[SOLVED] URxvt + XFT : Slow refresh rate

wor · 2010-10-11 11:03:37

Hello !

I'm experiencing refresh issues using URxvt and XFT fonts : the whole buffer takes more than one second to be drawn, which significantly degrades my usage. Reverting to a non-XFT font solves the issue.
This wasn't happening last week - something got updated in between that broke it - I wish I could be more helpful in pinpointing the breaking change.
I tried fiddling with my Xft XSettings as well, but that didnt change anything. As far as I can tell, other Xft applications are not affected.

Was formerly using rxvt-unicode-256color-layoutgaps 9.07-1 (from AUR), then updated using the community version (http://repos.archlinux.org/wsvn/communi … nity-i686/) applying the layoutgaps patch again (a minor window size update), which didnt change anything.

rxvt-unicode (urxvt) v9.07 - released: 2009-12-27
xft-config --version: 2.1.14
nvidia-settingsL version 256.53
Xlib: extension "RANDR" missing on display ":0.0".

Xorg -version wrote:

X.Org X Server 1.9.0
Release Date: 2010-08-20
X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
Build Operating System: Linux 2.6.34-ARCH x86_64
Current Operating System: Linux windshield 2.6.35-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Wed Sep 29 08:45:18 CEST 2010 x86_64
Kernel command line: root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/27e20cad-1c5a-4806-81e0-397a3073d7db ro vga=795
Build Date: 24 August 2010 01:44:37PM
Current version of pixman: 0.18.4
Before reporting problems, check http://wiki.x.org
to make sure that you have the latest version.

Xsettings URxvt properties wrote:

URxvt.secondaryScroll: true
URxvt*background: #000000
URxvt*foreground: #b2b2b2
URxvt*saveLines: 5000
URxvt*scrollBar: False
URxvt*matcher.button: 1
URxvt*urlLauncher: firefox
URxvt*urgentOnBell: True
URxvt*visualBell: False
URxvt*font: xft:Terminus (TTF)-16
Xft*hinting:true
Xft*hintstyle:hintslight
Xft*antialias: true
Xft*rgba: rgb

Any help appreciated, I will do my best to provide more diagnostics if it can help pinpointing the problem.

Last edited by wor (2010-10-13 03:12:29)

kazuo · 2010-10-11 11:24:54

Are you using a nvidia card with the binary blob? If yes its probably the know regression with text rendering (the solution now is to update to the last beta drive, searching the forum give you more info)

ZekeSulastin · 2010-10-11 12:04:50

Yep - nvidia-settings 256.foo indicates the base nvidia package.

As kazuo said, the solution is either to upgrade from 256 to the 260.foo drivers in the AUR's nvidia-beta package or to downgrade Xorg from 1.9 to 1.8; here's one of the threads on the issue: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=105814

Last edited by ZekeSulastin (2010-10-11 12:05:34)

wor · 2010-10-11 12:45:37

Thank you gentlemen, this solved my problem.
However I had an issue that prevented the driver to load, described in https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=779416 (had to blacklist the nouveau driver as well).
This drove me to discover elinks, which is an awesome text browser.
Again, thanks a lot !

EDIT: For the record, nvidia-settings: version 260.19.06 (buildmeister@builder101) Mon Sep 13 04:59:25 PDT 2010

(this might be useful if some later beta driver breaks something else ...)

Last edited by wor (2010-10-11 12:51:48)

yiuin · 2010-11-30 01:46:56

I had a similar problem with intel video drivers, and running xcompmgr fixed the problem. Not 100% sure this is related but just FYI.

demizer · 2010-11-30 10:59:58

yiuin wrote:

I had a similar problem with intel video drivers, and running xcompmgr fixed the problem. Not 100% sure this is related but just FYI.

rxvt-unicode was working great the other day, then I updated. Now it is slow as shit and choppy has hell. It's really hurting my productivity. I tried runnig xcompmgr, and it does make rxvt run better, but everything else runs like shit. Go figure.

I will continue the search for a fix tomorrow.

Edit: I am running intel drivers as well.

Last edited by demizer (2010-11-30 11:00:22)

yiuin · 2011-04-13 22:24:17

FYI This problem came back, but from another thread I found that setting

URxvt*buffered: false

in my .Xefaults file fixed it.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-10-11 11:03:37

[SOLVED] URxvt + XFT : Slow refresh rate

#2 2010-10-11 11:24:54

Re: [SOLVED] URxvt + XFT : Slow refresh rate

#3 2010-10-11 12:04:50

Re: [SOLVED] URxvt + XFT : Slow refresh rate

#4 2010-10-11 12:45:37

Re: [SOLVED] URxvt + XFT : Slow refresh rate

#5 2010-11-30 01:46:56

Re: [SOLVED] URxvt + XFT : Slow refresh rate

#6 2010-11-30 10:59:58

Re: [SOLVED] URxvt + XFT : Slow refresh rate

#7 2011-04-13 22:24:17

Re: [SOLVED] URxvt + XFT : Slow refresh rate

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