diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/Theano/default.nix b/pkgs/development/python-modules/Theano/default.nix
index e279100e9cc6..351f8dc9b711 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/python-modules/Theano/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/Theano/default.nix
@@ -8,19 +8,15 @@
 , nose
 , numpy
 , scipy
+, setuptools
 , six
 , libgpuarray
 , cudaSupport ? false, cudatoolkit
 , cudnnSupport ? false, cudnn
-, nvidia_x11
 }:
 
 assert cudnnSupport -> cudaSupport;
 
-assert cudaSupport -> nvidia_x11 != null
-                   && cudatoolkit != null
-                   && cudnn != null;
-
 let
   wrapped = command: buildTop: buildInputs:
     runCommandCC "${command}-wrapped" { inherit buildInputs; } ''
@@ -81,7 +77,15 @@ in buildPythonPackage rec {
 
   # keep Nose around since running the tests by hand is possible from Python or bash
   checkInputs = [ nose ];
-  propagatedBuildInputs = [ numpy numpy.blas scipy six libgpuarray_ ];
+  # setuptools needed for cuda support
+  propagatedBuildInputs = [
+    libgpuarray_
+    numpy
+    numpy.blas
+    scipy
+    setuptools
+    six
+  ];
 
   pythonImportsCheck = [ "theano" ];
 
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix
index 43b3bff7906c..76bdf2c628bd 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix
@@ -8881,7 +8881,6 @@ in {
   Theano = callPackage ../development/python-modules/Theano rec {
     cudaSupport = pkgs.config.cudaSupport or false;
     cudnnSupport = cudaSupport;
-    inherit (pkgs.linuxPackages) nvidia_x11;
   };
 
   TheanoWithCuda = self.Theano.override {