KWin Can Cause A Performance Hit Too

[Licaon]

Tropics Demo v1.3

Binary: Linux 32bit GCC 4.3.2 Release May 20 2010
Operating system: Linux 2.6.34-0.slh.4-sidux-amd64 x86_64
CPU model: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5200+
CPU flags: 3000MHz MMX+ 3DNow!+ SSE SSE2 SSE3 HTT
GPU model: GeForce GTS 250 PCI Express 256.25 1024Mb

Render: opengl
Mode: 1680x1050 4xAA fullscreen
Shaders: high
Textures: high
Filter: trilinear
Anisotropy: 16x
Occlusion: enabled
Reflection: enabled
Refraction: enabled
Volumetric: enabled

KWin/Unredirectfullscreen=false: 714 / 19.4 / 28.4 / 50.6
KWin/Unredirectfullscreen=true: 736 / 19.9 / 29.2 / 51.5

That's a 2.989% difference, again a small number, yet when Unredirectfullscreen is disabled the demo will stutter almost every frame.

[Licaon]

Sanctuary demo benchmark edition v2.3

Binary: Linux 32bit GCC 4.3.2 Release May 20 2010
Operating system: Linux 2.6.34-0.slh.4-sidux-amd64 x86_64
CPU model: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5200+
CPU flags: 3000MHz MMX+ 3DNow!+ SSE SSE2 SSE3 HTT
GPU model: GeForce GTS 250 PCI Express 256.25 1024Mb

Render: opengl
Mode: 1680x1050 4xAA fullscreen
Shaders: high
Textures: high
Filter: trilinear
Anisotropy: 16x
Translucence: enabled
Parallax: enabled
Reflection: enabled
DOF: enabled
HDR: enabled

KWin/Unredirectfullscreen=false: 1108 / 18.4 / 26.1 / 34.3
KWin/Unredirectfullscreen=true: 1134 / 19.8 / 26.7 / 33.7

That's a 2.293% difference, again a small number, yet when Unredirectfullscreen is disabled the demo will stutter almost every frame.

[Pfanne]

Same here, kwin is also really bad for me with the open source drivers too :/

seems like the fault lies with aurorae window decorator.
as soon as i use it the desktop effects are dead slow.

[mugginz]

what distro?
what KDE 4 version?
what composition backend OpenGL or XRender?
if OpenGL, with Texture from Pixmap or Shared Memory?
what video card?
did you change the resolution while inside the Heaven bench ?

Kubuntu Lucid Lynx
KDE 4.4.3
OpenGL backend
Texture from pixmap
nVidia 8400GS

Yes, the desktop runs at 1024x768 and the demo was run in 800x600

It was run on my HTPC hence the low res and low spec card. It's the only PC I have that's got KDE installed at the moment. Driver was 195 blob

[Licaon]

Yes, the desktop runs at 1024x768 and the demo was run in 800x600

i've seen some KWin sort of freezes, only the cursor and the wallpaper is visible but the keyboard and the mouse work, when exiting games that needed to change the resolution while they run

so it's like this:
*run application, exit application, all ok
*run application, change resolution from application eg. from 1024x768 to 800x600, exit application, not ok, just mouse visible, restart X via CTRL-ALT-Backspace

try to edit the Heaven startup script and edit the width and height so you don't have to change resolution while running it, and retest with Unredirectfullscreen=true

[mugginz]

i've seen some KWin sort of freezes, only the cursor and the wallpaper is visible but the keyboard and the mouse work, when exiting games that needed to change the resolution while they run

so it's like this:
*run application, exit application, all ok
*run application, change resolution from application eg. from 1024x768 to 800x600, exit application, not ok, just mouse visible, restart X via CTRL-ALT-Backspace

try to edit the Heaven startup script and edit the width and height so you don't have to change resolution while running it, and retest with Unredirectfullscreen=true

I'll re-test with no res change but it does highlight one problem kwin's unredirectfullscreen has.

[Licaon]

I'll re-test with no res change but it does highlight one problem kwin's unredirectfullscreen has.

and that's a good thing since it will isolate this bug that i've been experiencing for some time, but since i did not know about unredirectfullscreen i could not point to it

[dl.zerocool]

Tropics Demo v1.3

Binary: Linux 32bit GCC 4.3.2 Release May 20 2010
Operating system: Linux 2.6.34-0.slh.4-sidux-amd64 x86_64
CPU model: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5200+
CPU flags: 3000MHz MMX+ 3DNow!+ SSE SSE2 SSE3 HTT
GPU model: GeForce GTS 250 PCI Express 256.25 1024Mb

Render: opengl
Mode: 1680x1050 4xAA fullscreen
Shaders: high
Textures: high
Filter: trilinear
Anisotropy: 16x
Occlusion: enabled
Reflection: enabled
Refraction: enabled
Volumetric: enabled

KWin/Unredirectfullscreen=false: 714 / 19.4 / 28.4 / 50.6
KWin/Unredirectfullscreen=true: 736 / 19.9 / 29.2 / 51.5

That's a 2.989% difference, again a small number, yet when Unredirectfullscreen is disabled the demo will stutter almost every frame.

The same option exists under Compiz, would like to know if it make the same difference.

Anyway is there a reason to have unredirectfullscreen disabled by default ?

[Licaon]

Anyway is there a reason to have unredirectfullscreen disabled by default ?

this: http://smspillaz.wordpress.com/2010/...he-benchmarks/
although my guess is that most common users running fullscreen OpenGL apps ( like games and such ) will not see any composition effects anyway so why bother setting this up to disabled then? Just for some apps runned in a window?

Other like pros running modelling apps or something can disable this if they get errors.

The only almost fullscreen app in OpenGL that i use is Google Earth and it works fine with Unredirect enabled.

But like i said, i don't use the Desktop Cube effect so...

[mugginz]

Anyway is there a reason to have unredirectfullscreen disabled by default ?

Yes, for added reliability.

And a good thing to IMO. It's better to have sensible, reliable defaults, with the more risky, possibly buggier settings being left for more expert users to use who are better able to deal with breakage.

Something a lot of people were asking for from Linux distros is reliability out of the box and I hope the Ubuntu guys stay focused on this. Luckily for us, there's many distros with different policy in this area. That way, for those who want it, you can get more bleeding edge, higher performance at the cost of reliability and stability, but I do think that as the distro most likely to be used by people new to Linux, Ubuntu and Kubuntu should stay with a more "ease of use/reliability is everything" position.