Compiz too slow on a FX 5200

[Lunks]

Hi, I'm using Compiz Fusion from git and using benchmark plugin I noticed (as well on daily usage, specially with firefox and dodge animation), that it's having some slowdowns which I expect it should not have, as I'm using a FX 5200.

I'm trying some different setups such as running compiz with --fast-filter, --loose-binding, and "ATI/nVidia/Intel" tweaks on CompizTray.

Could someone help me making my machine more stable when running Compiz?
Sometimes it drops from 60 to 40 FPS (checked with Benchmark plugin).

If you have any information I need to provide, I gladly will.

[coz]

Hey guy,
I need to know which distribution and if your video card is an agp or pcie or pci card.
now I am going to go on the assumption that this is an agp card.
what i want you to do , if this is an agp card, is this command in the terminal
cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/status
Look to see if Fast Writes and SBA are enabled. If not, then do this command
sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-kernel-nkc on Gnome
or this one for KDE
kdesu kedit /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-kernel-nkc
You should probably see something like this; alias char-major-195* nvidia
If you do, add this line under that line ;
options nvidia NVreg_EnableAGPSBA=1 NVreg_EnableAGPFW=1
Make sure it is UNDER the line already there not at the end of it. Save the file.
Then you will have to restart the system , not just restart x but an actual reboot of the system.
Then do the command : cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/status
to see if fast writes and sba are enabled.
This will certainly help performance with an agp fx 5200 card.
Also in ccsm, General Options... Display settings tab.... Texture Filter set to best
Disable Detect Refresh Rate
Turn off Lighting
Disable Sync to Vblank
and make sure Detect outputs is enabled and that the outputs field refects the actual resolution of your monitor. If it does not hit the Add button and type in your resolution using the syntax of the resolution already there...example 1280x1024+0+0.
These settings should also help in performance.
let me know one way or the other.
coz

[teonimesic]

Hi, I'm also compiz fusion using fx 5200 (agp) and on kubuntu (from amaranth repo)...
I've also tried many things to try making the run smoother (cause in the beginning things were so downhill that any switcher plugin (event the normal alt+tab) could cause firefox and other apps to crash (or the entire session...))...
without xgl, i noticed the option --indirect-rendering to make
a great difference, almost matching the speed while on xgl.
(Xgl usually has a 2 to 4 fps advantage here).
I've tried everything coz said (fast write wasn't enabled and now it is)
but i couldn't see any noticeable performance speed (maybe cause sba was already enabled? dunno)
As for the ccsm configuration, it really didn't made any difference here.

[Lunks]

I'll try to provide as much info as I can, thanks for the help.

I'm on Ubuntu Gutsy, running Compiz git through CompizTray. I tried to follow nVidia's tutorial (http://forum.compiz-fusion.org/showthread.php?t=1682). My video board is an FX 5200 AGP.



cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/status:
Status: Disabled

AGP initialization failed, please check the ouput
of the 'dmesg' command and/or your system log file
for additional information on this problem.
cat /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/card:
Fast Writes: Supported
SBA: Supported
AGP Rates: 8x 4x
Registers: 0x1f000e1b:0x00000000
cat /proc/driver/nvidia/apg/host-bridge:
Host Bridge: PCI device 10de:01e0
Fast Writes: Supported
SBA: Supported
AGP Rates: 8x 4x
Registers: 0x1f00421b:0x00000002
cat /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-kernel-nkc:
options nvidia NVreg_EnableAGPSBA=1 NVreg_EnableAGPFW=1 NVreg_EnableBrightnessControl=1 NVreg_DevicesConnected=1 NVreg_VbiosFromROM=1 NVreg_SaveVBios=1 NVreg_SoftEDIDs=0 NVreg_VideoMemoryTypeOverride=0 NVreg_NvAGP=3 NVreg_ReqAGPRate=8
alias char-major-195* nvidia

cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf:
# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig: version 1.0 (buildmeister@builder3) Mon Apr 16 20:37:13 PDT 2007

# /etc/X11/xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf(5) manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen" 0 0
InputDevice "Generic Keyboard"
InputDevice "Configured Mouse"
InputDevice "stylus" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "cursor" "SendCoreEvents"
InputDevice "eraser" "SendCoreEvents"
Option "AIGLX" "False"
EndSection

Section "Files"

# path to defoma fonts
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
FontPath "/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "i2c"
Load "bitmap"
Load "ddc"
Load "extmod"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx"
Load "int10"
Load "vbe"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "CoreKeyboard"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "abnt2"
Option "XkbLayout" "br"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/mice"
Option "Protocol" "ImPS/2"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "true"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "stylus"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "stylus"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "eraser"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "eraser"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "cursor"
Driver "wacom"
Option "Device" "/dev/input/wacom"
Option "Type" "cursor"
Option "ForceDevice" "ISDV4"# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "L173SA"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "nVidia Corporation NV34 [GeForce FX 5200]"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
# Option "DisableGLXRootClipping" "True"
Option "RenderAccel" "True" ## not really needed with newer drivers as it is enabled by default in newer drivers
Option "DamageEvents" "True"
Option "UseEvents" "False"
Option "TripleBuffer" "True"
# Option "BackingStore" "True"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "nVidia Corporation NV34 [GeForce FX 5200]"
Monitor "L173SA"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "AddARGBVisuals" "True"
Option "NoLogo" "True"
Option "DynamicTwinView" "false"
Option "NvAGP" "1"
Option "CursorShadow" "true"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 1
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 4
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Extensions"

Option "NV-GLX" "Enable"
Option "Composite" "Enable"
Option "Damage" "Enable"
Option "Render" "Enable"
EndSection

I hope you have information you want. I already added those options to modprobe like you can check, but I didn't know about the line order stuff and it was the last one. Changed it, rebooted, but agp/status gives me disabled again. I tried to check dmesg, but grep agp and nvidia gives me nothing special, and I don't know where to look.

Edit: Looks like I mislead your instruction about the modprobe ordering. :P But anyway, it was the way you said and fast write and sba were disabled already.

[coz]

hey guys
Yeah , under cat /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-kernel-nkc: make sure you put the entry i suggested UNDER the existing entry in there it may make a difference.
i m also attaching a copy of my xorg.
You will see many settings that are commented , this configuration seems to work best on MY system, however on yours it may be different.
Also the settings in xorg may or may not enhance performance as it will help reduce black window bug from nvidia driver.
i am not sure what else I can offer unless i were actually there to see what is going on.
Also since this is gutsy and I am still running feisty, I know at this stage if there are video issues with gutsy. I will be installing it when it is released, however that is not much help to you now.

[Lunks]

It's much faster now, but Firefox always slows everything down.
Thanks a lot for the help, coz!

I'll keep it unsolved, if someone has more tips. :)