Desktop environment particularly slow while using radeon driver

[Fran Diéguez]

GNOME Shell and sublime-text, particularly when doing scrolls are really slow.
While using 3.13 version this slowness is not reproducible.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.10
Package: linux-image-3.16.0-12-generic 3.16.0-12.18
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.16.0-12.18-generic 3.16.1
Uname: Linux 3.16.0-12-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
ApportVersion: 2.14.7-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: fran 2728 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC1: fran 2728 F.... pulseaudio
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Tue Sep 2 23:08:46 2014
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-10-31 (306 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-GNOME 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131017)
MachineType: Apple Inc. MacBookPro8,2
ProcFB: 0 radeondrmfb
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.16.0-12-generic root=UUID=dc72a6ab-bd38-4a3e-ad02-39353a4c68b3 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.16.0-12-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.16.0-12-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.133
SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to utopic on 2014-08-20 (12 days ago)
WifiSyslog:

dmi.bios.date: 01/24/12
dmi.bios.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.bios.version: MBP81.88Z.0047.B27.1201241646
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag#
dmi.board.name: Mac-94245A3940C91C80
dmi.board.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.board.version: MacBookPro8,2
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: Mac-94245A3940C91C80
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAppleInc.:bvrMBP81.88Z.0047.B27.1201241646:bd01/24/12:svnAppleInc.:pnMacBookPro8,2:pvr1.0:rvnAppleInc.:rnMac-94245A3940C91C80:rvrMacBookPro8,2:cvnAppleInc.:ct10:cvrMac-94245A3940C91C80:
dmi.product.name: MacBookPro8,2
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: Apple Inc.

[Brad Figg (brad-figg)]

This change was made by a bot.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Fran Diéguez, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. Could you please test the latest upstream kernel available from the very top line at the top of the page (not the daily folder) following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds ? It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please comment on which kernel version specifically you tested. If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tags:
kernel-fixed-upstream
kernel-fixed-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

where VERSION-NUMBER is the version number of the kernel you tested exactly shown as:
kernel-fixed-upstream-3.17-rc3

This can be done by clicking on the yellow circle with a black pencil icon next to the word Tags located at the bottom of the bug description.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the following tags:
kernel-bug-exists-upstream
kernel-bug-exists-upstream-VERSION-NUMBER

Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug's Status as Confirmed. Please let us know your results. Thank you for your understanding.

[Fran Diéguez (frandieguez)]

I've tested 3.17-rc3 and the problem persist.

For now I'll be working with 3.13 until it's fixed.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Fran Diéguez, the next step is to fully commit bisect the kernel, in order to identify the offending commit. Could you please do this following https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/KernelBisection ?

[Fran Diéguez (frandieguez)]

I've been doing Kernel Bisection and here are the results:

 Meanings:
 - OK: the kernel works ok, no regression
 - FAILED: the kernel has the regression and DE and scrolling run with poor performance.

Kernels:

linux-image-3.13.11-03131106-generic OK
linux-image-3.14.17-031417-generic OK
linux-image-3.15.10-031510-generic OK
linux-image-3.16.0-12-generic FAILED
linux-image-3.17-rc3-generic FAILED

Seems to be related with a radeon kernel module rewrite or refactor in version 3.16.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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