cinnamon 5.0.5 high cpu utilization

[youmych]

I'd upgraded my desktop to Linux mint 20.2 and faced with an issue: the cinnamon process uses a lot of CPU. On idle it uses about 20% of all of my 8 cores, when I'm moving windows or scrolling them the cpu utilization increases up to 300-400%.

[deepakdeshp]

Post output of terminal command

Code: Select all

 inxi -Fxz

in code tags.

[deepakdeshp]

Post output of terminal command

Code: Select all

 inxi -Fxz

in code tags.

[youmych]

Code: Select all

$ inxi -Fxz
System:    Kernel: 5.4.0-77-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0 Desktop: Cinnamon 5.0.5 Distro: Linux Mint 20.2 Uma 
           base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:   Type: Desktop Mobo: Micro-Star model: Z390-A PRO (MS-7B98) v: 1.0 serial: <filter> UEFI: American Megatrends 
           v: 1.10 date: 08/22/2018 
CPU:       Topology: 8-Core model: Intel Core i7-9700K bits: 64 type: MCP arch: Kaby Lake rev: C L2 cache: 12.0 MiB 
           flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 57600 
           Speed: 800 MHz min/max: 800/5000 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 800 2: 800 3: 800 4: 800 5: 801 6: 800 7: 800 8: 800 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel UHD Graphics 630 vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 2560x1440~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel UHD Graphics 630 (CFL GT2) v: 4.6 Mesa 20.2.6 direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel Cannon Lake PCH cAVS vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1f.3 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-77-generic 
Network:   Device-1: Intel Ethernet I219-V vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: e1000e v: 3.2.6-k port: efa0 bus ID: 00:1f.6 
           IF: eno1 state: down mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Realtek RTL8812AU 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2T2R DB WLAN Adapter type: USB driver: rtl88XXau bus ID: 1-1:2 
           IF: wlx00c0caab7305 state: up mac: <filter> 
           IF-ID-1: docker0 state: down mac: <filter> 
           IF-ID-2: tun0 state: unknown speed: 10 Mbps duplex: full mac: N/A 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 5.00 TiB used: 2.79 TiB (55.7%) 
           ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 vendor: Samsung model: SSD 970 EVO 500GB size: 465.76 GiB 
           ID-2: /dev/sda vendor: Toshiba model: HDWU130 size: 2.73 TiB 
           ID-3: /dev/sdb vendor: Samsung model: HD204UI size: 1.82 TiB 
Partition: ID-1: / size: 58.81 GiB used: 24.41 GiB (41.5%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/dm-0 
           ID-2: /boot size: 1.69 GiB used: 220.2 MiB (12.7%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/nvme0n1p3 
           ID-3: /home size: 396.42 GiB used: 268.91 GiB (67.8%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/dm-1 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 42.0 C mobo: N/A 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Info:      Processes: 317 Uptime: 4h 53m Memory: 31.23 GiB used: 7.28 GiB (23.3%) Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Compilers: 
           gcc: 9.3.0 Shell: bash v: 5.0.17 inxi: 3.0.38

[youmych]

I update my kernel to 5.4.0-80-generic and it looks like the problem was solved.

Today I did decrease the cinnamon nice to the lowest value (+20) and watched that it spend a lot of time in some system calls.

[DPM]

Graphics: Device-1: Intel UHD Graphics 630 vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 2560x1440~60Hz

I think this means that your video acceleration doesn't work. Cinnamon using software rendering would explain high CPU usage.

[SMG]

Graphics: Device-1: Intel UHD Graphics 630 vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 2560x1440~60Hz

I think this means that your video acceleration doesn't work. Cinnamon using software rendering would explain high CPU usage.

What you highlighted indicates the Intel driver is installed and running properly. The i915 driver uses the modesetting driver.

Cinnamon is using Intel hardware rendering as indicated by the below:
Graphics:
Device-1: Intel UHD Graphics 630 vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 2560x1440~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: Mesa Intel UHD Graphics 630 (CFL GT2) v: 4.6 Mesa 20.2.6 direct render: Yes

With a 9th-gen Intel cpu, the OP would probably see better performance running the 5.8 or 5.11 kernel. Both of those are available in Update Manager.

Open Update Manager. Select View > Linux Kernels and click Continue. Make sure 5.11 is selected on the left panel and then click the top-most option on the right panel. An "Install" button will appear. Install the kernel and then reboot for it to become active.

[DPM]

Cinnamon is using Intel hardware rendering as indicated by the below:

The modesetting server doesn't have acceleration AFAIK, and with my (AMD) system, I see my driver mentioned also in the second spot (instead of modesetting).

[SMG]

Cinnamon is using Intel hardware rendering as indicated by the below:

The modesetting server doesn't have acceleration AFAIK, and with my (AMD) system, I see my driver mentioned also in the second spot (instead of modesetting).

The OP has Intel graphics and not AMD graphics. Modesetting is the preferred display driver for Intel graphics and the display driver is separate from the renderer.

If there was not hardware acceleration then the OP would be getting a pop-up message saying there is no hardware acceleration. That is not the case.

I have already pointed out to you that there is hardware rendering. Software rendering would indicate renderer: llvmpipe, but the OP has renderer: Mesa Intel UHD Graphics 630.

[DPM]

Modesetting is the preferred display driver for Intel graphics

On my only Intel machine, I do get the "intel" driver for X11, and "modesetting" unloaded.

If there was not hardware acceleration then the OP would be getting a pop-up message saying there is no hardware acceleration. That is not the case.

Good point, yeah.

[SMG]

Modesetting is the preferred display driver for Intel graphics

On my only Intel machine, I do get the "intel" driver for X11, and "modesetting" unloaded.

There are some much older Intel graphics for which intel is the display driver, but modesetting is the newer, more up-to-date driver. I do not recall seeing modesetting unloaded on the cases where the intel display driver is the preferred one, but those cases are few and far between so I could be remembering it incorrectly. I have a second-gen Intel cpu and its graphics are driven by modesetting, so when I say older, I mean older.

[youmych]

If there was not hardware acceleration then the OP would be getting a pop-up message saying there is no hardware acceleration. That is not the case.

I haven't any popup message about software rendering is using.

[atiqulhb]

1. logout of your session
2. change desktop environment to Cinnamon(default). if you don't know how to change desktop environment, look at the top right of password form. there is a circle with two mountain drawn. click there and you will be asked to select desktop environment.
3. log back in

this is how i solved my issue.
let me know what happens.