Performance regression with Intel IvyBridge

hoschi · 2013-06-23 13:19:00

Hello!
I noticed a huge performance regression with my HD 4000 (Ivy Bridge, Intel Core i5-3320M). For performance-evaluation I use IOQuake3, because it is a widley used application-engine and the source-code is free. Regulary I got approximately 290 fps when I run the "four" demo. Today pacman installed new mesa, mesa-libgl and intel-dri packages and bumps the version from "9.1.3-1" to "9.1.3-2". Now I got only around 250 fps, which is a loss about 18 %. I downgraded the three mentioned packages for testing-purpose temporary, they include security-fixes, to the old versions. This doesn't fixed it to my surprise!

Is anyone else also affected? Any idea what causes this?

Benchmark:
1. Turn off VSYNC! Create the file "~/.drirc". Maybe restart of X11 or logout/login is required:

<device screen="0" driver="dri2">
	<application name="Default">
		<option name="vblank_mode" value="0"/>
	</application>
</device>

2. $ quake3
3. ~ # open quake shell
4. timedemo 1 # runs demos as fast as possible
5. demo four # run demo
6. ~ # open quake shell and read fps

And as always:
glxgears is not a benchmark

Last edited by hoschi (2013-06-24 15:48:31)

ConnorBehan · 2013-06-23 21:48:40

It must've been another package that caused it (usually one with a pkgver bump, not just pkgrel). Does it work if you read pacman.log and revert every package that was updated on the same day?

hoschi · 2013-06-29 10:34:39

I will investigate this. I've downgraded the kernel already to 3.9.4 from 3.9.7, but it doesn't fixed it.

hoschi · 2013-06-29 16:21:36

Downgraded till xf86-video-intel 2.21.7-1 -> no impact
Upgraded on vanilla-kernel-3.10.0-rc7 -> no impact

I suspect one of the several changes do X11 or GNOME in the past. But there are many of them

hoschi · 2013-06-29 17:19:51

[FOUND]
gnome-shell-3.8.3 caused this
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=701224

Downgrade solves it. I will open a bug on our own bugzilla, because this regression hits all users of GNOME-Shell. Most people will play more demanding games and stuttering doesn't make fun.

Last edited by hoschi (2013-06-29 17:47:27)

WonderWoofy · 2013-06-29 18:32:15

Glad you figured this out. But your title is now pretty misleading, as it is not a performance regression with IvyBridge at all, but rather with gnome-shell specifically. Seeing that the bug report says that it is an issue with the tray icons being always reported as the top window, I would have to assume that this is going to be the case across all hardware. Maybe chainging the title to something like "Performance regression with gnome-shell" might be fitting.

Arch Linux

#1 2013-06-23 13:19:00

Performance regression with Intel IvyBridge

#2 2013-06-23 21:48:40

Re: Performance regression with Intel IvyBridge

#3 2013-06-29 10:34:39

Re: Performance regression with Intel IvyBridge

#4 2013-06-29 16:21:36

Re: Performance regression with Intel IvyBridge

#5 2013-06-29 17:19:51

Re: Performance regression with Intel IvyBridge

#6 2013-06-29 18:32:15

Re: Performance regression with Intel IvyBridge

Board footer