[Lenovo Y70-70 Touch] i915 screen flicker

[Matthew Miller]

The screen flicker started while booting into kernel image 5.8.0-63 and seems to happen on all the newer images. Image 5.8.0-55 doesn't flicker, and this is what is currently used.

Bug #1939296 is similar, but the GPU hang is not in my dmesg output and versions before 5.8.0-55 all seem to work for me.

The kernel code is big and I'm fairly new to it, but I did a git revert on c6f8062265d1529c3ce4cc18b9dc59fb73bcca0f, but had trouble trying to compile.

https://kernel.ubuntu.com/git/ubuntu/ubuntu-focal.git/commit/?h=hwe-5.8&id=c6f8062265d1529c3ce4cc18b9dc59fb73bcca0f

$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS
Release: 20.04

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: linux-image-5.11.0-34-generic 5.11.0-34.36~20.04.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.11.0-34.36~20.04.1-generic 5.11.22
Uname: Linux 5.11.0-34-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.18
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Sun Sep 12 08:09:25 2021
InstallationDate: Installed on 2020-07-03 (436 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS "Focal Fossa" - Release amd64 (20200423)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: linux-signed-hwe-5.11
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Matthew Miller (blacktop19)]

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:0416] (rev 06) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
 Subsystem: Lenovo 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller [17aa:3978]
 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 34
 Region 0: Memory at b0000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4M]
 Region 2: Memory at a0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
 Region 4: I/O ports at 4000 [size=64]
 Expansion ROM at 000c0000 [virtual] [disabled] [size=128K]
 Capabilities: [90] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
  Address: fee00018 Data: 0000
 Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2
  Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
  Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
 Capabilities: [a4] PCI Advanced Features
  AFCap: TP+ FLR+
  AFCtrl: FLR-
  AFStatus: TP-
 Kernel driver in use: i915
 Kernel modules: i915

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Alejandro (alepasgar)]

I am facing this exact same problem.
My laptop runs on an Intel n3450, Intel HD graphics 500 (drivers i915 at least as of now on Linux Mint 20.2, kernel 5.4)

I am using as I said Linux Mint 20.2 because every single Linux distribution that runs kernel branches 5.11 or above makes my laptop's screen flicker to the point that it is so frustrating to use, and might be dangerous too.

Kernel version 5.10 gives very little flickering and I would say it is usable. I don't remember right now if 5.8 gave me any problem (I believe not), but what I can assure is that 5.11 or above (for instance, 5.13 too) makes the screen flickering appear again, no matter the distribution.

On 5.4 it runs perfectly fine.

I have no experience on programming.

Did you find any solution? Are the kernel developers aware of this problem?