Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

sebcactus · 2005-12-13 16:57:48

Hi all,

Since 2.6.12 kernel, I had to recompile the kernel because the one provided in current or testing (or archck in aur) slowed down my laptop Dell D410 (i915, pentium-m, 512MB).
I have seen in other threads that this problem is not only mine (some guys complained too, please come here).

I didn't experience this on Ubuntu (2.6.12)

Does someone knows what to do (or test) ? It is not that annoying since the kernel is not upgraded too often, but I think something has to be done.

The percentage of CPU time in user mode and system mode (given by top) is very high (>40%) and thus idle time is 0%

So Mplayer misses frames, mrxvt does not show the inputs in real time, etc (but it works when files are copied to/from the disk)

Seb

Moo-Crumpus · 2005-12-13 16:59:11

Don't use the ubuntu word no mo'.

sebcactus · 2005-12-13 17:05:20

Anything more clever to say ?

phrakture · 2005-12-13 17:07:32

Hmmm, what exactly do you mean by "slowed down my laptop" - can you provide us with some benchmark results (or bogomips values) using both stock and custom kernels?

Without knowing exactly what's going on besides "it's slow" there's nothing anyone can do.

sebcactus · 2005-12-13 17:17:25

The percentage of CPU time in user mode and system mode (given by top) is very high (>40%) and thus idle time is 0%

So Mplayer misses frames, mrxvt does not show the inputs in real time, etc

phrakture · 2005-12-13 21:05:15

marmotte wrote:

The percentage of CPU time in user mode and system mode (given by top) is very high (>40%) and thus idle time is 0%

Hmmm, what specifically causes that? What processes is taking up so much CPU.

Also, I know you said you have a "Dell D410", but I'm lazy (heh) - can you provide some specs, such as ram size, processor, etc etc?

sebcactus · 2005-12-16 15:27:31

This is a centrino: i915 chipset with pentium-m

No process is taking too much CPU (everything seems normal), which is strange.

sebcactus · 2005-12-18 20:06:37

Up !

It seems to be related to I/O : when files are copied from/to the hard drive (from/to USB stick or CDROM), even if the system takes 100% CPU, typing in mrxvt or watching a XVID is working correctly.

Dusty · 2005-12-18 20:28:49

have you tried hard disk timings using hdparm? That *shouldn't* affect the CPU though. Perhaps there is some module in the new kernel that needs to be loaded or unloaded. Have you tried for example the archck kernel from aur or the mm kernel from extra?

Dusty

sebcactus · 2005-12-20 00:07:15

I played with hdparm without success (and it is working with a home compiled kernel)
I tried archck (not mm) too with the same problem.

javurn · 2005-12-27 20:07:16

I have the same issues with kernel >2.6.12. i think it has to do with the i915 chipset and the stock arch kernels. I still haven't figured it out after all this time. My symptoms include slow mplayer (skipped frames) and sometimes slow key repeat in aterm.

My current workaround is to switch to the archck kernel in the community repo. Anyone have any ideas?

Greycloack · 2005-12-27 22:23:57

Actually I have a centrino with the i915 chipset but as far as I noticed I don't have any slowing issues with mplayer...

I have a gateway 200x, so I guess it's not just the chipset...

javurn · 2005-12-28 00:43:45

greycloack, are you using xorg 7?

Alethos · 2006-01-08 19:18:54

I created my own post a few days ago in the laptop section of the forums. Perhaps I should have posted it here, as the problem is similar. Here is what I posted.

Got this laptop working with the latest kernel. However, it's very slow in the sense of (running Gnome) opening a program (gnome-terminal, firefox...etc) i can see the window being drawn. In gnome-terminal or xterm I can type about 3 characters ahead of the cursor (there's no way I can type that fast Very Happy ). I tested out rhythmbox and the audio stutters. I've looked in the forums and the only thing I've come across is checking to make sure dma is turned on, and it is. Thanks in advance for the assitance.

P.S. I know this laptop can run a full DE because in the interim I put ubuntu on here just to get it working, but after the new kernel came out I had to switch back to arch...Prodigal Son syndrome.

P.S. Anyone else running this machine, I found a good link here for hardware. The xorg.config doesn't help me much as it's for 7.

I just checked out gnome's system monitor and with no programs open (other than those running in the background of the default gnome installation, and the system monitor itself) the cpu usage jumps ~every 2 seconds from 30 to 50 to 100. What could be causing the cpu to be running that much??? I'm guessing that's why the system is so sluggish? Something to do with X?

Problem is I have no idea what I'm doing. Can't roll my own kernel. Don't know what modules should be loaded, don't know how to load modules...I'm a recent windows convert (aka lacking in the knowledge of linux...dumb).

Alethos · 2006-01-10 03:05:49

Problem was with X. I was running from the X configured via hwd -xa so I decided to do an xorgconfig. Took care of the choppy audio, and my processor isn't spiking nearly as much now. Still have some other issues, but those will go in a different forum.

Greycloack · 2006-01-10 14:03:04

javurn wrote:

greycloack, are you using xorg 7?

Wow, sorry - didn't notice the post till now.

And no, I'm using the regular xorg (6.8.2) from 'current'

sebcactus · 2006-01-12 14:47:49

My problem is not related to X.

top gives a very low idle time even in console mode.

kernel 2.6.25 did not fix it, I still have to compile my own kernel

Alethos · 2006-01-13 16:42:43

according to the link in a previous post of mine, if agpgart is loaded as a module it causes this particular chipset to run slowly. When you compile your own kernel, are you compiling agpgart or using it as a module? Trying to find out, because still my laptop is relatively slow (lsmod shows agpgart to be a module). And from the time of the loading of the last daemon, X (gdm) takes ~30 seconds to start up.

sebcactus · 2006-01-16 18:48:47

My problem is NOT related to X...

And I tried AGPGART compiled both as a module or not, and it works like a charm (currently it is as a module).

Did you make a top while in console mode ? (just change your inittab with a default 3 instead of 5 so that GDM is not loaded at the beginning)
It is just to see if your pb is only with X.

Arch Linux

#1 2005-12-13 16:57:48

Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#2 2005-12-13 16:59:11

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#3 2005-12-13 17:05:20

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#4 2005-12-13 17:07:32

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#5 2005-12-13 17:17:25

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#6 2005-12-13 21:05:15

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#7 2005-12-16 15:27:31

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#8 2005-12-18 20:06:37

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#9 2005-12-18 20:28:49

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#10 2005-12-20 00:07:15

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#11 2005-12-27 20:07:16

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#12 2005-12-27 22:23:57

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#13 2005-12-28 00:43:45

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#14 2006-01-08 19:18:54

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#15 2006-01-10 03:05:49

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#16 2006-01-10 14:03:04

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#17 2006-01-12 14:47:49

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#18 2006-01-13 16:42:43

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

#19 2006-01-16 18:48:47

Re: Arch Kernel slows down some laptop

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