Major performance regression from Ubuntu 17.10 with i915

[Jacob Zimmermann]

Desktop performance on my laptop (Intel HD 520, driver: i915) used to be generally good on previous Ubuntu releases but on 18.04, there is a VERY noticeable regression. Moving windows around in GNOME is choppy and tearing. It gets dramatic after the laptop resumes from suspend, GNOME drops to literally ~1-2 FPS. Logging out and restarting the session usually fixes the problem in that it restores the barely acceptable performance level prior to suspend.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+19ubuntu7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-15.16-lowlatency 4.15.15
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-15-lowlatency x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu6
Architecture: amd64
BootLog: Error: [Errno 13] Permission denied: '/var/log/boot.log'
CompositorRunning: None
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Sat Apr 21 16:04:38 2018
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: bionic
DistroVariant: ubuntu
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, including running git bisection searches
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation HD Graphics 520 [8086:1916] (rev 07) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company Skylake GT2 [HD Graphics 520] [103c:8079]
 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Opal XT [Radeon R7 M265] [1002:6604] (rev 81) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company Opal XT [Radeon R7 M265] [103c:814f]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-04-03 (18 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS "Bionic Beaver" - Alpha amd64 (20180402)
MachineType: HP HP EliteBook 850 G3
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/bionic/vmlinuz-4.15.0-15-lowlatency.efi.signed root=UUID=b6480aee-7c63-4ce4-9e8d-cdbef768b982 ro rootflags=subvol=@,relatime,autodefrag,space_cache quiet splash module.sig_enforce=1 intel_pstate=skylake_hwp vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 07/31/2016
dmi.bios.vendor: HP
dmi.bios.version: N75 Ver. 01.10
dmi.board.name: 8079
dmi.board.vendor: HP
dmi.board.version: KBC Version 85.6F
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 5CG6351LQL
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: HP
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHP:bvrN75Ver.01.10:bd07/31/2016:svnHP:pnHPEliteBook850G3:pvr:rvnHP:rn8079:rvrKBCVersion85.6F:cvnHP:ct10:cvr:
dmi.product.family: 103C_5336AN G=N L=BUS B=HP S=ELI
dmi.product.name: HP EliteBook 850 G3
dmi.sys.vendor: HP
version.compiz: compiz N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.91-2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 18.0.0~rc5-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 18.0.0~rc5-1ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.19.6-1ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev N/A
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:18.0.1-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20171229-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.15-2

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Max Bowsher (maxb)]

Similar/same issue observed on HP Spectre 13 (2017 model) which has exactly the same Intel HD 520 graphics. Bad enough that I had to reinstall 17.10.

[Jacob Zimmermann (jacob)]

UPDATE: I installed kernel 4.16.7 from http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/ and things get much better. Not as good as it was on 17.10 but largely usable. Some regression in the i915 driver must have occurred in 4.15 and now it's catching up again apparently.

[Ubuntu Kernel Bot (ubuntu-kernel-bot)]

This change was made by a bot.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Jacob Zimmermann, in order to allow additional upstream mainline kernel developers to examine the issue, at your earliest convenience, could you please test the latest mainline kernel available from http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/?C=N;O=D ? Please keep in mind the following:
1) The one to test is at the very top line at the top of the page (not the daily folder).
2) The release names are irrelevant.
3) The folder time stamps aren't indicative of when the kernel actually was released upstream.
4) Install instructions are available at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds .

If testing on your main install would be inconvenient, one may:
1) Install Ubuntu to a different partition and then test this there.
2) Backup, or clone the primary install.

If the latest kernel did not allow you to test to the issue (ex. you couldn't boot into the OS) please make a comment in your report about this, and continue to test the next most recent kernel version until you can test to the issue. Once you've tested the mainline kernel, please comment on which kernel version specifically you tested. If this issue is not reproducible in the mainline kernel, please add the following tags by clicking on the yellow circle with a black pencil icon, next to the word Tags, located at the bottom of the report description:
kernel-fixed-upstream
kernel-fixed-upstream-X.Y-rcZ

Where X, and Y are the first two numbers of the kernel version, and Z is the release candidate number if it exists.

If the issue is reproducible with the mainline kernel, please add the following tags:
kernel-bug-exists-upstream
kernel-bug-exists-upstream-X.Y-rcZ

Please note, an error to install the kernel does not fit the criteria of kernel-bug-exists-upstream.

Also, you don't need to apport-collect further unless specifically requested to do so.

It is most helpful that after testing of the latest mainline kernel is complete, you mark this report Status Confirmed.

Lastly, to keep this issue relevant to upstream, please continue to test the latest mainline kernel as it becomes available.

Thank you for your help.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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