diff --git a/src/backend.rs b/src/backend.rs
index 706a8862..0d1a7a5d 100644
--- a/src/backend.rs
+++ b/src/backend.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ use {
         fixed::Fixed,
         ifs::wl_seat::wl_pointer::{CONTINUOUS, FINGER, HORIZONTAL_SCROLL, VERTICAL_SCROLL, WHEEL},
         render::Framebuffer,
-        video::drm::ConnectorType,
+        video::drm::{ConnectorType, DrmError, DrmVersion},
     },
     std::{
         any::Any,
@@ -222,4 +222,5 @@ pub trait BackendDrmDevice {
     fn on_change(&self, cb: Rc<dyn Fn()>);
     fn dev_t(&self) -> c::dev_t;
     fn make_render_device(self: Rc<Self>);
+    fn version(&self) -> Result<DrmVersion, DrmError>;
 }
diff --git a/src/backends/metal/video.rs b/src/backends/metal/video.rs
index 49a900dd..3259f47b 100644
--- a/src/backends/metal/video.rs
+++ b/src/backends/metal/video.rs
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ use {
             drm::{
                 drm_mode_modeinfo, Change, ConnectorStatus, ConnectorType, DrmBlob, DrmConnector,
                 DrmCrtc, DrmEncoder, DrmError, DrmEvent, DrmFramebuffer, DrmMaster, DrmModeInfo,
-                DrmObject, DrmPlane, DrmProperty, DrmPropertyDefinition, DrmPropertyType, PropBlob,
-                DRM_CLIENT_CAP_ATOMIC, DRM_MODE_ATOMIC_ALLOW_MODESET, DRM_MODE_ATOMIC_NONBLOCK,
-                DRM_MODE_PAGE_FLIP_EVENT,
+                DrmObject, DrmPlane, DrmProperty, DrmPropertyDefinition, DrmPropertyType,
+                DrmVersion, PropBlob, DRM_CLIENT_CAP_ATOMIC, DRM_MODE_ATOMIC_ALLOW_MODESET,
+                DRM_MODE_ATOMIC_NONBLOCK, DRM_MODE_PAGE_FLIP_EVENT,
             },
             gbm::{GbmDevice, GBM_BO_USE_LINEAR, GBM_BO_USE_RENDERING, GBM_BO_USE_SCANOUT},
             ModifiedFormat, INVALID_MODIFIER,
@@ -93,6 +93,10 @@ impl BackendDrmDevice for MetalDrmDevice {
     fn make_render_device(self: Rc<Self>) {
         self.backend.make_render_device(&self, true);
     }
+
+    fn version(&self) -> Result<DrmVersion, DrmError> {
+        self.gbm.drm.version()
+    }
 }
 
 pub struct HandleEvents {
diff --git a/src/backends/x.rs b/src/backends/x.rs
index 990adf03..1d3553b4 100644
--- a/src/backends/x.rs
+++ b/src/backends/x.rs
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ use {
             queue::AsyncQueue, syncqueue::SyncQueue,
         },
         video::{
-            drm::{ConnectorType, Drm, DrmError},
+            drm::{ConnectorType, Drm, DrmError, DrmVersion},
             gbm::{GbmDevice, GbmError, GBM_BO_USE_RENDERING},
             ModifiedFormat, INVALID_MODIFIER,
         },
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ impl XBackend {
         self.state
             .backend_events
             .push(BackendEvent::NewDrmDevice(Rc::new(XDrmDevice {
-                _backend: self.clone(),
+                backend: self.clone(),
                 id: self.drm_device_id,
                 dev: self.drm_dev,
             })));
@@ -939,7 +939,7 @@ impl XBackend {
 }
 
 struct XDrmDevice {
-    _backend: Rc<XBackend>,
+    backend: Rc<XBackend>,
     id: DrmDeviceId,
     dev: dev_t,
 }
@@ -965,6 +965,10 @@ impl BackendDrmDevice for XDrmDevice {
         log::warn!("make_render_device is not supported by the X backend");
         // nothing
     }
+
+    fn version(&self) -> Result<DrmVersion, DrmError> {
+        self.backend.gbm.drm.version()
+    }
 }
 
 struct XOutput {
diff --git a/src/state.rs b/src/state.rs
index ae885e74..37ec26c0 100644
--- a/src/state.rs
+++ b/src/state.rs
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ use {
         xwayland::{self, XWaylandEvent},
     },
     ahash::AHashMap,
+    bstr::ByteSlice,
     jay_config::PciId,
     std::{
         cell::{Cell, RefCell},
@@ -284,8 +285,21 @@ impl State {
             config.devices_enumerated()
         }
         if self.render_ctx.get().is_none() {
-            if let Some(dev) = self.drm_devs.lock().values().next() {
+            for dev in self.drm_devs.lock().values() {
+                if let Ok(version) = dev.dev.version() {
+                    if version.name.contains_str("nvidia") {
+                        continue;
+                    }
+                }
                 dev.make_render_device();
+                if self.render_ctx.get().is_some() {
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+            if self.render_ctx.get().is_none() {
+                if let Some(dev) = self.drm_devs.lock().values().next() {
+                    dev.make_render_device();
+                }
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/video/drm.rs b/src/video/drm.rs
index cf6ccba4..6691a45e 100644
--- a/src/video/drm.rs
+++ b/src/video/drm.rs
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ use crate::{
     utils::{errorfmt::ErrorFmt, stack::Stack, syncqueue::SyncQueue, vec_ext::VecExt},
     video::{
         dmabuf::DmaBuf,
-        drm::sys::{DRM_CAP_CURSOR_HEIGHT, DRM_CAP_CURSOR_WIDTH},
+        drm::sys::{get_version, DRM_CAP_CURSOR_HEIGHT, DRM_CAP_CURSOR_WIDTH},
         INVALID_MODIFIER,
     },
 };
@@ -103,6 +103,8 @@ pub enum DrmError {
     ReadEvents(#[source] OsError),
     #[error("Read invalid data from drm device")]
     InvalidRead,
+    #[error("Could not determine the drm version")]
+    Version(#[source] OsError),
 }
 
 fn render_node_name(fd: c::c_int) -> Result<Ustring, DrmError> {
@@ -165,6 +167,10 @@ impl Drm {
     pub fn get_nodes(&self) -> Result<AHashMap<NodeType, CString>, DrmError> {
         get_nodes(self.fd.raw()).map_err(DrmError::GetNodes)
     }
+
+    pub fn version(&self) -> Result<DrmVersion, DrmError> {
+        get_version(self.fd.raw()).map_err(DrmError::Version)
+    }
 }
 
 pub struct DrmMaster {
@@ -590,6 +596,16 @@ pub struct DrmModeInfo {
     pub name: BString,
 }
 
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Eq, PartialEq)]
+pub struct DrmVersion {
+    pub version_major: i32,
+    pub version_minor: i32,
+    pub version_patchlevel: i32,
+    pub name: BString,
+    pub date: BString,
+    pub desc: BString,
+}
+
 impl DrmModeInfo {
     pub fn create_blob(&self, master: &Rc<DrmMaster>) -> Result<PropBlob, DrmError> {
         let raw = self.to_raw();
diff --git a/src/video/drm/sys.rs b/src/video/drm/sys.rs
index 48cd71bd..7acbcb92 100644
--- a/src/video/drm/sys.rs
+++ b/src/video/drm/sys.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ use {
             DrmBlob, DrmCardResources, DrmConnector, DrmConnectorInfo, DrmCrtc, DrmEncoder,
             DrmEncoderInfo, DrmError, DrmFb, DrmModeInfo, DrmPlane, DrmPlaneInfo, DrmProperty,
             DrmPropertyDefinition, DrmPropertyEnumValue, DrmPropertyType, DrmPropertyValue,
-            NodeType,
+            DrmVersion, NodeType,
         },
     },
     ahash::AHashMap,
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ use {
         io::{BufRead, BufReader},
         mem,
     },
-    uapi::{c, OwnedFd, Pod, Ustring},
+    uapi::{c, pod_zeroed, OwnedFd, Pod, Ustring},
 };
 
 pub unsafe fn ioctl<T>(fd: c::c_int, request: c::c_ulong, t: &mut T) -> Result<c::c_int, OsError> {
@@ -1075,3 +1075,60 @@ pub fn mode_getprobblob<T: Pod + ?Sized>(
     }
     Ok(res.length as _)
 }
+
+#[repr(C)]
+struct drm_version {
+    version_major: c::c_int,
+    version_minor: c::c_int,
+    version_patchlevel: c::c_int,
+    name_len: usize, // actually __kernel_size_t but nobody cares about x32
+    name: *mut u8,
+    date_len: usize,
+    date: *mut u8,
+    desc_len: usize,
+    desc: *mut u8,
+}
+
+unsafe impl Pod for drm_version {}
+
+const DRM_IOCTL_VERSION: u64 = drm_iowr::<drm_version>(0x00);
+
+pub fn get_version(fd: c::c_int) -> Result<DrmVersion, OsError> {
+    let mut name = Vec::<u8>::new();
+    let mut date = Vec::<u8>::new();
+    let mut desc = Vec::<u8>::new();
+    let mut res: drm_version = pod_zeroed();
+    loop {
+        res.name_len = name.capacity();
+        res.name = name.as_mut_ptr();
+        res.date_len = date.capacity();
+        res.date = date.as_mut_ptr();
+        res.desc_len = desc.capacity();
+        res.desc = desc.as_mut_ptr();
+        unsafe {
+            ioctl(fd, DRM_IOCTL_VERSION, &mut res)?;
+        }
+        if res.name_len <= name.capacity()
+            && res.date_len <= date.capacity()
+            && res.desc_len <= desc.capacity()
+        {
+            break;
+        }
+        name.reserve_exact(res.name_len);
+        date.reserve_exact(res.date_len);
+        desc.reserve_exact(res.desc_len);
+    }
+    unsafe {
+        name.set_len(res.name_len);
+        date.set_len(res.date_len);
+        desc.set_len(res.desc_len);
+    }
+    Ok(DrmVersion {
+        version_major: res.version_major,
+        version_minor: res.version_minor,
+        version_patchlevel: res.version_patchlevel,
+        name: name.into(),
+        date: date.into(),
+        desc: desc.into(),
+    })
+}