Ubuntu 17.04/17.10 Screen Tearing on Intel KabyLake Graphics Cards

[MBWD]

Upon upgrading to 17.04 (also confirmed in 17.10), heavy, almost constant screen tearing presents itself immediately at the graphical or text splash page (i.e., before the operating system loads). The tearing continues after reaching the lock screen and logging in. The tearing is nearly constant, stopping only for certain actions like using the mouse or typing.

The screen tearing can be "fixed" by issuing i915.enable_rc6=0 in the boot parameter. However, this is a false fix as it turns off important power management functions and, as a consequence, the fan runs constantly and on high.

NOTE: if booted using the i915.enable_rc6=0 boot parameter and allowed to run for a few hours, the computer becomes unstable and applications begin to freeze.

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. It seems that your bug report is not filed about a specific source package though, rather it is just filed against Ubuntu in general. It is important that bug reports be filed about source packages so that people interested in the package can find the bugs about it. You can find some hints about determining what package your bug might be about at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/FindRightPackage. You might also ask for help in the #ubuntu-bugs irc channel on Freenode.

To change the source package that this bug is filed about visit https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1708480/+editstatus and add the package name in the text box next to the word Package.

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

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

This bug is missing log files that will aid in diagnosing the problem. While running an Ubuntu kernel (not a mainline or third-party kernel) please enter the following command in a terminal window:

apport-collect 1708480

and then change the status of the bug to 'Confirmed'.

If, due to the nature of the issue you have encountered, you are unable to run this command, please add a comment stating that fact and change the bug status to 'Confirmed'.

This change has been made by an automated script, maintained by the Ubuntu Kernel Team.

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream kernel? Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest v4.13 kernel[0].

If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as "Confirmed".

Thanks in advance.

[0] http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v4.13-rc4

[MBWD (xmbwd)]

The bug does seem to be fixed in the mainline kernel v4.13.0-041300rc4-(4.13.0-041300rc4.201708062231). I will add the tag. Thank you.

[MBWD (xmbwd)]

Apologies! I got my numbers crossed. The bug is NOT fixed in the mainline kernel! I had loaded a prior kernel from 16.04 (v.4.4). That was what I reported on. Kernel v4.13.0-041300rc4-(4.13.0-041300rc4.201708062231) still has screen tearing. I will remove the tag and replace it with 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

[MBWD (xmbwd)]

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[Owais Lone (loneowais)]

I experience this as well on fully up to date XPS 13 (9560) on 17.10

[MBWD (xmbwd)]

In attempting to find a Debian-based build that does not have this issue, I ran across Debian 9 - Stretch. It is running the 4.9.0-3-amd64 kernel. There is NO SCREEN TEARING with that kernel (though it does start the screen rotated 90 degrees).

[MBWD (xmbwd)]

There have been no updates to this bug report, but I wanted to post that the latest daily 17.10 image (installed today, 10.07.2017) still has this screen tearing problem. Worse, on a Yoga 910, it adds a problem that the screen starts rotated 90 clockwise and can't be fixed.

[Jeffry Angtoni (jeffryang24)]

I also feel the tearing problem on my MSI GP62 notebook running Ubuntu 17.10. The tearing sometime occurs when login, when many process has been run, and at this time when I write this comment, the tearing is also revealed.

[Rijnhard Hessel (rijnhard)]

Also affects me on linux mint 20.1 (Ubuntu 20.04) but on Intel Haswell (4th gen) regardless of using the intel driver or the kernel modesetting driver.

Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics driver: i915
  v: kernel
  Device-2: NVIDIA GM107M [GeForce GTX 850M] driver: nvidia v: 460.39
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: modesetting,nvidia
  resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz, 1920x1080~60Hz
  OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics 4600 (HSW GT2)
  v: 4.5 Mesa 20.2.6

Linux 5.4.0-66-generic #74-Ubuntu SMP x86_64