Hey all,

Firstly sorry if this is in the wrong location but I really need help.
I love KDE but my linux box is almost completely unusable.

I used to run KDE3 on a P4 with 1GB of memory and it ran like a dream, I updated to KDE4 and started getting huge performance issues

I upgraded to a Athlon X2 with 4GB of memory and a new install of Fedora running KDE 4.6.5 and a Geforce 8400-GS using the nv driver. Not the best rig but should be quick enough....

Desktop effects are disabled and even with just a handful of windows open at once
everything (especially Kwrite) becomes unbearable to work with - i'm talking 7 kwrite windows and the thing grinds to a halt! i'll press a key on the keyboard have literally wait seconds for the cursor to move....

Monitoring Top, X reaches 90% cpu just by me moving between screens however interestingly enough when i'm running 7 kwrites even though it's unbearably slow - CPU usage remains at around 12% and memory always has atleast 2GB free.

I've tried several distros, both the nv and nouveau drivers, tried with different graphics cards and processors (up to an i5) but always get the same low performance,

I get better performance with Windows XP Pro on a Single Core Centrino 1.8ghz and 2GB of memory..

I've been running Linux for about 10 years now and this has damaged my trust in it severely,
I searched google for a solution and it appears 100% cpu usage from X running KDE4 is very very common

Could someone help? I can provide any information you need
I'd really like to keep using KDE and Linux but can't if I can't get decent performance out of it.

Thanks in advance

For reference, I have a laptop from 2005 that runs kde. It's a pentium M 2 GHz processor with 2 GB of ram and has an nvidia 6800 Go video card. It's running 32-bit arch linux and nouveau drivers and runs with desktop effects on, but with nepomuk and akonadi off. Typically, it uses 250–300 MB of ram, idling at near zero cpu.

A more utilized machine is my new-ish netbook (asus eeepc 1015pem). It's stock config, but I changed out the ram for 2 GB. Software-wise, it's identical to my old laptop (32-bit arch/kde). It has desktop effects, akonadi and nepomuk enabled and some basic applications open (amarok, skype, kmail, system monitor) and it uses twice as much ram (~600 MB) and idles with no cpu load unless strigi or akonadi are indexing my files or emails respectively.

So, in conclusion, with a basic install (32-bit for starters), you should expect to see a fairly responsive system using about 600 MB of RAM. With a gig, you should be good, but you have only 400 MB of play, so with 2 GB, you should have a very nice experience with kde.

Let's troubleshoot your problem. Can you narrow your configuration down to one system, perhaps the "Athlon X2 with 4GB of memory and a new install of Fedora running KDE 4.6.5 and a Geforce 8400-GS"? Things I can think of:

• Upgrade all packages to the latest available for your distribution.
• Use the nouveau driver rather than the nv driver.
• Start with a fresh user account. If you want to use your old account, move all your dot-files someplace so they can be freshly created.
• Log in. Your first login might take some time while kde creates a zillion config files.
• When everything's done, you should be idling at near zero cpu usage with about 300 MB of ram used.

Let's start from there.

hey karthikp,

Thank you for your response

• Upgrade all packages to the latest available for your distribution.
• Use the nouveau driver rather than the nv driver.
• Start with a fresh user account. If you want to use your old account, move all your dot-files someplace so they can be freshly created.
• Log in. Your first login might take some time while kde creates a zillion config files.
• When everything's done, you should be idling at near zero cpu usage with about 300 MB of ram used.

All of these i've tried, the only time the system is more responsive is on first boot but I can run 7/8 Kwrite sessions or a few web browser tabs and I get the issue almost immediately.

I idle at around 92% but as soon as I start moving my mouse or do anything with the computer things slow down. As above even when I have software open the idle rate is between 80-90% but there is little to no usability

At the moment I have

• Chrome.
• Thunderbird.
• 3 Kwrites.
• Konsole
• Konqueror with two network shares

open, i'm idling at around 95% only have 43mb memory free (no swap used)

The highest memory usage is coming from Thunderbird with only 5.8% usage, chrome next and then X.. X is using the most CPU and every other application is using ~1% memory however even writing in this text box is painful..

And if I move the cursor from screen to screen X's Cpu Usage stays at between 50% & 90% (it goes up, the quicker I move it!!)

Thanks again

Actually on more testing, when trying to use Kwrite and monitoring the process list from another system X cpu usage jumps as soon as I start scrolling, I just tried this with 3 kwrite windows open and no Thunderbird i've got 160mb free and no swap file usage.

James

use the proprietary Nvidia drivers (280.13 is the latest, no idea what Fedora uses), much better than Nouveau.

you have 4gb ram but ony 43mb to 160mb free? open system monitor and sort on the 2 memory columns (memory, shared memory) to see what's eating your ram, making sure you look at "all processes"not just "user processes".

I'm using 260 although I can't update to 280 because apparently I need the 2.6.35.14-95 which doesn't appear to be available for fedora yet

I opened system monitor and the highest memory usage comes from chrome and firefox, the rest are much smaller processes,
i'm more concerned about X using such a high cpu usage when a certain number of programs are running, they can be open and I won't be in swap space but the cpu is going nuts on the X process and the programs are unusable.

In contrast I have a windows XP Pro system, same spec (worse graphics card) but can happily have 2/3 visual studios open, eclipse open, android avd running, photoshop open, several skype conversations etc etc and it still be quite responsive.... this setup i can barely open a few windows before it locks up

google01103 wrote:use the proprietary Nvidia drivers (280.13 is the latest, no idea what Fedors uses), much better than Nouveau.

you have 4gb ram but ony 43mb to 160mb free? open system monitor and sort on the 2 memory columns (memory, shared memory) to see what's eating your ram, making sure you look at "all processes" not just user processes.

This sort of high cpu usage from X sounds like your gpu is on vacation and making the cpu do all the work. I only have good things to say about nouveau drivers, but performance-wise, yes, the nvidia binary drivers are usually far ahead. I don't know how exactly you'd go about troubleshooting that if upgrading to newer drivers isn't an option.

I have an off-topic suggestion, though. If you feel the problems are kde-related, you could try using a window manager like the *boxes (fluxbox, openbox, etc) or even simple ones like twm or mwm. All the applications you use will run happily in the new environment as well. If the high cpu usage is caused by kde, it should disappear if you use a simple wm.

Thanks for your help guys, I think i've narrowed it down to being an X specific issue, any idea how I can get 280 driver on here? That might solve my problems if not I don't know what will

not convinced that the 260 drivers are your problem, when I used them I didn't have issues like this

I like karthikp's "your gpu is on vacation and making the cpu do all the work" as it would explain the lack of graphical performance. Run

lsmod|grep nv

and

lsmod|grep nouv

Thanks for your response,

It sounds that way but when using Desktop effects, they all work and perfectly I only ever get high CPU on x after opening a certain number of programs

heres what the first command returned


snd_hda_codec_nvhdmi 13724 4
nvidia 10270686 50
snd_hda_codec 86743 3 snd_hda_codec_nvhdmi,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_intel
snd 64032 13 snd_hda_codec_nvhdmi,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hwdep,snd_seq,snd_seq_device,snd_pcm,snd_timer
i2c_core 27212 2 nvidia,i2c_nforce2
sata_nv 20925 2


second command returned nothing

Also I can run nvidia-settings and it recognizes things are there and running (including the speed of the GPU) not to mention i'm running two screens from this (i get the same performance issue with just one)

any possibility of upgrading to KDE 4.7?

I'm not sure it would solve anything, I tried Gnome and got the same issue (albeit not as quickly!)

I really like my KDE it makes web dev a sinch i just wish I could work out why this is happening

google01103 wrote:any possibility of upgrading to KDE 4.7?

I'm stumped (but that's easy to do) my suggestion would be to repost (also on Fedora) with a new subject emphasizing that you have a X performance problem

include:
- occurs both with Gnome and KDE
- occurs with Nouveau and Nvidia drivers
- running AMD x2 w/4gb and an 8400gpu
- that X takes up to 90% of cpu with KDE effects disabled when moving between screens
- whatever else you might consider relevant

a thought - try a live cd with the latest X, kernel and KDE, not sure Fedora has one (only saw the dvd) but Kubuntu has an 11.10 alpha 3, just to see if the latest everything helps. Also think you should do the 64bit

http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/relea ... c/alpha-3/
http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/relea ... -amd64.iso