Compiz Powered by GPU

Zatara214 · 06-13-2009, 06:07 AM

I'm using Ubuntu 9.04 x64 with Compiz Fusion. It runs pretty well, but I get the occasional stutter. Yesterday I started using Screenlets, and in starting the CPU monitor, found that Compiz was using my CPU to work (CPU usage spikes heavily during any usage, from moving wobbly windows to video playback to website scrolling). I have a Sager NP8660 laptop with quite a powerful GPU in it (a 9800m GT). What are some things that I can do to take some of the load off of the CPU and get the GPU to do some work? I have Indirect Rendering disabled and Loose Binding enabled, though I have no idea what these actually do.

hal8000 · 06-13-2009, 03:46 PM

You can make sure that the ATI graphics driver is the latest.
On Ubuntu 9.04 there is a tool called jockey. This lists proprietary drivers for example with Nvidia cards and takes care of this for you.

You can also disable some of the effects in compiz, never liked wobbly windows myself but love the cube. I have no problems using Nvidia 7600GT PCI card which is less powerful than your card.

Zatara214 · 06-13-2009, 05:34 PM

I use a tool called Envy, which basically does the same thing as Jockey, but for Nvidia drivers. I get updates through the update manager, I believe. I'm currently using 180.44. I'd like to be able to use most of the effects in compiz, and they work great right now, except when there is a lot of movement on screen (again, like scrolling and video playback).

Thanks for that info on Jockey, though, that'll be really useful to me in the future for some of the other computers I have to take care of.

06-13-2009, 06:07 AM	#1 (permalink)
Zatara214 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 46 OS: Ubuntu 8.10	Compiz Powered by GPU I'm using Ubuntu 9.04 x64 with Compiz Fusion. It runs pretty well, but I get the occasional stutter. Yesterday I started using Screenlets, and in starting the CPU monitor, found that Compiz was using my CPU to work (CPU usage spikes heavily during any usage, from moving wobbly windows to video playback to website scrolling). I have a Sager NP8660 laptop with quite a powerful GPU in it (a 9800m GT). What are some things that I can do to take some of the load off of the CPU and get the GPU to do some work? I have Indirect Rendering disabled and Loose Binding enabled, though I have no idea what these actually do.

06-13-2009, 03:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
hal8000 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: UK Posts: 229 OS: PCLinux2009/Ubuntu/XP	Re: Compiz Powered by GPU You can make sure that the ATI graphics driver is the latest. On Ubuntu 9.04 there is a tool called jockey. This lists proprietary drivers for example with Nvidia cards and takes care of this for you. You can also disable some of the effects in compiz, never liked wobbly windows myself but love the cube. I have no problems using Nvidia 7600GT PCI card which is less powerful than your card.

06-13-2009, 05:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
Zatara214 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 46 OS: Ubuntu 8.10	Re: Compiz Powered by GPU I use a tool called Envy, which basically does the same thing as Jockey, but for Nvidia drivers. I get updates through the update manager, I believe. I'm currently using 180.44. I'd like to be able to use most of the effects in compiz, and they work great right now, except when there is a lot of movement on screen (again, like scrolling and video playback). Thanks for that info on Jockey, though, that'll be really useful to me in the future for some of the other computers I have to take care of.