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Mick <michaelkintzios@×××××.com> wrote: |
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|
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> On Saturday 22 Aug 2015 03:08:41 wabenbau@×××××.com wrote: |
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> > walt <w41ter@×××××.com> wrote: |
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> > > I'm seeing horrible performance from the xfce window manager |
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> > > (xfwm4) on my main, everyday machine, but not on an older backup |
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> > > machine or on any of the linux virtual machines I run on |
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> > > virtualbox. |
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> > > |
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> > > The symptoms: moving a window with the mouse is so slow as to be |
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> > > painful, and the CPU usage (on one of four CPUs) jumps to 100% |
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> > > almost immediately (xfwm4 is the culprit, see below). |
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> > |
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> > I'm using XFCE as DE and xfwm4 as WM. Since I bought a new GPU |
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> > (Radeon R7 250), I don't use compositing any more because it causes |
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> > tearing when I watch videos in fullscreen with 3840x2160. With this |
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> > GPU I also had some random freezes when compositing was enabled. |
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> > |
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> > Beside this, performance is very good, regardless compositing is |
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> > enabled or disabled. Scrolling text or moving windows around is a |
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> > bit faster and smoother with compositing enabled, especially when |
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> > other windows are in the foreground. |
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> > |
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> > With my old GPU (Radeon HD4550) I always had compositing enabled. |
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> > Everything was smoother and I saw absolutely no glitches, but |
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> > performance was also good with compositing disabled, just not quite |
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> > as smooth as with compositing enabled. |
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> > |
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> > > If I open an xterm and run (for example) "/usr/bin/marco |
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> > > --replace", this sluggish behavior returns to normal immediately. |
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> > > |
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> > > After wasting hours on google I finally noticed that I had |
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> > > compiled x11-wm/xfwm4 with the xcomposite useflag disabled, so I |
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> > > enabled it and re-emerged xfwm4. |
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> > > |
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> > > Now I can get decent performance from xfwm4, but only if first I |
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> > > turn on compositing by running xfwm4-tweaks-settings. (No, not |
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> > > by running the puny and feeble xfwm4-settings app: I need to |
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> > > invoke a "tweak" to make xfce4 an acceptable Desktop Environment |
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> > > on my main desktop machine. |
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> > |
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> > As long as I use XFCE (many years) xfwm4-tweaks-settings is the |
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> > program to toggle compositing. It's just a name, what is the |
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> > problem? :-) Or do you mean, that you must enable compositing every |
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> > time you start XFCE? |
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> > |
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> > > <official rant mode> |
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> > > I remember going through this same frustration with gnome3, which |
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> > > was (and is) unusable without installing the gnome-tweak-tool |
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> > > package and using it to customize settings that I still don't |
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> > > understand. |
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> > > |
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> > > (That's why I finally gave up on gnome3, and I may yet give up on |
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> > > xfce4 and go back to mate.) |
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> > > |
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> > > Note that I'm not turning off <official rant mode> yet, but I |
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> > > should mention that this machine is ~amd64 with ati-drivers-15.7 |
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> > > and vanilla kernel 3.14.51. (Same problem with |
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> > > gentoo-sources-3.18.19, BTW.) |
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> > |
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> > I'm using stable xf86-video-ati and stable hardened-sources. I |
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> > never used ati-drivers because I don't like to have proprietary |
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> > software on my gentoo box. For me xf86-video-ati works well and has |
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> > a sufficient 2D and 3D performance. |
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> > |
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> > -- |
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> > Regards |
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> > wabe |
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> |
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> Hmm ... interesting. I have a PC with the Kaveri APU, which also |
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> uses the R7 graphics engine, but compositing has no problems for |
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> general desktop usage (with two monitors). |
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> |
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> 00:01.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. |
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> [AMD/ATI] Kaveri [Radeon R7 Graphics] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller]) |
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> Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Kaveri [Radeon R7 Graphics] |
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> Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 25 |
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> Memory at e0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M] |
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> Memory at f0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=8M] |
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> I/O ports at f000 [size=256] |
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> Memory at feb00000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256K] |
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> Expansion ROM at feb40000 [disabled] [size=128K] |
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> Capabilities: [48] Vendor Specific Information: Len=08 <?> |
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> Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 3 |
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> Capabilities: [58] Express Root Complex Integrated Endpoint, |
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> MSI 00 Capabilities: [a0] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+ |
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> Capabilities: [100] Vendor Specific Information: ID=0001 |
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> Rev=1 Len=010 <?> Capabilities: [270] #19 |
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> Capabilities: [2b0] Address Translation Service (ATS) |
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> Capabilities: [2c0] #13 |
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> Capabilities: [2d0] #1b |
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> Kernel driver in use: radeon |
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> |
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> I don't know if your card is significantly different, but can share |
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> settings if you are interested. |
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|
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Hi Mick, |
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|
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it seems that there are some differences (see below) but I'm interested |
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in your settings anyway. Maybe they help me to make compositing usable |
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on my system, but actually I don't have much hope that this will be |
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the case. |
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|
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Without composite, my system is rock stable and video playback is smooth. |
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First I missed the fancy window/menu shadows and the semi-transparency |
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when moving/resizing windows, but now I'm also happy without these eye |
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candies. The only thing that I'm still missing is the smooth scrolling |
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of window content. This is indeed a bit better with compositing enabled. |
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|
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01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Cape Verde PRO [Radeon HD 7750 / R7 250E] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller]) |
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Subsystem: PC Partner Limited / Sapphire Technology Cape Verde PRO [Radeon HD 7750 / R7 250E] |
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Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 29 |
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Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M] |
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Memory at fdf80000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256K] |
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I/O ports at ae00 [size=256] |
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[virtual] Expansion ROM at fdf00000 [disabled] [size=128K] |
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Capabilities: [48] Vendor Specific Information: Len=08 <?> |
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Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 3 |
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Capabilities: [58] Express Legacy Endpoint, MSI 00 |
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Capabilities: [a0] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+ |
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Capabilities: [100] Vendor Specific Information: ID=0001 Rev=1 Len=010 <?> |
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Capabilities: [150] Advanced Error Reporting |
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Capabilities: [200] #15 |
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Capabilities: [270] #19 |
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Kernel driver in use: radeon |
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|
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|
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-- |
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Regards |
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wabe |