AMD Stoney and Wani graphics and problems with 5.15.0-85 and newer 5.15 kernels

[SMG]

If you have graphics which are:
Device-1: AMD Stoney [Radeon R2/R3/R4/R5 Graphics] driver: amdgpu v: kernel
or
Device-1: AMD Wani [Radeon R5/R6/R7 Graphics] driver: amdgpu v: kernel

and you are using (or wanting to use) a 5.15 kernel newer than 5.15.0-84, you will likely have graphics problems and will need to move to the 6.2 or newer kernel in order not to have them.

This problem affects those using Linux Mint 20 versions and Linux Mint 21 versions if you are using the 5.15 kernel.

The problems have manifested in different forms for many people and have affected many HP and Lenovo laptops (as well as other computers). The following list of topics on this forum have had this issue and been able to resolve it by moving to the 6.2 or 6.5 kernel (directions below). I supply the list to give you an idea of how the problem may manifest.

These are Stoney graphics:
Mint 21.2 cinnamon boot problems
Restarted Cinnamon and now have a green-dot-dot screen
Problems displaying the screen on Linux (Using the latest kernel)
Linux Mint 21.2 (screen goes black with random unreadable lines of print on the screen)
Black screen after login Kernel issue [SOLVED]
21.2 boots to black screen after grub after installing kernel 5.15.0-86 or newer
AMD Stoney [Radeon R2/R3/R4/R5 Graphics] Drivers issue
Upgrade broke graphics.
Latest kernels black screen after login
[SOLVED] Update causing the Poltergeist screen after login?
Video crashes instantly after login
Only see desktop with nomodeset [Solved]
A recent Oct update caused screen scramble on AMD A6 laptop
Static after updating and logging in. [SOLVED]
[SOLVED] System crashes when I enter fullscreen
[SOLVED] Entire screen Glitches on desktop environment cinnamon (default)
Question about display problem.

These are Wani graphics, but exhibited a similar issue:
Trouble with Mint - Display does not work while SSH works
Black screen after kernel update
Latest kernels black screen after login
21.2 update problems - green screen

Instructions for upgrading to the 6.2 kernel (or 6.5 kernel if it is available):

• Open Update Manager.
• Select View > Linux Kernels and click Continue.
• Make sure 6.2 is selected on the left panel and then click the top-most option on the right panel. An "Install" button will appear.
• Install the kernel and then reboot for it to become active.

Some people decided on the login screen to choose Cinnamon (Software Rendering). However, when you choose "Cinnamon (Software Rendering)", your system is not using the graphics hardware to render so that is not really a "fix" for the problem. It's a temporary solution to get you to the desktop so you can install the 6.2 kernel.


Bug Reports have been filed for the Ubuntu kernels:
Green screen
Screen goes blank
Pale Green blank screen after login


Looking through the changelogs, I see - drm/amdgpu: fix xclk freq on CHIP_STONEY was made for 5.15.0-85 and it is my guess (because I don't know for sure) that this might be contributing to the problem. That is part of * Jammy update: v5.15.117 upstream stable release (LP: #2030107) which was a change for the 6.1 kernel. Perhaps that is why the 6.2 kernel works?

---

If you are doing an install from an ISO:

Linux Mint 21.2 Cinnamon (Edge) Edition ISO has the 6.2 kernel.
Linux Mint 21.3 Cinnamon (Edge) Edition ISO has the 6.5 kernel.

If you are installing MATE or Xfce and have secure boot enabled, boot the LM21.3 ISO in compatibility mode and install. Then when you reboot, boot into recovery mode so you can upgrade the kernel. After installing the new kernel you should be able to boot normally.

If you are installing MATE or Xfce and have secure boot disabled, you also have the option to install LM21.2 or an earlier version. Then when you reboot, upgrade to the kernel and then you can do an immediate in-place upgrade to LM21.3.

[Reddog1]

NOTE TO VirtualBox USERS:

For those that have replaced kernel 5.15 with kernel 6.x --

If you install kernel 6.5, and you use a version of VirtualBox prior to 7.0.12, you will get a kernel-version mismatch error (1903). Prior to version 7.0.12, VB only supports kernels to version 6.4

Further note: There are reports that even version 7.0.12 will throw the 1903 error with kernel 6.5, at least with some systems.

[NM64]

To clarify for less-savvy users, AMD Stoney and Wani was the GCN 3.0-based iintegrated graphics used in the Excavator-based AMD APUs, that being the fourth and final Bulldozer-derived architecture before Zen.

Stony was the 8000 A-series (e.g. A6-8570) while Wani was the 9000 A-series (e.g. A6-9500).

While the 7000 A-series (e.g. A8-7600) should not be impacted due to their use of an older architecture (Steamroller + GCN 2.0), there were two specific Stony models labeled as 7000 A-series, the A6-7480 and A8-7680, that are almost certainly susceptible to the described issue.

[Gary9+]

I have the same issue...I think what I am reading, states....use the HWE 6.x for now, just to make it work until EOL in August and hope the LTS 5.x >85 gets fixed?? So just keep checking new 5x kernels as they come out? "LINUX....IT JUST WORKS" .. don't see that much any more

[SMG]

I have the same issue...I think what I am reading, states....use the HWE 6.x for now, just to make it work until EOL in August and hope the LTS 5.x >85 gets fixed?? So just keep checking new 5x kernels as they come out?

If you want to check each 5.x kernel, you can.

Before the 6.x HWE kernel goes end of life it will be replaced with another HWE and you will automatically be upgraded to it.