Ubuntu
unity package

dual monitor runs unusably slow (Asus 1000HE, Intel 945GME)

Bug #769650 reported by Matt Behrens
54
This bug affects 10 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
Unity
Invalid
Undecided
Unassigned
compiz (Ubuntu)
Expired
Undecided
Unassigned
unity (Ubuntu)
Invalid
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

Binary package hint: unity

On my Asus 1000HE netbook, adding a second monitor using the Monitors panel makes Unity run unusably slowly. I speculate this is because it seems to be running entirely in software.

It works fine if I disable the internal panel and exclusively use the external monitor, but not with both displays active at the same time.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: unity 3.8.10-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic i686
Architecture: i386
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,mousepoll,vpswitch,regex,animation,snap,expo,move,compiztoolbox,place,grid,imgpng,gnomecompat,wall,ezoom,workarounds,staticswitcher,resize,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,scale,session,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
CurrentDmesg: Error: command ['sh', '-c', 'dmesg | comm -13 --nocheck-order /var/log/dmesg -'] failed with exit code 1: comm: /var/log/dmesg: Permission denied
DRM.card0.LVDS.1:
 status: connected
 enabled: enabled
 dpms: Off
 modes: 1024x600 1024x600
 edid-base64: AP///////wAiZOkDaz8AADQSAQOAFg14CoYmlFdRkCchT1QAAAABAQEBAQEBAQEBAQEBAQEBlBEAsEBYGSA1I0UA3IEAAAAZFhQA2EBYJiBdIxUE3IEAAAAAAAAA/gAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA/gAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAAAAAPw=
DRM.card0.VGA.1:
 status: connected
 enabled: enabled
 dpms: Off
 modes: 1600x900 1280x800 1152x864 1280x720 1024x768 1024x768 1024x768 832x624 800x600 800x600 800x600 800x600 640x480 640x480 640x480 640x480 720x400
 edid-base64: AP///////wAEcqUBicdwBC8UAQNoLBl4Ku6Ro1RMmSYPUFS/7oBxT4HAgQCpwAEBAQEBAQEBMCpAyGCEZDAYUBMAu/kQAAAeAAAA/QAyTB5QEAAKICAgICAgAAAA/wBMTlkwODAwMzQyMjMKAAAA/ABBY2VyIFMyMDFITAogAEU=
Date: Sat Apr 23 18:17:27 2011
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: natty
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus: vboxhost, 4.0.6, 2.6.38-8-generic, i686: installed
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation Mobile 945GME Express Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:27ae] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Device [1043:8340]
   Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Device [1043:8340]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Beta i386 (20110413)
InstallationMedia_: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Beta i386 (20110413)
InstallationMedia__: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Beta i386 (20110413)
MachineType: ASUSTeK Computer INC. 1000HE
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=eae9c7d4-e97a-4daf-bc63-2549c4960d06 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
ProcVersionSignature_: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
ProcVersionSignature__: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Renderer: Unknown
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 10/14/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 1104
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: 1000HE
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: x.xx
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 0x00000000
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: ASUSTek Computer INC.
dmi.chassis.version: x.x
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr1104:bd10/14/2009:svnASUSTeKComputerINC.:pn1000HE:pvrx.x:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rn1000HE:rvrx.xx:cvnASUSTekComputerINC.:ct10:cvrx.x:
dmi.product.name: 1000HE
dmi.product.version: x.x
dmi.sys.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.4+bzr20110415-0ubuntu2
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.23-1ubuntu6
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.10.2-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+4ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.0-0ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.14.0-4ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110107+b795ca6e-0ubuntu7

Revision history for this message
Matt Behrens (zigg) wrote :
Revision history for this message
Marco Biscaro (marcobiscaro2112) wrote :

The same problem here. My netbook is an Asus 1001HA.

If I use just one monitor (the netbook's display or another external monitor), everything works perfectly. But if I use *both* netbook's display and an external monitor, the computer turns unusable.

Using System monitor, I've noticed that the compiz process uses about 85% of CPU time when running on multimonitor setup (despite the memory usage is stable).

Changed in unity:
status: New → Confirmed
Changed in unity (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
tags: added: multimonitor
Revision history for this message
Marco Biscaro (marcobiscaro2112) wrote :

With "Ubuntu Classic", the CPU usage is high too, and the background (at truth, anything that is not the focused window or the panel) is not redraw (which also makes the desktop unusable).

Changed in compiz (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Didier Roche-Tolomelli (didrocks) wrote :

Not an unity/compiz issue I will tell.
I have the same thing if I try, like you setting a high resolution on my external monitor (1600 x 900), no issue if both are using 1024x768. Either related to hardware performance or driver then. Reassigning to mesa

Changed in unity:
status: Confirmed → Invalid
Changed in unity (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → Invalid
affects: compiz (Ubuntu) → mesa (Ubuntu)
Changed in mesa (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → New
Revision history for this message
Bryce Harrington (bryce) wrote :

You've exceeded your hardware's maximum texture size (2048 x 2048). See LP: #555641 which this is basically a dupe of. Sounds like X switched to software rendering rather than crashing or something equally antisocial, so that's good.

The real bug here is that gnome-display-properties apparently doesn't doublecheck the max texture size when compiz is active. It needs to tell the user the consequences of setting the root framebuffer size to be bigger than the max texture size when they try to apply it.

affects: mesa (Ubuntu) → compiz (Ubuntu)
Revision history for this message
Matt Behrens (zigg) wrote :

Disclaimer: incomplete understanding follows :-)

I seem to recall that, in past versions (lucid and maverick at least), if you expanded your desktop, desktop effects would be switched off for that session, probably by replacing compiz with metacity? Shadows and desktop effects did go away.

This seems to me to be fallout from the compiz requirement for unity (is it possible to switch to unity-2d on the fly like this?) The Ubuntu Classic behavior reported in comment 3 sounds like a potential regression to me, though.

Revision history for this message
Marco Biscaro (marcobiscaro2112) wrote :

@Matt: exactly! In maverick, if you plug another monitor, metacity replaces compiz automatically (but in natty this does not happens, even on Ubuntu Classic version).

Revision history for this message
Marco Biscaro (marcobiscaro2112) wrote :

@Bryce: yes, it's basicaly the same problem of bug #555641. And if I set the resolution of netbook's display as 1024x600 and of the external display as 1024x768 (total width is the same as the maximum texture width) everything works fine.

Revision history for this message
sam tygier (samtygier) wrote :

i guess if you stack the displays vertically it will work (works here on similar hardware).

Revision history for this message
David Barth (dbarth) wrote :

Sounds like an integration issue between Compiz and the rest of the system. And something that would be benefit from using the 3D-2D switch that Didier developed.

Didrocks FTW! ;)

Revision history for this message
Didier Roche-Tolomelli (didrocks) wrote :

It's not really an integration issue IMHO, for instance, with the same card, running in clone mode seems fine. Maybe it's a memory oversize issue when the second monitor is in a high resolution for the graphic card?

Maybe some xorg guys can help there. Asking for the to have a look :)

Launchpad Janitor (janitor)
Changed in compiz (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Derek Schwalenberg (p1l0t) wrote :

Vertical stacking fixes the problem. My girlfriends Acer netbook gets REALLY slow with the external monitor plugged in. Apparently only when stacked side-by-side. Glad I searched the bugs. Thanks samtygier!

Revision history for this message
jhfhlkjlj (fdsuufijjejejejej-deactivatedaccount) wrote :

Thank you for reporting this bug to Ubuntu. 11.04 reached EOL.
See this document for currently supported Ubuntu releases: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

Please upgrade to the latest version and re-test. If the bug is still reproducible, increase the verbosity of the steps to recreate it so we can try again.

Do feel free to report any other bugs you may find.

Changed in compiz (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → Incomplete
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

[Expired for compiz (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

Changed in compiz (Ubuntu):
status: Incomplete → Expired
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