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#1 2020-10-31 17:48:50

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Severe lag, notably in text input

Hello, I'm a new Arch user, until now I only used minimal Debian/OpenBox. I'm very excited to become familiar with this system and community.
Regarding my issue:

st was the first to show me how slow text input is, especially backspacing.
man scrolling can get stuck if I hold j/k for too long, because it's too slow.
As I'm typing this in surf, the cursor lags behind my input. Text selection is also slow! The blue highlight lags behind.

I once noticed exiting Xorg that it left a message in tty telling me that my computer is running slow, along those lines.
I have a Debian installation with OpenBox, from what I could find the driver there is `radeon`, the Debian/OB install is far more responsive than this Arch/dwm install.

WM: dwm
Video driver: xf86-video-ati
Video device: AMD ES1000

I tried xf86-video-amdgpu and x86-video-vesa, it didn't seem to help.
Installed fonts are ttf-dejavu and gnu-free-fonts, I didn't bother configuring fonts so I'm pretty sure ttf-dejavu is used as it was installed first.

Logs:

Last edited by Meragone (2020-11-01 00:09:45)


i use doas btw

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#2 2020-10-31 19:55:09

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

xorg log and system journal so we can see what's going on there.
Google has a hard time finding your GPU but it seems *really* old and only to have 16-64MB RAM?
You're hopefully not running any compositor (picom/xcompmgr) next to dwm?

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#3 2020-10-31 21:22:28

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

seth wrote:

xorg log and system journal so we can see what's going on there.
Google has a hard time finding your GPU but it seems *really* old and only to have 16-64MB RAM?
You're hopefully not running any compositor (picom/xcompmgr) next to dwm?

I edited to include Xorg.0.log and systemd journal, but  I wasn't sure how much of it to post, so I just took the priority messages.
I don't use a compositor, not here, not on Debian.


i use doas btw

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#4 2020-10-31 21:34:19

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

One boot, but all of it:

sudo journalctl -b | curl -F 'f:1=<-' ix.io

(this feeds the journal into a pastebin service and prints the url)

You're successfully using xf86-video-ati, but the xorg log seems cut short?

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#5 2020-11-01 00:11:43

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

seth wrote:

One boot, but all of it:

sudo journalctl -b | curl -F 'f:1=<-' ix.io

(this feeds the journal into a pastebin service and prints the url)

You're successfully using xf86-video-ati, but the xorg log seems cut short?

Thank you!
I edited the post, they're URLs now and should be satisfactory, I hope.


i use doas btw

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#6 2020-11-01 07:16:24

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] radeon kernel modesetting enabled.
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: radeon 0000:0a:04.0: vgaarb: deactivate vga console
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: Console: switching to colour dummy device 80x25
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] initializing kernel modesetting (RV100 0x1002:0x515E 0x1014:0x0325 0x01).
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: resource sanity check: requesting [mem 0x000c0000-0x000dffff], which spans more than PCI Bus 0000:00 [mem 0x000d4000-0x000d7fff window]
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: caller pci_map_rom+0x68/0x171 mapping multiple BARs
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: radeon 0000:0a:04.0: VRAM: 128M 0x00000000C8000000 - 0x00000000CFFFFFFF (16M used)
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: radeon 0000:0a:04.0: GTT: 512M 0x00000000A8000000 - 0x00000000C7FFFFFF
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] Detected VRAM RAM=128M, BAR=128M
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] RAM width 16bits DDR
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [TTM] Zone  kernel: Available graphics memory: 1529722 KiB
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [TTM] Initializing pool allocator
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [TTM] Initializing DMA pool allocator
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] radeon: 16M of VRAM memory ready
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] radeon: 512M of GTT memory ready.
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] GART: num cpu pages 131072, num gpu pages 131072
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] PCI GART of 512M enabled (table at 0x00000000B4F00000).
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: radeon 0000:0a:04.0: WB disabled
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: radeon 0000:0a:04.0: fence driver on ring 0 use gpu addr 0x00000000a8000000
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] radeon: irq initialized.
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] Loading R100 Microcode
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] radeon: ring at 0x00000000A8001000
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] ring test succeeded in 0 usecs
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] ib test succeeded in 0 usecs
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] Radeon Display Connectors
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm] Connector 0:
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm]   VGA-1
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm]   DDC: 0x60 0x60 0x60 0x60 0x60 0x60 0x60 0x60
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm]   Encoders:
Nov 01 00:53:50 desktop kernel: [drm]     CRT1: INTERNAL_DAC1
[    32.178] (II) RADEON(0): Output VGA-0 using initial mode 1920x1080 +0+0
[    32.178] (II) RADEON(0): mem size init: gart size :1fdff000 vram size: s:1000000 visible:3bcb000
[    32.178] (II) RADEON(0): EXA: Driver will not allow EXA pixmaps in VRAM

Try /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-radeon.conf

Section "Device"
	Identifier  "Radeon"
	Driver "radeon"
	Option "AccelMethod" "exa" # you're already using this
        Option "TearFree" "on" # probably voodoo mitigation
        Option "ColorTiling" "on" # good shot, but might not even be supported
        Option "ColorTiling2D" "on" # probably idempotent
        Option "EXAVSync" "no" # best shot
EndSection

Did you run debian on that GPU with a FullHD output on that system?

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#7 2020-11-01 09:35:31

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

seth wrote:

Try /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-radeon.conf

That makes it practically unusable, more lag

seth wrote:

Did you run debian on that GPU with a FullHD output on that system?

Yes, I have no other GPU, it's also 1920x1080


i use doas btw

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#8 2020-11-01 10:08:00

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

Which of the settings introduces more lag?

Edit: do you have an xorg log of the debian inatallation?

Last edited by seth (2020-11-01 10:08:27)

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#9 2020-11-01 12:29:18

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

seth wrote:

Which of the settings introduces more lag?

Section "Device"
        Identifier "Radeon"
        Driver "radeon"
        Option "AccelMethod" "exa" #no noticeable difference
        Option "TearFree" "on" #!extreme lag! - practically unusable
        Option "ColorTiling" "on" #no noticeable difference
        Option "ColorTiling2D" "on" #no noticeable difference
        Option "EXAVSync" "no" #no noticeable difference
EndSection
seth wrote:

Edit: do you have an xorg log of the debian inatallation?

Debian Xorg.0.log


i use doas btw

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#10 2020-11-01 12:48:50

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

I rather meant "which of the individual options"?

What's immediate though is (in your debian log)

[    30.205] (WW) RADEON(0): Direct rendering disabled
[    30.205] (II) RADEON(0): Acceleration disabled
Section "Device"
        Identifier "Radeon"
        Driver "radeon"
        Option "Accel" "off"
        Option "NoAccel" "True" # might cause an error, idk. which setting is interpreted by the radeon module
EndSection

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#11 2020-11-01 13:27:08

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

seth wrote:

I rather meant "which of the individual options"?

I know, I commented each line. TearFree is troublesome

Section "Device"
        Identifier "Radeon"
        Driver "radeon"
        Option "Accel" "off"
        Option "NoAccel" "True" # might cause an error, idk. which setting is interpreted by the radeon module
EndSection

The options, both together and on their own, leave me with an error at xinit:

/usr/lib/Xorg: symbol lookup error: /usr/lib/xorg/modules/radeon_drv.so: undefined symbol: exaGetPixmapDriverPrivate

i use doas btw

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#12 2020-11-01 14:03:35

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

https://lists.debian.org/debian-x/2019/10/msg00131.html

Uninstall xf86-video-ati and try

Section "Device"
        Identifier "Radeon"
        Driver "modesetting"
        Option "Accel" "off"
        Option "NoAccel" "True" # might cause an error, idk. which setting is interpreted by the radeon module
EndSection

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#13 2020-11-01 15:43:13

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

No error this way, same low performance though


i use doas btw

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#14 2020-11-04 19:26:16

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

Might the Debian journal be of help?

Last edited by Meragone (2020-11-04 19:26:42)


i use doas btw

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#15 2020-11-04 20:18:46

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

I just noticed something really really peculiar... The system itself is actually fine!
The issue are surf and st. So far I can tell you that Firefox is unbelievably faster than surf, which baffles me. Termite is faster than st. Besides, a heavy application like Telegram Desktop works just fine!

Last edited by Meragone (2020-11-04 20:33:00)


i use doas btw

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#16 2020-11-04 21:29:26

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

If it was surf, I'd say "different webkit version" or "surf maybe does/not use HW acceleration on one system", but st has virtually no dependencies…

What if you switch from exa to glamor?

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#17 2020-11-09 18:25:56

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

seth wrote:

If it was surf, I'd say "different webkit version" or "surf maybe does/not use HW acceleration on one system", but st has virtually no dependencies…

What if you switch from exa to glamor?

Still makes it worse if anything


i use doas btw

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#18 2020-11-10 07:58:02

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

Does raising xfps and actionfps in st's config.h have any impact?

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#19 2020-11-11 15:45:37

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

seth wrote:

Does raising xfps and actionfps in st's config.h have any impact?

There's no such setting in my config.h, I cloned st from suckless' git


i use doas btw

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#20 2020-11-11 16:06:22

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

Ah, apparently the code changed
https://git.suckless.org/st/commit/1d59 … e90c0.html

Is st on debian the same git version?

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#21 2020-11-18 17:18:16

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

seth wrote:

Is st on debian the same git version?

I haven't tried it on Debian until now, it is the same version and it runs well.


i use doas btw

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#22 2020-11-18 19:28:45

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

Meh.
Do you use some input method like fcitx?
Compare "xset q | grep repeat" (thoug this would only affect few input patterns)

Is programatic input slow?

xdotool key a key b key c key d

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#23 2020-11-20 14:32:49

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

seth wrote:

Meh.
Do you use some input method like fcitx?

I do not

seth wrote:

Compare "xset q | grep repeat" (though this would only affect few input patterns)

They're identical

Arch:
  auto repeat:  on    key click percent:  0    LED mask:  00000000
  auto repeat delay:  660    repeat rate:  25
  auto repeating keys:  00ffffffdffffbbf

Debian:
  auto repeat:  on    key click percent:  0    LED mask:  00000000
  auto repeat delay:  660    repeat rate:  25
  auto repeating keys:  00ffffffdffffbbf
seth wrote:

Is programmatic input slow?

xdotool key a key b key c key d

It isn't slow


i use doas btw

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#24 2020-11-20 14:45:07

seth
Member
Registered: 2012-09-03
Posts: 49,969

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

It isn't slow

So it is about the input device, not the output or st (though that's weird)

Have you tried openbox instead of dwm?
Do you have a different keyboard available?

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#25 2020-11-20 15:45:14

Meragone
Member
From: Serbia
Registered: 2020-10-31
Posts: 19

Re: Severe lag, notably in text input

I don't know what's up with this... I opened up st, the font is much smaller for some reason, perhaps it took a different font. Regardless, it's normal now


i use doas btw

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