KDE 4.5 performance

peter4 · Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 8:35 am Post subject: KDE 4.5 performance

Just a little word of warning: if you like using your KDE desktop effects, don't upgrade to 4.5.

I have two Gentoo systems: a laptop with integrated intel graphics and a desktop with a monster nvidia card. On both the desktop animations were turned into a slideshow after the upgrade.

God, I miss Compiz...

Matteo Azzali · Retired Dev Joined: 23 Sep 2004 Posts: 1133

Let me guess.... you're using smooth tasks.
And you didn't re-emerged your plasmoids after the upgrade.

See
https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-p-6386885.html#6386885
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peter4 · Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 8:50 am Post subject:

I don't know what "smooth tasks" are. And the problem is with kwin, not with plasma. And I reemerged the plasmoids when they were upgraded to 4.5...

Dorsai! · Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:41 am Post subject:

I also had a big performace issue with 4.5.
For me it was solved through not using smooth tasks anymore (reemerging alone did NOT work and I am to lazy to use the patch)

The Problems showed not only in a hightended memory usage, but also with a high idle cpu usage of plasma AND kwin.

So my best guess here would be to deactivate all non default plasmoids.

You can test if this would work in creating a new activity and stopping the old one by rightclicking on your desktop and selecting "activity".

ssteinberg · Apprentice Joined: 09 Jul 2010 Posts: 206 Location: Israel

Trying out KDE 4.5 atm and using OpenGL compositing with all effects. It does feel heavy, though it still works suprisingly well tbh.
I was getting yesterday a very slaggish desktop with no apparent reason. Checked top, X was eating all CPU time. Apparently some widget was misbehaving. Try removing them one by one to find the offender.

widremann · Veteran Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 1314

Yeah, could someone explain what smooth tasks are?

I have problems on 4.5 as well. The OpenGL performance is about the same, but I get flashing and blinking with some regularity (but not a strobe effect). I haven't changed my X configuration or graphics drivers.

rahulthewall · Veteran Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 1264 Location: Zürich

Smooth Tasks is a plasmoid for the KDE desktop environment. It is an alternative to the current task manager. The ebuild is available in the kde overlay.

However, I have tested smooth tasks - and it was not the one causing the problem. The problem is with OpenGL compositing effects in KDE 4.5 which need the kernel to be patched. However, I did use the latest kernel (zen kernel to exact) and I am pretty sure (I checked the changed source files and mentioned changes in the patch were indeed there in the kernel source) which I take to imply that the kernel was patched. However, I still had performance issues with OpenGL compositing in Kwin-4.5

So, as of now, i still believe that the upgrade to KDE 4.5 is still not smooth. However, I am using the Intel 945GM graphics cards and I think the problem only exists on Intel hardware. Nvidia and ATI users are probably OK.
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peter4 · Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 5:25 pm Post subject:

widremann · Veteran Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 1314

Guess they finally fixed the regression 4.4 that caused KWin to actual perform somewhere near useful. Glad they have their priorities straight.

Dorsai! · Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 7:23 pm Post subject:

For me it is working perfectly fine with even less memory usage and idle cpu than 4.4 after deactivation smooth-tasks (may apply for any other non native plasmoid).

I have a "nvidia 9800GT" and a "xeon E3110" processor and all kwin effects (that make sense) enabled.

Try:
1. starting a complete new plasma activity
2. Disabling the new blur effect and plasma animations in the desktop effects window
3. set the options of the QT Theme to "high resolution, slow CPU" (or something like that).

Along this way you should somewhere find your troublemaker. As I said it generally works well and even better than 4.4, so something must be messing up here.

hedmo · Veteran Joined: 29 Aug 2009 Posts: 1305 Location: sweden

kwin 4.5 works super with both fglrx and os-drivers.even 9999 floats like on a river.

but of course i am using compiz-fusion

peter4 · Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 7:57 pm Post subject:

How do you use compiz-fusion with kwin? Did I miss something?

purak · Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 9:48 pm Post subject:

I have just compiled KDE 4.5 from kde overlay. It works awesome on my machine. I have Nvidia Go 7300 and 1GB ram. In addition, I use binary nvidia driver.

Thanks to KDE developers and Gentoo KDE team!

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drhirsch · n00b Joined: 08 May 2004 Posts: 66 Location: Germany

For me all performance problems specific to 4.5 disappeared when I disabled the "Blur" plugin.

hedmo · Veteran Joined: 29 Aug 2009 Posts: 1305 Location: sweden

kwin effects start by default when i startx
alt+f2 type compiz-manager and enter.
kwin 3deffects and compiz-fusion are running
but i belive compiz taking over.if i start compiz
in à terminal and stop it i am back on kwin 3D

in the desktop settings 3D effects are enable when
i am using compiz

jsn · n00b Joined: 26 Dec 2005 Posts: 70 Location: Finland

That blur effect indeed is quite demanding. I got 40fps (enable the fps plugin) constant when it was on. For some reason I'm now closer to 60fps constant than in first few "days". Some reboots and upgraded nvidia driver may have changed something. But at least it's usable with blur now.

drhirsch · n00b Joined: 08 May 2004 Posts: 66 Location: Germany

It's not only the slightly lower fps, I get a constant 10%+ cpu load on kwin at an idle desktop if blur is enabled. This is quite a power consumption for nothing.

Xamindar · Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 4:37 am Post subject:

That's why you don't use kde's crappy compiz-fusion ripoff/copy. It has never ran well at all. Just stick to the real compiz-fusion. It even has a ton of more options to change things how you want them.

savalas · n00b Joined: 10 Dec 2009 Posts: 40

peter4 · Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 1:16 pm Post subject:

What's the current state of compiz in Gentoo? If I wanted to try it, should I use the version in main tree or some overlay? Did they merge with compiz-fusion or are those still seperate projects? I haven't followed the news since like KDE 4.1...

Xamindar · Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 4:53 pm Post subject:

peter4 · Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:05 pm Post subject:

I upgraded my nvidia-drivers to the currently masked 256.44 version and it seems the performance problems are gone now.

devsk · Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 6:08 am Post subject:

Nvidia ~amd64 user here! Very happy with resource usage and performance of 4.5! Its the lightest and fastest KDE4 yet.

nixnut · Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 6:52 pm Post subject:

Moved from Desktop Environments to Unsupported Software.
Not in portage, so unsupported
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savalas · n00b Joined: 10 Dec 2009 Posts: 40