Desktop Enviorment Dropping frames

Histole · 2025-09-17 20:57:48

Latest packages, Zen Kernel (No difference on others). Micro stutter even in the desktop, not just scrolling, if I move a window around with my mouse I will notice it hitch from time to time, very annoying. Windows is as smooth as butter, and my laptop running Arch is also very smooth on the Zen kernel. I have a feeling this has to do with the nvidia drivers. I have nvidia-open-dkms installed.

I see no difference whether 1 monitor plugged in, or two, and no difference regardless of refresh rate. Tested with KDE on wayland, and X11, and tested Gnome on wayland, no difference. Tried different refresh rates but to no avail.

Thank you to all for help in advance.

seth · 2025-09-17 21:35:23

Please post your Xorg log, https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xorg#General so we get some information about the actual hardware/setup.

not just scrolling, if I move a window around

Do videos stutter or is this input dependent?

I have nvidia-open-dkms installed.

Have you tried the not-open nvidia-dkms module?

smooth as butter

Who would ever want that? Butter is dis·gus·ting.

Histole · 2025-09-17 23:02:46

seth wrote:

Please post your Xorg log, https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Xorg#General so we get some information about the actual hardware/setup.

https://0x0.st/KcCB.txt

Do videos stutter or is this input dependent?

Playing this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVNO-ehIOdw shows that it does stutter a bit, but some of that is dropped frames, which I have never had < 5 in my life on any system. So can't say for certain. Though, part of me does believe it is input dependent, as when I minimize or maximize it will drop frames and I can noticeably see it become less smooth. Adaptive sync is off on wayland.

Have you tried the not-open nvidia-dkms module?

I have, and it made zero difference in my testing. I will say, X11 does seem to be smoother. If i swing the mouse around in a circle, the mouse trail is all evenly spaced out, whereas on Wayland it has uneven gaps between each print. I am quite susceptible to micro stutter and it drives me crazy, but I'm sure this doesn't bother majority of users.

Edit: On windows, the video I linked is perfectly smooth, zero dropped frames actually, so I retract my previous statement.

Last edited by Histole (2025-09-17 23:09:59)

seth · 2025-09-18 07:57:51

Simple nvidia setup, no (reverse) prime, no software rendering.
Ftr: "nvidia.NVreg_EnableGpuFirmware=0" is not an option w/ nvidia-open!

=> Test the behavior on a minimal, uncomposited X11 session (openbox will do) and glxgears or eglgears
If you still get framedrops, does that change w/ only one output at 60Hz?

Histole · 2025-09-19 18:17:57

seth wrote:

=> Test the behavior on a minimal, uncomposited X11 session (openbox will do) and glxgears or eglgears
If you still get framedrops, does that change w/ only one output at 60Hz?

With openbox the frame drops are gone on the desktop, I can move windows around without micro stutter, scrolling now has tearing, but the stutter is "mostly" gone, very minor hitching. This is in 120hz both displays connected. One display connected at 60hz gives me the same result.

So it looks like this has to do with Linux's Vsync implementation or something? When the frame rate is not exactly 120hz it would stutter, with vsync enabled, I think that's what I am noticing?

glxgears looks like it's hitching a bit.

Edit: If I try doing the same scroling motion on a browser with glxgears open it hitches a lot with screen tearing as well. If it is closed, the scrolling is relatively smooth with tearing.

I can't tell if this is just Linux, or if there is an error somewhere.

Last edited by Histole (2025-09-19 18:21:53)

seth · 2025-09-19 20:48:38

There's nothing such as a "linux vsync implementation", this is between the client (compositor, glxgears, browser) the GL library and the driver (nvidia) and the vblank signal of the monitor.

__GL_SYNC_TO_VBLANK=1 glxgears

__GL_SYNC_DISPLAY_DEVICE allows you to control which output is being synced to, setting it to DFP-1 or DFP-3 should™ work, if not, check the ouput names w/ "xrandr -q"

If I try doing the same scroling motion on a browser with glxgears open it hitches a lot with screen tearing as well. If it is closed, the scrolling is relatively smooth with tearing.

Is this also true w/ the single output @60Hz setup?
Can you get a screenrecording of this?

Since this seems to affect all composoitors, clients and display servers, you'd be looking at nvidia.
How do things behave w/ nouveau itr?

Arch Linux

#1 2025-09-17 20:57:48

Desktop Enviorment Dropping frames

#2 2025-09-17 21:35:23

Re: Desktop Enviorment Dropping frames

#3 2025-09-17 23:02:46

Re: Desktop Enviorment Dropping frames

#4 2025-09-18 07:57:51

Re: Desktop Enviorment Dropping frames

#5 2025-09-19 18:17:57

Re: Desktop Enviorment Dropping frames

#6 2025-09-19 20:48:38

Re: Desktop Enviorment Dropping frames

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