2.6 nvidia performance

[TheSpeedoBeast]

I was just curious if anyone else with a PCI nvidia video card has noticed very slow redraws, etc. with the new nvidia drivers and the 2.6 kernel. If your configuration (with an nvidia pci card still) is working ok, post your configs (Xf86 and kernel configs) for me; that would be huge! Thanks in advance for any help on this problem!

[mdwatts]

Some of these JL forum search results for 'nvidia performance' (http://justlinux.com/forum/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=892924&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending) will have suggestions you can try to hopefully fix that problem. I've seen many posted here.

I also have http://hayl.webhop.net/nvidia.html bookmarked.

[Hayl]

i have noticed no degradation at all in performance.

just make sure you have render_accel on in XF86Config and are using nvagp, NOT agpgart, and NOT disabled AGP.

to see what AGP module you are using:

cat /proc/drivernvidia/agp/status

PS: if you have agpgart compiled directly into the kernel, then you likely have agpgart or disabled AGP.

[knute]

Actually, I think mine is running faster with the new drivers and 2.6.3, than it was before.
I don't know, things seem crisper somehow.

And I learned that I actually had to dl the source before the nvidia drivers would actually compile! :D

Oh yeah, the 5336 nvidia drivers are required for the 2.6 kernels as well. I was using the 5328 one's previously, and kernel 2.6.1, but when I upgraded to 2.6.3, the old ones didn't work anymore.

I haven't really had to much of a chance for any major testing, because I got it put back together last night.

HTH

[TheSpeedoBeast]

Yeah, I have seen the vast majority of those posts, but they are almost all for 3d performance; I am just looking for 2d performance, like window redraws, etc. (sorry, didn't specify). The nv module works fine, but nvidia module seems to fail on me. My help request still stands if anyone has any ideas!

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
My help request still stands if anyone has any ideas!

Nothing at all helped from those JL search results and the link I provided? That was quick. :eek:

[TheSpeedoBeast]

Also, that cat command does not yield any response to me; what do I have to do to use the nvagp thing? Also, do i still need an agp driver if i am using a pci card?

[Hayl]

Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
Also, that cat command does not yield any response to me; what do I have to do to use the nvagp thing? Also, do i still need an agp driver if i am using a pci card?
it's all in the README on nvidia's site where you get the drivers from.

or, i have info on my website on tweaking nvidia... see below.

PS: the Render_Accel option is for 2D, and AGP settings afect 2D as well as 3D.

[TheSpeedoBeast]

And I have been searching for a while for this, even on google (*gasp*), so this is not a new problem; it has been ongoing for a few weeks, so do not think that i flippantly posted this message; there wasnt anything which was solved out there at all about redraw rates, which is my main concern...

[knute]

After reading some of the suggestions on your site, MD, I'm now wondering if 5400 fps on glxgears is good or not!

I mean, I haven't put any of those options into my XF86Config-4.
Honestly now, tell me, have I only been using less than half of my vid card?!?

[Hayl]

Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
Also, that cat command does not yield any response to me; what do I have to do to use the nvagp thing? Also, do i still need an agp driver if i am using a pci card?

if your kernel doesnt have the /proc interface then it wont have the entry for nvidia status.

are you sure you have the nvidia module loaded?

do an lsmod to check... most distros should have /proc

do you have "RenderAccel" in your nvidia section in XF86Config?

[TheSpeedoBeast]

Im sorry if I am asking terrible questions, but is the agp module for nvidia included in the driver package? I have installed the nvidia driver and there is no such module in my /lib/modules/2.6.3 folder anywhere... I also saw the nvidia readme mention that, so that's why i am wondering. Or is there an entire other package which is needed to compile it? (or even available in the kernel??)

[Hayl]

Originally posted by knute
After reading some of the suggestions on your site, MD, I'm now wondering if 5400 fps on glxgears is good or not!

I mean, I haven't put any of those options into my XF86Config-4.
Honestly now, tell me, have I only been using less than half of my vid card?!?

it's my site, not Mike's. silly.

no, those tweaks do not give you even a 30% gain on perf.

possibly 10% or maybe 20% if you get lucky.

[TheSpeedoBeast]

-And back to your post hayl, could you possibly have the cat command off a little bit? I can run a cat on /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/host-bridge (not ...../status, however), but i am not sure if thats what i am looking for or not.
-Yes, nvidia is displayed in an lsmod
-Yes, I have RenderAccel set to "True"

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
Also, that cat command does not yield any response to me; what do I have to do to use the nvagp thing? Also, do i still need an agp driver if i am using a pci card?

Seems the other members (not me) forgot the fact you are using PCI or else I would have also suggested checking for agpgart or NvAGP. :)

I read the entire question this time. :D

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by Hayl
it's my site, not Mike's. silly.


Too many spelling mistakes to be my site. :p

[Hayl]

[ ddicks@linuxbox / ] $ ls -l /proc/driver/nvidia/agp/
total 0
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 0 Feb 25 14:45 card
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 0 Feb 25 14:45 host-bridge
-r--r--r-- 1 root root 0 Feb 25 14:45 status

see if agpgart is loaded as a module using lsmod...
also, check your kernel config to see if you ahve agpgart compiled right in.

[knute]

Mine's PCI.

[TheSpeedoBeast]

So you are still saying that nvagp could be a problem, and that I should check that jazz out? Or should I ignore the agp drivers because I am using a pci card?

[Hayl]

Originally posted by mdwatts
Too many spelling mistakes to be my site. :p

would you mind PMing me a list of spelling errors if there are any?

[Hayl]

Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
So you are still saying that nvagp could be a problem, and that I should check that jazz out? Or should I ignore the agp drivers because I am using a pci card?

if it's PCI then that is why you dont have it - ignore the AGP

[TheSpeedoBeast]

So agpgart NEEDS be in the modular form? I will check that out, probably recomplile everything if that's the case...

[TheSpeedoBeast]

Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
...I was just curious if anyone else with a PCI nvidia video card...
Sorry, maybe I should have made this more obvious. Now, are we going to go ahead and completely ignore the agpgart/nvagp drivers because this is pci??

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
So agpgart NEEDS be in the modular form? I will check that out, probably recomplile everything if that's the case...

Please go back and read the responses before you posted.

[Hayl]

TheSpeedoBeast,

Sorry, that was my fault for not reading your first post more carefully. Ignore AGPGART, etc... If your card is PCI it has no affect on you.

[TheSpeedoBeast]

Ok, cool. So as it stands, I have directrender and a few other things enabled, a few of the recent changes that I have made are now deemed useless because I am on the PCI bus, and my redraw rates are still slow (not complaining at all, just giving a recap of where i am at right now). Sorry there, a few times the message order got screwed up just due to fast post replies, dont hold that against me :(. But I am still taking suggestions as to what I should enable here to help out my 2D acceleration on my video card. (The default nv driver has no problems, just a heads up)

[Hayl]

yep.

which 2.6 kernel btw, 2.6.3 ?

[TheSpeedoBeast]

Yes, the new 2.6.3 basic kernel from kernel.org. I used the patched (minion) drivers up until now, when nvidia released a 2.6-compliant driver. Would this make more sense just to go out and buy a decent agp card??

[mdwatts]

Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
Would this make more sense just to go out and buy a decent agp card??

If you have the funds and of course a AGP slot, then go ahead. You could get a single head Nvidia AGP video card, leave the PCI card in and setup dual monitors.

[knute]

Doesn't the physical amount of memory in the computer have anything to do with the 2d graphic rates?

If all of it isn't being utilized, would that cause a rendering hit at all, or is that taken care of by the card's memory?

[TheSpeedoBeast]

Well, I have 512 mb of pretty speedy ram (I just got this computer) so my physical memory isnt the problem here. So you guys seem to think that the only way to get decent rendering is the agp method? I just dont understand why I can get this working with the nv driver, but not with the nvidia driver... and this is a nvidia mx440, so its not bleeding edge, but its not more than a few years old. Keep the support coming, this has been helpful so far!

[knute]

Actually, I wasn't trying to say that you didn't have enough physical memory. I was saying that maybe it's not all being used, so it may be using swap, which is slower, which would slow down the rendering process.

You have to tell linux that you have more than -- I think it's 128MB -- otherwise, if you have more than that, it is simply unused.

top has memory information. I'm thinking that there may be a meminfo command or something that would also tell you.

You would need a boot option such as mem=512M in order to use it. It's worth a shot.

[TheSpeedoBeast]

Nope, definately have 512 total available (415 free) currently