Troubleshooting

Black Screen on Boot

Solution 1: Use nomodeset - At GRUB, press e - Add nomodeset to kernel line - Boot and reinstall Mesa - Remove nomodeset and add proper parameters

Solution 2: Check kernel 

uname -r
# If 6.15.0-6.15.6 or 6.17.8+, install working kernel (6.15.7-6.17.7 or 6.12-6.14 LTS)

GPU Not Detected / llvmpipe

# Check Mesa
pacman -Q mesa  # Should be 25.1.X+

# Update if needed
sudo pacman -Syu

# Check amdgpu module
lsmod | grep amdgpu

# Check for errors
dmesg | grep amdgpu

Audio Problems (Pitched Down / Slowed)

Symptom: Audio sounds like robot, video playback slowed

Cause: BC-250 DisplayPort audio implementation issue

Solution: Use passive DP-to-HDMI adapter

Alternative: USB audio adapter

Screen Freezing (Broken Kernel Versions)

Symptom: Random freezes, kernel panics on kernels 6.15.0-6.15.6 or 6.17.8+

Solution: 

# Option 1: Install working 6.15.7-6.17.7 range
sudo pacman -S linux  # Check version is in working range
# Or
# Option 2: Install LTS for guaranteed stability
sudo pacman -S linux-lts linux-lts-headers
sudo pacman -R linux

# Update GRUB
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
sudo reboot

# Hold kernel updates if needed
# Add to /etc/pacman.conf:
IgnorePkg = linux

KDE/SDDM Crashes with nomodeset

Symptom: KDE crashes when nomodeset is enabled

Solution: - Don't use nomodeset if Mesa 25.1+ is installed - If needed for install, remove before installing KDE

Community Scripts

Primary repository: - eabarriosTGC/BC250--ARCH - eabarriosTGC/Instalacion-de-Arch

Alternative script: - pnbarbeito/bc250-arch

Governor projects: - Oberon Governor - Cyan Skillfish Governor (AUR)

Quick Reference

# System info
fastfetch

# GPU monitoring
nvtop

# Check GPU frequency
cat /sys/class/drm/card0/device/pp_dpm_sclk

# Check governor
systemctl status oberon-governor

# Check temps
sensors

# Update system
sudo pacman -Syu

# Check Mesa
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version"

# Check Vulkan
vulkaninfo | grep deviceName

Related Guides: - Fedora Setup - Bazzite Setup - CachyOS Setup - GPU Governor