Random Flickering lines in X display on Intel Haswell integrated graphics

[Joseph S Tate]

I'm getting random flickering horizontal lines (some very short, only 20-30 pixels long, but some extending nearly the entire width of the screen) in my display output. I verified the connection cable running the same resolution and frequency on a MacBook Pro with no flickering output.

I'm running a high-resolution external display (2560x1440) at 60Hz. It seems to occur more when I'm running at high res than at lower resolutions. And if running on internal display only the problem is even less visible.

In any mode scenario I try though, the flickering gets worse over time, and resets for a period after resetting the mode via xrandr.

The problem has occurred for me on kernels 3.11.0-12, 3.11.0-17, 3.13.0-11 and now on 3.13.0.13.

Running Trusty (14.04)
xserver-xorg-video-intel: Installed: 2:2.99.910-0ubuntu1

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.910-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-13.33-generic 3.13.5
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-13-generic x86_64
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.13.2-0ubuntu5
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
CompositorUnredirectDriverBlacklist: '(nouveau|Intel).*Mesa 8.0'
CompositorUnredirectFSW: true
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Fri Feb 28 16:50:56 2014
DistUpgraded: 2014-02-20 22:35:53,373 ERROR got an error from dpkg for pkg: 'gcc-4.9-base': 'no package named `gcc-4.9-base' is installed, cannot configure'
DistroCodename: trusty
DistroVariant: ubuntu
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, including running git bisection searches
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation Haswell-ULT Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:0a16] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Dell Device [1028:05e3]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-02-20 (7 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" - Release amd64 (20131016.1)
LightdmGreeterLog:
 QInotifyFileSystemWatcherEngine::addPaths: inotify_add_watch failed: No such file or directory
 QFileSystemWatcher: failed to add paths: /var/lib/lightdm/.config/ibus/bus
 Bus::open: Can not get ibus-daemon's address.
 IBusInputContext::createInputContext: no connection to ibus-daemon
 file:///usr/share/kde4/apps/lightdm-kde-greeter/themes/userbar/main.qml:135: Unable to assign [undefined] to QString usersession
LightdmGreeterLogOld:
 QInotifyFileSystemWatcherEngine::addPaths: inotify_add_watch failed: No such file or directory
 QFileSystemWatcher: failed to add paths: /var/lib/lightdm/.config/ibus/bus
 Bus::open: Can not get ibus-daemon's address.
 IBusInputContext::createInputContext: no connection to ibus-daemon
 file:///usr/share/kde4/apps/lightdm-kde-greeter/themes/userbar/main.qml:135: Unable to assign [undefined] to QString usersession
MachineType: Dell Inc. XPS 12-9Q33
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.13.0-13-generic.efi.signed root=UUID=085f457a-4960-450b-ad94-40bdb43fcfd4 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xserver-xorg-video-intel
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2014-02-21 (7 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 07/26/2013
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A02
dmi.board.name: XPS 12-9Q33
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A02
dmi.chassis.type: 8
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: Not Specified
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA02:bd07/26/2013:svnDellInc.:pnXPS12-9Q33:pvrA02:rvnDellInc.:rnXPS12-9Q33:rvrA02:cvnDellInc.:ct8:cvrNotSpecified:
dmi.product.name: XPS 12-9Q33
dmi.product.version: A02
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.11+14.04.20140218-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.52-1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 10.1.0~rc1-1ubuntu4
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 10.1.0~rc1-1ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.15.0-1ubuntu6
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.8.2-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:7.3.0-1ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.910-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.10-1ubuntu2
xserver.bootTime: Fri Feb 28 16:37:00 2014
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.errors:

xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.outputs:
 product id 1027
 vendor LGD
xserver.version: 2:1.15.0-1ubuntu6

[Joseph S Tate (jtate)]

The flickering also occurs in the Linux Console, so might not be an X driver issue.

[Joseph S Tate (jtate)]

If I'm in mirrored display mode, while the flickering is happening, only the external display shows the flickering.

I'm plugged into the 2560x1440 monitor using a Mini-DisplayPort to Dual-link DVI cable.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Joseph S Tate, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. As per http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/xps-12-9q33/drivers an update to your computer's buggy and outdated BIOS is available (A08). If you update to this following https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BIOSUpdate does it change anything?

If it doesn't, could you please both specify what happened, and provide the output of the following terminal command:
sudo dmidecode -s bios-version && sudo dmidecode -s bios-release-date

For more on BIOS updates and linux, please see https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ReportingBugs#Bug_reporting_etiquette .

Please note your current BIOS is already in the Bug Description, so posting this on the old BIOS would not be helpful. As well, you don't have to create a new bug report.

Once the BIOS is updated, if the problem is still reproducible, and the information above is provided, then please mark this report Status New. Otherwise, please mark this as Invalid.

Thank you for your understanding.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for xserver-xorg-video-intel (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]