Arch turning slow with time

vimes · 2012-05-14 16:46:15

Hello! I re-installed arch linux on my computer using the Beginners Guide from the wiki. But now when I use the computer i turns slow over time, I'm talking if I leave it on for 3 hours+. By slow I mean that I am typing this sentence, and I'm expecting to see it 3 seconds after pressing the ".". It's fine when I reboot, running blazingly fast but after that 3 hour mark, happens no matter what I use to computer for. It's weird as the first time I installed arch this didn't happen, after having searched high and low on Google I have no re-installed the OS three times (every time with the same problem). I would love to add some files explaining the problem, but I really have no idea where to even begin looking, so I'll just list some specs.

I'm running:
Gnome
64 bit arch, not using testing or unstable
Normal use would be cmus, libre office and chromium running.

Hardware wise everything should be OK, when in windows I'm running battlefield 3 and other hardware hungry games without problems, also the same problem does not happen in windows. Let it be noted that Windows is on a harddrive, and arch is on a SSD drive (120 GB Kingston HyperX)

I have checked my hostname, rc.conf etc and they all seem to be OK, any suggestions?

kokoko3k · 2012-05-14 16:49:01

Check you ram usage when it happens, probably something is eating it.

Trilby · 2012-05-14 16:49:51

Have you checked out htop or something similar to see what is running and/or using system resources.

Edit: there have been a couple threads about webkit memory leaks lately. I have not followed them as I have not faced that problem - but those might be worth checking out if chrome/ium is using a lot of resources.

Last edited by Trilby (2012-05-14 16:51:03)

theGunslinger · 2012-05-14 16:50:15

Try running top or htop to see whats consuming your resources. After you identify the culprit, it should be easier to solve the problem.

edit: wow 2 guys beat me to it

Last edited by theGunslinger (2012-05-14 16:50:56)

cleanrock · 2012-05-14 18:53:29

I suspect you are bitten by the current cairo/xorg problem, i downgraded them yesterday to fix the performance problem:
[2012-05-13 14:24] upgraded xorg-server-common (1.12.1-2 -> 1.12.1-1)
[2012-05-13 14:24] upgraded xorg-server (1.12.1-2 -> 1.12.1-2)
[2012-05-13 14:24] upgraded cairo (1.12.2-1 -> 1.10.2-3)
It might be enough to downgrade only cairo.

vimes · 2012-05-14 19:31:47

http://bildr.no/view/1181254 <- htop, nothing seems to be eating up my system. Might be cairo/xorg as cleanrock suggested.

Watchin gnome system monitor it keeps stable at low load, looking into downgrading cairo now

DSpider · 2012-05-14 20:25:46

I may have misunderstood the title but I should note that I'm using the same install I did 3 years ago on a different computer and it hasn't slowed down once. Compare this to Windows XP, which I had to reinstall 5 times a year (roughly every 2 months) to keep it sharp.

Re-check your /etc/hosts file against "HOSTNAME" from /etc/rc.conf.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Be … tc.2Fhosts

Errors in this entry may cause poor network performance and/or certain programs to open very slowly, or not work at all. This is a very common error for beginners.

Is this a laptop or a desktop?

Because if it's a laptop, try running it using the power brick instead of the battery.

Trilby · 2012-05-14 22:17:28

vimes wrote:

http://bildr.no/view/1181254 <- htop, nothing seems to be eating up my system.

Uh ... do you think those values for Xorg and gnome-session are normal??

vimes · 2012-06-09 21:37:02

Hello! The problem is still persistent, I've just "lived with" ubuntu for some time as I've had my exam period + two new jobs so there has not been time.

It is a desktop, with rather powerful hardware (running most modern games on full without problems)
I did check /etc/hosts and it matched with /etc/rc.conf.

Again it's blazing after a reboot, but a few hours on (like now) it's very, very slow. even typing text is laggy.

http://bildr.no/image/1200991.jpeg <- htop

Since last time I posted I have re-installed arch, re-installing did not change any thing.

Hardware:
Intel i5 2500k
Nvidia GeForce 5600 (with the nvidia + nvidia-utils driver)
ASUS P8Z68-V motherboard

Windows and Ubuntu is both running fine, but really, I'd much prefer using arch.

again, thank you for all replies : )

I run "pacman -Syu" every day.

root · 2012-06-09 23:40:56

Not sure if that will help you with your problem but what is the outcome of:

cat /proc/sys/vm/vfs_cache_pressure

?

Strike0 · 2012-06-09 23:41:49

Turn off swap after reboot (swapoff) and look if it happens again. If yes try restarting the gnome (alt+F2 and r). Gnome shell at 28% looks suspicious in your first picture.

vimes · 2012-06-10 01:06:19

"cat /proc/sys/vm/vfs_cache_pressure" returned "100"

Turned swap off, did not help, re-starting gnome did not help either.

root · 2012-06-11 18:06:07

You can try setting it to 50 in /etc/sysctl.conf and see if it improves the performance. In my case it did even though my Arch is running on a stone age equipment compared to yours. But still, I guess it is at least worth a try. Remember to reboot after changing the value.

Arch Linux

#1 2012-05-14 16:46:15

Arch turning slow with time

#2 2012-05-14 16:49:01

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#3 2012-05-14 16:49:51

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#4 2012-05-14 16:50:15

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#5 2012-05-14 18:53:29

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#6 2012-05-14 19:31:47

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#7 2012-05-14 20:25:46

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#8 2012-05-14 22:17:28

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#9 2012-06-09 21:37:02

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#10 2012-06-09 23:40:56

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#11 2012-06-09 23:41:49

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#12 2012-06-10 01:06:19

Re: Arch turning slow with time

#13 2012-06-11 18:06:07

Re: Arch turning slow with time

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