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rabid_works

Member

Registered: 2010-08-15

Posts: 45

[SOLVED] memory issue 1920 x 1080 resolution

I just bought a new monitor (a packard bell viseo 230Ws) and I keep getting systems slow downs that force me to reboot in order to get back to a workable environment. I'm running KDE 4.5.2 with 1.5 gigs of RAM and an nvidia GeForce FX 5700LE graphics card. I'm running the 173xx nvidia driver and xorg 1.9 on a 32 bit arch install.

I didn't have any slow downs or memory issues when I was using my old 1280 x 1024 monitor.

Xorg.0.log has the following logged at the moment of the slow downs :

  Warning: Xalloc: requesting unpleasantly large amount of memory: 0 bytes. 

There don't seem to be any other errors to speak of.

I'm unsure of how to troubleshoot it further. My current feeling is that I need to add 1 - 1.5 gigs of RAM (this seems to be the cheepest option). If this doesn't work I figure the issue could be with my nvidia card, which may just be too old to handle the hardware I have.

As far as resolution goes, the picture is perfect and I can watch movies for hours with no performance issues. I have no window tearing and can open apps normally. Slow down only occurs when I try to do normal computing tasks with 2 or more apps open at a time.

I bought the new screen for work reasons so this is quite a big issue for me. Does anyone have any ideas to improve performance or advice on running  a 1920 x 1080 screen with my nvidia card? Even just some advice / thoughts on my reasoning that memory is the issue and that more ram or a new graphics card is needed would be appreciated (and which is the most likely of the two to be the culprit).

Thanks.

Last edited by rabid_works (2010-10-29 13:42:32)

lagagnon

Member

From: an Island in the Pacific...

Registered: 2009-12-10

Posts: 1,087

Website

Re: [SOLVED] memory issue 1920 x 1080 resolution

Are you using the DVI out or the VGA out? I understand the DVI out is limited to lower resolution. At any rate I suspect that at 1980x1020 and with that older card it is no wonder you are having slowdowns.  Try the VGA out instead and maybe try reducing the maximum colour depth to 16 from 24 in your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and see if that helps.

---

Philosophy is looking for a black cat in a dark room. Metaphysics is looking for a black cat in a dark room that isn't there. Religion is looking for a black cat in a dark room that isn't there and shouting "I found it!". Science is looking for a black cat in a dark room with a flashlight.

stqn

Member

Registered: 2010-03-19

Posts: 1,191

Website

Re: [SOLVED] memory issue 1920 x 1080 resolution

If "free -m" reports that you still have free mem, then you don't need to add more RAM. I think 1.5 GB should be plenty, but I don't know what you're doing with your computer. Personnaly I'm running XFCE with 1GB RAM and a 64MB Radeon 9700 Mobility (which seems to be about as powerful as your card), and I've already used it with my 1920x1200 monitor without any speed problem. Not recently though.

Maybe you can try disabling compositing? (windows shadows/transparency)

TigTex

Member

From: Portugal

Registered: 2008-06-19

Posts: 301

Re: [SOLVED] memory issue 1920 x 1080 resolution

Is that an agp card? If it is, increase the agp aperture size to 256mb in your bios. I have the same card (fx5700) and I have no problems (256mb vram + 128mb agp-shared) with a 23" 1920x1080 lcd.

and by the way, 1980x1020 is not a valid resolution, 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 perhaps?

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.::. TigTex @ Portugal .::.

rabid_works

Member

Registered: 2010-08-15

Posts: 45

Re: [SOLVED] memory issue 1920 x 1080 resolution

Are you using the DVI out or the VGA out

I'm using vga out.

increase the agp aperture size to 256mb in your bios

Done. This seems to have improved performance a bit, but only minimally. I still get slow downs - they just take a bit longer to eventuate.

If "free -m" reports that you still have free mem

I can't really do this at the time of the slow downs, since the computer becomes instantly unusable. I can shutdown correctly, but that's about it. However, I don't think it is a memory issue either.

I'm running XFCE with 1GB RAM and a 64MB Radeon 9700 Mobility (which seems to be about as powerful as your card), and I've already used it with my 1920x1200 monitor without any speed problem

I'll give xfce a try just to rule out the issue lying with KDE. However, I'm leaning towards just buying a new, more recent nvidia card, in particular, the  Gainward 9800GT. Although it's not the newest, most powerful card, it is a bit more recent and, most importantly, in my price range. Any thoughts on my choice of card in relation to my issue? I'm not a gamer, I just use the system for browsing, watching films etc, and work, which is mostly Open Office applications.

1980x1020 is not a valid resolution, 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 perhaps

yes, 1920x1080 - sorry must have inverted the numbers. I'll modify my original post.

Thanks for your ideas so far.

[EDIT] 

XFCE4 + Compiz runs fine without any slow downs whatsoever. I guess the issue must lie with Kwin or something in KDE... I'll mark this as solved. I'll try to figure out where the actual issue lies with KDE at a later date (too busy at the mo).

Last edited by rabid_works (2010-10-29 13:41:47)