Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

[dibl]

The recent integrated Intel GPUs are pretty good, but the new X.org has thrown the old drivers for a loop. Here's good guidance for getting the best video performance out of your 9.04 system:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1130582

Please observe the cautions and warnings -- keep your data safe while messing about with the video.

[lmilano]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

Yes, excellent guide. I've been recommending folks to use that. Here is what worked wonders on my eeepc 701:

* Optimal Configuration (X-updates from the x-swat team)
* Switch to GDM so fixmtrr.sh is run automatically at X-Start up.
* Using the latest kernel from Karmic.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

I'm tempted to do it. My GM45 video chip (Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)) gives me between 5 and 14 fps running Extreme Tux Racer. My video chip is just inside the edge of usability. For GoogleEarth and Stellarium it works OK, as does LinCity-NG and gl117 and FlightSim. It just runs Tux Racer but won't run TORCS.

What do you think? Will the Optimal config give me enough improvements to make the effort worth while? (I know, I know, the only way to find out is to try it...)

[lmilano]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

I'm tempted to do it. My GM45 video chip (Intel Corporation Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 07)) gives me between 5 and 14 fps running Extreme Tux Racer. My video chip is just inside the edge of usability. For GoogleEarth and Stellarium it works OK, as does LinCity-NG and gl117 and FlightSim. It just runs Tux Racer but won't run TORCS.

What do you think? Will the Optimal config give me enough improvements to make the effort worth while? (I know, I know, the only way to find out is to try it...)

I say go ahead and youll be happy, I went from unusable (choppy youtube video, less than 10fps in tuxracer to about 25fps for tuxracer and perfect Hulu video HQ

Keep in mind I did need the latest kernel as I said above - also:

Section "Device"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
Option "AccelMethod" "uxa"
Option "EXAOptimizeMigration" "true"
Option "MigrationHeuristic" "greedy"
Option "Tiling" "false" # i8xx users: see note in guide
EndSection

The whole setup took me less than half an hour, more than worthwhile!

[marcopl]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link



Hi GreyGeek, any results you would like to share

I too have the Intel Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:2A42] , aka, intel GMA 4500MHD aka the Cantiga family. This is confirmed by hwinfo or lshw.

lsmod shows the following vga related modules;

i915 65668 2
uvcvideo 63240 0
videodev 41600 1 uvcvideo
v4l1_compat 21764 2 uvcvideo,videodev
intel_agp 34108 1
agpgart 42696 3 drm,intel_agp
video 25360 0

So i too dont know if my vga subsystem is running upto speed.

My laptop is a compaqcq40 - 3gb ram , intel core 2 duo t6400

[GreyGeek]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

I went the conservative route.

I added three lines to xorg.conf

Option "EXAOptimizeMigration" "true"
Option "MigrationHeuristic" "greedy"
Option "Tiling" "false"

and manually executed mftrr.sh


I was getting acceptable results with HULU and Stellarium, and marginal results with SecondLife. GoogleEarth and Tux Racer were on the edge of being jumpy. TORCS wouldn't run at all. SL was showing me about 3.5 to 6 fps and had momenty pauses in motion if my distance view exceeded 64 meters.

AFTER those two changes, but without updating the kernel, ALL of the above programs are significantly faster. Tux Racer shows 30-50 fps. SecondLife's statistics bar shows the fps varying between 10 and 30, depending on how fast I move the scenery.

I am tempted to install the kernel. Will let you know what happens if I do.

EDIT: I forgot to test glxgears. I know, I know, it's not a good indicator, but what is interesting is that before my changes the FPS of glxgears was about 750. After the changes it is about 600, which proves that glxgears is a wothless fps indicator.

[lmilano]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

Excellent - for the kernel I just temporarily add jaunty (just main) and get the kernel _only_

[marcopl]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

I went the conservative route.

...

and manually executed mftrr.sh

No integration with KDM? or u allowed kde to start and after the login , u executed the script manually?

[GreyGeek]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

I went the conservative route.

...

and manually executed mftrr.sh

No integration with KDM? or u allowed kde to start and after the login , u executed the script manually?

Don't knoiw. It *seems* to me that fixmtrr.sh would have to be run after the xserver is created, but I don't know for sure. I tested the script manualy, then I used SystemSettings and added the script to the list of scripts run when KDE4 starts up.

Before I run fixmtrr.sh my /proc/mtrr looks like this:

reg00: base=0x000000000 ( 0MB), size= 2048MB, count=1: write-back
reg01: base=0x080000000 ( 2048MB), size= 1024MB, count=1: write-back
reg02: base=0x0b8000000 ( 2944MB), size= 128MB, count=1: uncachable
reg03: base=0x0b7e00000 ( 2942MB), size= 2MB, count=1: uncachable
reg04: base=0x0b7d00000 ( 2941MB), size= 1MB, count=1: uncachable
reg05: base=0x0ffe00000 ( 4094MB), size= 2MB, count=1: write-protect

and after I run it this is what I get:

reg00: base=0x000000000 ( 0MB), size= 2048MB, count=1: write-back
reg01: base=0x080000000 ( 2048MB), size= 1024MB, count=1: write-back
reg02: base=0x0b8000000 ( 2944MB), size= 128MB, count=1: uncachable
reg03: base=0x0b7e00000 ( 2942MB), size= 2MB, count=1: uncachable
reg04: base=0x0b7d00000 ( 2941MB), size= 1MB, count=1: uncachable
reg05: base=0x0ffe00000 ( 4094MB), size= 2MB, count=1: write-protect
reg06: base=0x0c0000000 ( 3072MB), size= 256MB, count=1: write-combining

That last line seems to make quite a difference is speed.

I don't want to do the .30 kernel because I don't want to lose the benefits of the current kernel.

[lmilano]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

.30 kernel: fair enough, you are having excellent performance

[GreyGeek]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

DISASTER!

I installed MySQL 5.0.3 and PHP, along with a few related auxiliary programs in order to consider a reqest to do some programming for some folks. After giving MySQL a look I decided it hadn't improved significantly since I last checked it out several years ago, so I declined the offer.

I then un-installed everything. During the uninstall PHP gave me some trouble, asking for the root password in order to uninstall it, even after I gave Synaptic the root password to activate it!!!. After a couple of aborts and retry's, the un-install finally resulted in success, but I fixed the cache just to be sure.

When I later logged into SL it was running at less than 5 fps. It gave me 20-30 yesterday.

I checked Tux Racer and it gave only 6 to 8 fps, a 5th of what id did before.

Stellarium gave only 20 fps, which is less than half of what it gave yesterday.

Running fixmtrr.sh doesn't seem to make any difference. And, if I do run it, when I log out, the log in screen never shows up. The screen goes black and I have to cycle the power button.

Fast 3D... just for a day. so sad...


EDIT: I missed it so much I decided to go the extra bit and install the PPA xorg Intel video driver. So, I continued with the steps right up to, but not inlcuding, installing the .30 kernel.

MY MOJO IS BACK!!!!

[lmilano]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link



I was stopping by to help. I read in launchpad that there is a new kernel in the proposed updates repo addressing this, too

[marcopl]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

this is what i got;

~$ sudo cat /proc/mtrr

reg00: base=0x000000000 ( 0MB), size= 2048MB, count=1: write-back
reg01: base=0x080000000 ( 2048MB), size= 1024MB, count=1: write-back
reg02: base=0x0fff00000 ( 4095MB), size= 1MB, count=1: write-protect
reg03: base=0x0bc000000 ( 3008MB), size= 64MB, count=1: uncachable
reg04: base=0x0bbc00000 ( 3004MB), size= 4MB, count=1: uncachable

i dont notice anything....konqueror is still shows some garbled graphics..my kmenu button is still phased out. can only see the outline.


i did all the changes except use the new kernel.

i modified the xorg file,

Option "AccelMethod" "uxa"
Option "EXAOptimizeMigration" "true"
Option "MigrationHeuristic" "greedy"
Option "Tiling" "false"

executed fixmtrr.sh via systemsettings->auto-start, installed the new xorg drivers and still cant see the line that says 'write-combining'

[marcopl]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

I was stopping by to help. I read in launchpad that there is a new kernel in the proposed updates repo addressing this, too

a link lmilano? would like to read it and see if i can download this kernel.

[lmilano]

Re: Intel Video troubleshooting/performance improvement link

I was stopping by to help. I read in launchpad that there is a new kernel in the proposed updates repo addressing this, too

a link lmilano? would like to read it and see if i can download this kernel.

Sure, here you go !
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...4/comments/140