PowerMizer's performance level goes max to lv.2 from 4 possible on NVIDIA GTX series.

[Yordan Tsolov]

For a few months I have been facing the same problem. I can't fully use my NVIDIA discrete card. I have Alienware M17xR3 laptop with GTX 580M and I'm using bumblebee with optirun and primusrun. From NVIDIA settings I can see that PowerMizer performance level switches only between level 1 and 2. Level 3 and 4 are out of reach. No matter what I do it never goes beyound level 2. I tried forcing thorugh xorg.conf card to go beyond level 2 but instead of 3 or 4 it stays on 2. I tried 'optirun nvidia-settings -c :8 -q all', but again no luck.

I noticed the problem a few months ago when I tried playing SuperTuxCart with everything at max and I noticed a little lag. I tried different games like 'Amnesia: The dark desend', but still the same result. Since then I searched for solution. My first hope was in NVIDIA previous forum for linux support.
Link: http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=2478085
At the top of the danix from nvidia explains that the problem(for HP laptop) is due to bug in the BIOS. He saied that exchanging two functions from the DSDT file will help the problem. I modified my DSDT(even fix the errors that iasl reported) and compiled it into the kernel, but no luck again.. By exchanging the functions I got only a broken brightness control My next step was to upgrade the BIOS, so I downloaded the newest bios for my laptop A12 and installed it... No luck again. Meanwhile I opened a thrread in NVIDIA's new forum for linux support.
Link: https://devtalk.nvidia.com/default/topic/523876/linux/powermizer-39-s-performance-level-goes-max-to-lv-2-from-4-possible-on-gtx-580m/
There I explained the problem and another guy mentioned that he had the same problem, but with Toshiba Qosmio 870-11R with GTX 670m. By one of the admins I was told that he will try to find the same hardware to observe the problem, but just before the holidays for chrismas come I was updated that he still can't find the hardware. Losing hope I wrote on DELL's forum if they can help in some way to investigate, but no response for now.
Link: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/software-os/f/3525/p/19481239/20264856.aspx#20264856

So now after all this time it came to my mind that I could inform Ubuntu directly hoping that here I could get some help. I'm really interested in Valve's Steam project, but with that problem I won't be able to play almost all of the games. So please assist me. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to help this problem get fixed(except for sending my laptop). If you don't have the hardware or something else I'm ready to debug or compile what ever I have to. It will be very helpfull if the problem could be localised whether it's in the driver or the BIOS or the VBIOS or in someother place I don't know about. What came to my mind but can't test it is whether this is a problem caused by bumblebee. In NVIDIA's forum there was a guy that had a similiar problem, but in his case PowerMizer was stuck in highest level. Later on he updated the thread that the problem came from that that he used two displays. If he uses one everything is OK.

If you need any mor einformation I'll gladly provide.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: nvidia-current 304.51.really.304.43-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-21.32-generic 3.5.7.1
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-21-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: 2.6.1-0ubuntu9
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: None
Date: Fri Jan 4 19:26:02 2013
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: quantal
DistroVariant: ubuntu
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:0126] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:04ba]
 NVIDIA Corporation Device [10de:1211] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:04ba]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-10-23 (72 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release amd64 (20121017.5)
JockeyStatus:
 kmod:nvidia_experimental_304 - Experimental NVIDIA binary Xorg driver, kernel module and VDPAU library (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
 kmod:nvidia_experimental_310 - Experimental NVIDIA binary Xorg driver, kernel module and VDPAU library (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
 kmod:nvidia_current - nvidia_current (Free, Enabled, Not in use)
 kmod:nvidia_current_updates - NVIDIA binary Xorg driver, kernel module and VDPAU library (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
MachineType: Alienware M17xR3
MarkForUpload: True
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.5.0-21-generic root=UUID=bc2d82f9-60b9-4da6-a784-46ea2514e88d ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: nvidia-graphics-drivers
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 08/20/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: Alienware
dmi.bios.version: A12
dmi.board.name: M17xR3
dmi.board.vendor: Alienware
dmi.board.version: A12
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Alienware
dmi.chassis.version: A12
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAlienware:bvrA12:bd08/20/2012:svnAlienware:pnM17xR3:pvrA12:rvnAlienware:rnM17xR3:rvrA12:cvnAlienware:ct8:cvrA12:
dmi.product.name: M17xR3
dmi.product.version: A12
dmi.sys.vendor: Alienware
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.8.6-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
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 2:1.13.0-0ubuntu6.1
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

[Yordan Tsolov (mazzzterz)]

I'm updating with a little bit more info my problem.

After installing nvidia-313 from xorg-edgers ppa I got a new problem that my BIOS didn't everything recognize my discrete NVIDIA card. I don't think it's caused by the driver, but it's just a coincidence. So anyway I started researching it and I came accross one of the options in my BIOS in "Advanced" tab "Primary Display". It had two options "SG"(Switchable Graphics) and PEG(Peripheral Graphics). On SG I have Optimus enabled and on PEG I have only my discrete card enabled. On SG I was suffering the problem that my NVIDIA card isn't found each time, while on PEG it was found each time. So after setting Primary Display to PEG I installed again nvidia-313 package and tried PowerMizer. This time it worked. I tested with "Amnesia: The Dark Descend" and the game wasn't lagging anymore. After checking PowerMizer I confirmed that it was moving successfully between all 4 performance levels. There was something that I didn't like about it though. PowerMizer was preffering the loweest and highest performance levels. For example if I'm on the lowwest and started changing desktops, the desktop animations lag a little but PowerMizer statys in lowwest level. When doing the same when in highes level it doesn't go down.

So it looks like when Optimus is enabled PowerMizer isn't working correctly, but when it's disabled PowerMizer can use all performance levels.

I hope this helps you to easier localize the problem.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Yordan Tsolov (mazzzterz)]

I added to Affects "bumblebee-project", because I started to wonder whether the problem was in the bumblebee as it happens only when nvidia optimus is enabled.

[Vaclav Cermak (disnel)]

I have this behavior with GTX465M (should be essentially the same thing as 580M) when running my laptop on battery power. When I plug power from charger, I can use all performance levels. Driver version 310.14.

[Vaclav Cermak (disnel)]

I have 675M, not 465M (does not exists), sorry for typo.

[Yordan Tsolov (mazzzterz)]

Vaclav Cermak (disnel) I think you don't have a problem. At my side I can disable optimus and then the problem goes away. With optimus disabled I can use all power levels with plugged charger, but not all with unpluged. If you think about it, it's actually nomral, because when you are on battery if you use full performance your battery will be drained maybe for less than an hour, which kiils the usage of the laptop. So I think that a restriction is put if the laptop is on battery then it forbids the higher levels.
As for my problem when optimus is enabled I started to suspect that bumblebee is the one at fault. I'm not familiar with the structure of the software, but maybe bumblebee is lying the the laptop is always on battery, even when the charger is plugged in.

[dino99 (9d9)]

That version is no more supported; please open a new bug report if the actual archive found version also has the same issue.