Intel video driver incorrectly sets refresh rates [i915]

[Vytas]

My monitor is correctly functioning plug-n-play (a pretty new LCD). i810 driver was operating fine in Feisty and all previous releases.
Intel driver had 60 Hz refresh rate on install. I tried to use displayconfig-gtk, couldn't change. I tried to 'detect' monitor, ok it worked. Then I set 75 Hz, but my monitor says, it's "85 Hz overdrive, please change ASAP". Any thoughts?

[Vytas (vytas)]

From lspci:

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation 82915G/GV/910GL Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 04)
00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation 82915G Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 04)

My video card ^

[Hadmut Danisch (hadmut)]

Similar problem with my ATI Radeon/Older LCD Monitor: Whatever I write into the configuration, the Server always selects
1280x1024@60Hz and the Monitor complains that it is too fast. Same with LiveCD.

[Vytas (vytas)]

Hadmut, thanks for reply, but I think you should file another bug for ATI driver.

In my case, it is only intel driver which fails to set the correct refresh rate. i810 driver works fine.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Please attach the output of `sudo ddcprobe` (available in the xresprobe package), so we can see exactly what settings your monitor should be capable of. Also attach your /var/log/Xorg.0.log and /etc/X11/xorg.conf so we can verify the configuration.

[Vytas (vytas)]

Output of ddcprobe

[Vytas (vytas)]

Everything works fine with i810 in the above attached setup.

If I change driver to "intel", I get:
1280x1024 @ 60 Hz in the GDM screen (was 1280x1024 @ 75 with i810 = what I want)
1280x1024 @ 85 Hz in user session (was 1280x1024 @ 75 with i810; 85 Hz causes monitor to display warnings repeatedly)

I attach the log that I get with intel driver.

[D. Hugh Redelmeier (hugh-mimosa)]

I have a notebook running 7.10 (with updates) that uses 30Hz refresh instead of 60Hz.
- Averatec AB1020 ED2
- "intel" xorg driver

According to the log, X synthesizes a bunch of modlines. The first two have the right resolution for the panel (1280x768). The refresh rate differs: 29.7Hz for the first and 60Hz for the second.

I don't know how to get the driver to use the second refresh rate (the right one). As far as I can tell, modelines in the xorg.conf are ignored.

System: Administration: Screens and Graphics: at
Says "30 Hz" but offers "60 Hz". Changing this makes no difference. And it isn't changing xorg.conf -- what is it changing?

Is there a way to get X with the intel driver to use the correct refresh rate?

[unggnu (unggnu)]

This could possibly be duplicate of Bug #157213. The problem is that this was fixed after current Ubuntu Hardy Alpha5 release but there is a possible workaround to test it anyway without installing Hardy. Download the Live CD http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/hardy/alpha-5/hardy-desktop-i386.iso and boot it. Configure internet and afterwards download the latest Intel driver http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/x/xserver-xorg-video-intel/xserver-xorg-video-intel_2.2.1-1ubuntu2_i386.deb. Just open and install it after download and restart X with ctrl + alt + backspace. After restart it should work fine otherwise it is no duplicate.
The last procedure of course isn't needed if the Alpha 5 Live CD works fine out of the box.

[Vytas (vytas)]

Personally I cannot test because I don't have access to the hardware on which I was observing the bug

[Vytas (vytas)]

Although this unlikely to be a duplicate because that bug is mostly about 855 chipset, I reported this on i915 chipset

[unggnu (unggnu)]

Since Hardy Alpha 5 is shipped with a new Intel driver it would still make sense. If you have access again and it still doesn't work please post the output of xrandr.

@D. Hugh Redelmeier
Please attach your files /etc/X11/xorg.conf and /var/log/Xorg.0.log and the output of `sudo ddcprobe`, `lspci -vvnn` and xrandr.

[D. Hugh Redelmeier (hugh-mimosa)]

I downloaded and booted from the hardy-desktop-i386 alpha-5.

The refresh rate was ~30Hz.

I installed the new intel driver as mentioned above (http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/x/xserver-xorg-video-intel/xserver-xorg-video-intel_2.2.1-1ubuntu2_i386.deb)

Ctrl-Alt-Backspace restarted X and logged me in again.

compiz crashed. This seems to be a reported bug (183685). It seemed reproduceable (well, it happened twice in a row). There seemed to be no impact on testing, so I ignored this.

The refresh rate was ~60Hz. Victory!

I will now attach the requested 5 * 2 files (for each requested file, one from hardy alpha, and one from hardy alpha + updated intel X driver). Actually, the lspci and ddcprobe outputs are identical as are the xorg.conf files so I will only attach one each of those.

The key difference is in the xrandr logs:
< 1280x768 29.7*+ 60.0
---
> 1280x768 59.3*+ 60.0

[unggnu (unggnu)]

@D. Hugh Redelmeier
Thanks for testing. Your issue is definitely a duplicate of Bug #157213 and fixed.

But this bug report seems to be another issue since it effects i915 and the refresh rate is wrong but not around 30 hz.

[unggnu (unggnu)]

@Vytas
A recheck would be great with Hardy Alpha 5 Live CD or similar and please use System - Preferences - Screen Resolution to change the refresh rate.
If it still doesn't work please attach the file /var/log/Xorg.0.log and the output of `lspci -vvnn` and xrandr from the Live CD.

[Vytas (vytas)]

That is a desktop system in another country that I reside at the moment, I won't be able to check for a few months sorry

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

I'm a bit confused because in the log file for comment #8 there is no indication that 85Hz is being used - how are you determining that it has loaded as 85Hz?

[unggnu (unggnu)]

We are closing this bug report because it lacks the information we need to investigate the problem, as described in the previous comments. Please reopen it if you can give us the missing information, and don't hesitate to submit bug reports in the future. To reopen the bug report you can click on the current status, under the Status column, and change the Status back to "New". Thanks again!