Screen flickers with Nvidia drivers

[Sachin Garg]

Screen flickers terribly with Nvidia drivers. Problem identified with drivers 173, 177 and now 180.

For a video on how bad the flicker is see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lbsxRkTBvc

ddcprobe output:

vbe: VESA 3.0 detected.
oem: NVIDIA
vendor: Build 070809.2
product: MCP67 - mcp68-01 Chip Rev
memory: 262144kb
mode: 640x400x256
mode: 640x480x256
mode: 800x600x16
mode: 800x600x256
mode: 1024x768x16
mode: 1024x768x256
mode: 1280x1024x16
mode: 1280x1024x256
mode: 320x200x64k
mode: 320x200x16m
mode: 640x480x64k
mode: 640x480x16m
mode: 800x600x64k
mode: 800x600x16m
mode: 1024x768x64k
mode: 1024x768x16m
mode: 1280x1024x64k
mode: 1280x1024x16m
edid:
edidfail

Monitor is Viewsonic Vx2255 - 22" native resolution: 1680x1050

Other information:

Horizontal Freq: 65 KHz
Vertical Refresh: 60 Hz
Resolution: 1680x1050
Pixel Clock: 146 MHz

[lspci]
00:00.0 RAM memory [0500]: nVidia Corporation MCP67 Memory Controller [10de:0547] (rev a2)
     Subsystem: Elitegroup Computer Systems Device [1019:2609]
00:12.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: nVidia Corporation GeForce 7050 PV / nForce 630a [10de:053b] (rev a2)
     Subsystem: Elitegroup Computer Systems Device [1019:2609]

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

[This is an automated message]

In Jaunty (9.04), we have just updated to the latest
nvidia-graphics-drivers-180 package from nVidia, version 180.44.

This package provides fixes for a large number of bugs, and we need your
assistance in testing if it fixes the issue you reported.

To do this, please do the following:

 a. Update to the 180.44 version of -nvidia using your favorite update
     method

 b. Attempt to reproduce your bug

 c. If your bug still remains, please simply reply to this email
     indicating so.

 d. If your bug is now solved, you can help us by setting your bug
     report to Fix Released:
     * In launchpad, go to your bug report
     * Click on the downward pointing arrow under Status
     * Set the Status field to 'Fix Released'
     * Comment on the change, such as, 'Verified fixed in 180.44'
     * Click 'Save Changes'

 e. If the original problem is solved but there are now other problems,
     please close the original bug and open new ones for those issues.

Thank you!

For details on the changes in this version of -nvidia, please see:

   http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_display_ia32_180.44.html

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Hi sgarg-bugreporter,

Please attach the output of `lspci -vvnn`, and attach your /var/log/Xorg.0.log (and maybe Xorg.0.log.old) file from after reproducing this issue. If you've made any customizations to your /etc/X11/xorg.conf please attach that as well.

[This is an automated message. Apologies if it has reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

[Sachin Garg (sgarg-bugreporter)]

Updated to 180.44

chanakya:~$ uname -a
Linux chanakya 2.6.28-11-generic #40-Ubuntu SMP Fri Apr 3 17:39:41 UTC 2009 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Flicker is still there :(

[Jean-Louis Dupond (dupondje)]

I can confirm this also:

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: nVidia Corporation GeForce Go 7900 GS [10de:0298] (rev a1)
 Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:019b]
 Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
 Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
 Latency: 0
 Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 16
 Region 0: Memory at ed000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
 Region 1: Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
 Region 3: Memory at ee000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
 Region 5: I/O ports at ef00 [size=128]
 [virtual] Expansion ROM at efe00000 [disabled] [size=128K]
 Capabilities: <access denied>
 Kernel driver in use: nvidia
 Kernel modules: nvidia, nvidiafb

Nothing in Xorg.log when it happens :(

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

I've posted a new version of the -nvidia driver to our xorg-edgers PPA,
would you mind testing it either on Jaunty or Karmic and see if it
resolves this bug?

Get nvidia-graphics-drivers-180 - 185.18.14 here:

  https://edge.launchpad.net/~xorg-edgers/+archive/ppa

[Mihnea-Costin Grigore (mihnea-zulu)]

I can confirm this bug with versions <= 180.44 and a GTX 260 card.

The flicker is resolved by using the 185.18.14 driver posted in the PPA above and there are no observable downsides to that version.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

Thanks; we've updated to 185 in karmic now, so this can be closed. Sachin, feel free to reopen if your original issue still occurs on Karmic.

[bugbot (bugbot)]

This bug report was filed against an old version of Ubuntu.
Can you confirm whether this is still an issue in natty?

If you don't mind, it would be very helpful if you could update the bug
report in launchpad to 'Fix Released' if it is no longer an issue for
you, or if it is still occurring under natty, please tag the bug 'natty'
so it's easier for us to track.

[bugbot (bugbot)]

We're closing this bug since it is has been some time with no response from the original reporter. However, if the issue still exists please feel free to reopen with the requested information. Also, if you could, please test against the latest development version of Ubuntu, since this confirms the bug is one we may be able to pass upstream for help.