High CPU usage and lag

[Niclas Lockner]

From time to time, the desktop animations get very laggy, both in Unity and in Gnome Shell. When this happens, the CPU usage of xorg is 20-25% on my quad core CPU, according to top, so I guess one of my cores is maxed out by xorg.
The slowness is not constant. Instead it comes and goes.

For example
* It can take up to 1-2 seconds to switch between lenses in the dash in Unity
* Window movement is sometimes so slow that the window manager doesn't redraw the window until I stop moving it, causing the window to disappear from the window's start position and appear directly in its end position.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: xorg 1:7.7+1ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-17.28-generic 3.5.5
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-17-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 304.43 Sun Aug 19 20:14:03 PDT 2012
 GCC version: gcc version 4.7.2 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.7.2-2ubuntu1)
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: None
Date: Tue Oct 16 18:51:40 2012
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: quantal
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 nvidia-current, 304.43, 3.5.0-17-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 4.1.18, 3.5.0-16-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 4.1.18, 3.5.0-17-generic, x86_64: installed
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes
GraphicsCard:
 NVIDIA Corporation GK107 [GeForce GT 640] [10de:0fc1] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology Device [1458:353e]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Alpha amd64 (20120905.2)
MachineType: System manufacturer System Product Name
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-17-generic root=UUID=4499fb24-797f-45ac-88c9-3257b73b3e46 ro quiet splash
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 02/24/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 0801
dmi.board.asset.tag: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: P8Z77-V
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.
dmi.board.version: Rev 1.xx
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset-1234567890
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr0801:bd02/24/2012:svnSystemmanufacturer:pnSystemProductName:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKCOMPUTERINC.:rnP8Z77-V:rvrRev1.xx:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: System Product Name
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: System manufacturer
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.8.4-0ubuntu2
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu36
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.39-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 9.0-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 9.0-0ubuntu1
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.13.0-0ubuntu6
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.3-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.99.99~git20120913.8637f772-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.20.9-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.2-0ubuntu3

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Hmm, not it's not compiz if the same happens in Gnome Shell.

Niclas -
Nvidia claim to have released a new driver with performance fixes for Unity. They may also be relevant to Gnome Shell. Could you please try it?
http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-display-amd64-310.14-driver.html

[Niclas Lockner (niclasl)]

I have now tested the beta driver for a while.

In Unity:
The problem is partly fixed. There is still problems with the window management:
* Still no smooth window movements
* The window animations, e.g. when windows are created or minimized, are still slow.

However, the performance problems with the dash and the launcher are now gone. The dash was very fast even at the time when compiz struggled with window animations.

In Gnome Shell:
It seems to work OK.

So I guess there were two problems. One that is fixed by the driver and another one still present that seems to be related to compiz.

[Okki (gnomelibre)]

I've the same problem with this configuration :

* gnome-shell 3.6.1-0ubuntu1
* mutter 3.6.1-0ubuntu1
* NVIDIA Corporation GT216 [GeForce GT 220]
* Drivers 304.51.really.304.43-0ubuntu1

I have not tested the beta drivers, but the problem disappeared when I replaced my window manager by metacity.

[Okki (gnomelibre)]

Finally, although it is much less obvious, the problem persists with metacity.

[Frantisek Sklenar (frantisek-sklenar)]

Hello, I made upgrade of NVIDIA drivers to experimental 310.14 ( sudo apt-get install nvidia-experimental-310 nvidia-settings-experimental-310) and performance in Unity rapidly rised up. Glxgears with previous drivers (NVIDIA 304.x, 290.x) took max 2400 fps, with 310.14 it takes about 3100 fps.
I must do more tests, but it looks, that problem was in NVIDIA drivers, as Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt) wrote on 2012-10-18.

[fldc (fldc)]

I'm using 310.14 and the problem is still there, it's getting quite annoying :)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for Ubuntu because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[yuppie4ever (yuppie4ever)]

I am using 310.32 and still see the problem. This is really annoying.

On my system, the problem starts happening after some usage. When I fresh boot the computer, it's fine. But, as the time goes by, Xorg starts showing up more and more at the top of "top" list.

[Deryck Henson (lacooljay)]

Still an issue, even today. Ubuntu 12.10 x64 w/ nvidia 304.84 drivers and Gnome 3.6. Everything else is working correctly, even playing counter-strike source.