How to improve the video performance of my laptop?

Wilop91 · Post by **Wilop91** » Tue May 04, 2021 7:18 am

I have my laptop since 4 years now and the video performance has always been bad when surfing on internet with any of the browsers I have (FF, Chromium and Brave) and specifically on web sites containing videos

This is not specifically related to LM since I had the same issue with Ubuntu 16.04 before moving to LM

My laptop does not have a dedicated Graphical Card, i.e. I have an Intel based Graphical Controller directly on the motherboard as can be seen below

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inxi -Fxxxrz
System:    Kernel: 5.4.0-70-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0 Desktop: Cinnamon 4.8.6 wm: muffin 4.8.1 
           dm: LightDM 1.30.0 Distro: Linux Mint 20.1 Ulyssa base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: Notebook product: W54_55SU1,SUW v: N/A serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 9 serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: Notebook model: W54_55SU1,SUW serial: <filter> BIOS: American Megatrends v: 4.6.5 date: 09/07/2015 
Battery:   ID-1: BAT0 charge: 27.6 Wh condition: 27.6/62.2 Wh (44%) volts: 12.7/11.1 model: Notebook BAT type: Li-ion 
           serial: <filter> status: Full 
CPU:       Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core i5-4200M bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Haswell rev: 3 L2 cache: 3072 KiB 
           flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 19954 
           Speed: 798 MHz min/max: 800/3100 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 798 2: 798 3: 798 4: 798 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: i915 v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:0416 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics 4600 (HSW GT2) v: 4.5 Mesa 20.2.6 compat-v: 3.0 direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor HD Audio vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:03.0 chip ID: 8086:0c0c 
           Device-2: Intel 8 Series/C220 Series High Definition Audio vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:1b.0 chip ID: 8086:8c20 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-70-generic 
Network:   Device-1: Intel Wireless 3160 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel port: f040 bus ID: 02:00.0 chip ID: 8086:08b3 
           IF: wlp2s0 state: up mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: r8169 v: kernel 
           port: e000 bus ID: 03:00.1 chip ID: 10ec:8168 
           IF: enp3s0f1 state: down mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 465.76 GiB used: 229.02 GiB (49.2%) 
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Samsung model: SSD 850 EVO mSATA 500GB size: 465.76 GiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> 
           rev: 1B6Q scheme: MBR 
Partition: ID-1: / size: 453.78 GiB used: 201.01 GiB (44.3%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1 
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 3.72 GiB used: 286.8 MiB (7.5%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 56.0 C mobo: N/A 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
Repos:     No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/brave-browser-release.list 
           1: deb [arch=amd64] https://brave-browser-apt-release.s3.brave.com/ stable main
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 
           1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com ulyssa main upstream import backport
           2: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal main restricted universe multiverse
           3: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-updates main restricted universe multiverse
           4: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-backports main restricted universe multiverse
           5: deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ focal-security main restricted universe multiverse
           6: deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ focal partner
           Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/skype-stable.list 
           1: deb [arch=amd64] https://repo.skype.com/deb stable main
Info:      Processes: 282 Uptime: 31d 56m Memory: 7.69 GiB used: 3.81 GiB (49.6%) Init: systemd v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: 
           gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 8/9 Shell: bash v: 5.0.17 running in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.0.38

What happens: when surfing on internet, the browser start using a lot of CPU which starts the fan.

So I installed the glmark2 bench mark which gave the following result:

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glmark2
=======================================================
    glmark2 2014.03+git20150611.fa71af2d
=======================================================
    OpenGL Information
    GL_VENDOR:     Intel Open Source Technology Center
    GL_RENDERER:   Mesa DRI Intel(R) HD Graphics 4600 (HSW GT2)
    GL_VERSION:    3.0 Mesa 20.2.6
=======================================================
[build] use-vbo=false: FPS: 1052 FrameTime: 0.951 ms
[build] use-vbo=true: FPS: 1193 FrameTime: 0.838 ms
[texture] texture-filter=nearest: FPS: 1100 FrameTime: 0.909 ms
[texture] texture-filter=linear: FPS: 894 FrameTime: 1.119 ms
[texture] texture-filter=mipmap: FPS: 675 FrameTime: 1.481 ms
[shading] shading=gouraud: FPS: 572 FrameTime: 1.748 ms
[shading] shading=blinn-phong-inf: FPS: 584 FrameTime: 1.712 ms
[shading] shading=phong: FPS: 538 FrameTime: 1.859 ms
[shading] shading=cel: FPS: 507 FrameTime: 1.972 ms
[bump] bump-render=high-poly: FPS: 422 FrameTime: 2.370 ms
[bump] bump-render=normals: FPS: 575 FrameTime: 1.739 ms
[bump] bump-render=height: FPS: 614 FrameTime: 1.629 ms
[effect2d] kernel=0,1,0;1,-4,1;0,1,0;: FPS: 508 FrameTime: 1.969 ms
[effect2d] kernel=1,1,1,1,1;1,1,1,1,1;1,1,1,1,1;: FPS: 365 FrameTime: 2.740 ms
[pulsar] light=false:quads=5:texture=false: FPS: 584 FrameTime: 1.712 ms
[desktop] blur-radius=5:effect=blur:passes=1:separable=true:windows=4: FPS: 263 FrameTime: 3.802 ms
[desktop] effect=shadow:windows=4: FPS: 352 FrameTime: 2.841 ms
[buffer] columns=200:interleave=false:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=map: FPS: 232 FrameTime: 4.310 ms
[buffer] columns=200:interleave=false:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=subdata: FPS: 223 FrameTime: 4.484 ms
[buffer] columns=200:interleave=true:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=map: FPS: 255 FrameTime: 3.922 ms
[ideas] speed=duration: FPS: 467 FrameTime: 2.141 ms
[jellyfish] <default>: FPS: 444 FrameTime: 2.252 ms
[terrain] <default>: FPS: 71 FrameTime: 14.085 ms
[shadow] <default>: FPS: 231 FrameTime: 4.329 ms
[refract] <default>: FPS: 89 FrameTime: 11.236 ms
[conditionals] fragment-steps=0:vertex-steps=0: FPS: 585 FrameTime: 1.709 ms
[conditionals] fragment-steps=5:vertex-steps=0: FPS: 577 FrameTime: 1.733 ms
[conditionals] fragment-steps=0:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 583 FrameTime: 1.715 ms
[function] fragment-complexity=low:fragment-steps=5: FPS: 582 FrameTime: 1.718 ms
[function] fragment-complexity=medium:fragment-steps=5: FPS: 587 FrameTime: 1.704 ms
[loop] fragment-loop=false:fragment-steps=5:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 601 FrameTime: 1.664 ms
[loop] fragment-steps=5:fragment-uniform=false:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 588 FrameTime: 1.701 ms
[loop] fragment-steps=5:fragment-uniform=true:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 597 FrameTime: 1.675 ms
=======================================================
                                  glmark2 Score: 530 
=======================================================

All 4 CPU’s were above 30% during the full duration of the test so fan was on all the time.

One can say “this seems normal” but my question is why does the CPU has soo much work while all the video stuff should be done by the graphical controller.

My question: is there any tuning/verification which can be done to improve this?

PS: I do not have the same behavior with my Dell test laptop (all 4 CPU’s remain under 30% so no fan running) and also the score is better (879 while 530 on my CLEVO laptop)

Post by **SMG** » Tue May 04, 2021 11:47 am

Several suggestions to help your performance: Make sure you are running the latest BIOS/UEFI for your laptop. Some manufacturers make updates to Intel code which could help with performance.

Another suggestion is to check the browser settings to see if changes there might help performance.

Wilop91 wrote: ⤴Tue May 04, 2021 7:18 amOne can say “this seems normal” but my question is why does the CPU has soo much work while all the video stuff should be done by the graphical controller.

What graphics controller? Your computer does not have a separate graphics controller. Your computer has graphics integrated into the cpu which is known as an iGPU (integrated graphics processing unit). Therefore, if graphics load goes up then so does the load on the cpu.

Wilop91 · Post by **Wilop91** » Wed May 05, 2021 3:47 am

Hello SMG
Thanks for your reply.
I bought my laptop in a local store without OS and discovered later in was a quite unknown Chinese manufacturer (CLEVO)
They have a support section on internet but couldn't find a BIOS for my laptop (they mainly provide Windows drivers for their computers)
Anyway I'm not sure I would do it if I would find a Bios update (I have never done it in my life)

You are also suggesting to check the browser settings but I'm unable to find something related with "graphics" in the FF or Brave "parameters" section. Which settings are you talking about?

I have also checked the LM parameters but couldn't find anything about "graphics". Is there something to tune?

Thanks again

Wilop91 · Post by **Wilop91** » Wed May 05, 2021 3:57 am

@SMG
In complement to my previous post I confirm my Dell laptop has a dedicated Nvidia graphics card which probably explains it has better video performance than my CLEVO laptop:

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inxi -Fxxxrz
System:    Kernel: 5.4.0-70-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 9.3.0 Desktop: Cinnamon 4.8.6 wm: muffin 4.8.1 
           dm: LightDM 1.30.0 Distro: Linux Mint 20.1 Ulyssa base: Ubuntu 20.04 focal 
Machine:   Type: Laptop System: Dell product: Precision M4600 v: 01 serial: <filter> Chassis: type: 9 serial: <filter> 
           Mobo: Dell model: 08V9YG v: A00 serial: <filter> UEFI: Dell v: A02 date: 05/10/2011 
Battery:   ID-1: BAT0 charge: 30.0 Wh condition: 30.0/60.0 Wh (50%) volts: 12.4/11.1 model: SMP DELL TN1K524 type: Li-ion 
           serial: <filter> status: Full 
CPU:       Topology: Dual Core model: Intel Core i5-2520M bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Sandy Bridge rev: 7 L2 cache: 3072 KiB 
           flags: avx lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx bogomips: 19954 
           Speed: 649 MHz min/max: 800/3200 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 637 2: 612 3: 625 4: 621 
Graphics:  Device-1: Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics vendor: Dell driver: i915 v: kernel 
           bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:0126 
           Device-2: NVIDIA GF108GLM [Quadro 1000M] vendor: Dell driver: nouveau v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10de:0dfa 
           Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz 
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel HD Graphics 3000 (SNB GT2) v: 3.3 Mesa 20.2.6 compat-v: 3.0 direct render: Yes 
Audio:     Device-1: Intel 6 Series/C200 Series Family High Definition Audio vendor: Dell Precision M4600 
           driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:1b.0 chip ID: 8086:1c20 
           Device-2: NVIDIA GF108 High Definition Audio vendor: Dell driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.1 
           chip ID: 10de:0bea 
           Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-70-generic 
Network:   Device-1: Intel 82579LM Gigabit Network vendor: Dell Precision M4600 driver: e1000e v: 3.2.6-k port: 8080 
           bus ID: 00:19.0 chip ID: 8086:1502 
           IF: eno1 state: down mac: <filter> 
           Device-2: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel port: 7000 bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 8086:422b 
           IF: wlp3s0 state: up mac: <filter> 
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 232.89 GiB used: 33.82 GiB (14.5%) 
           ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Crucial model: CT250MX500SSD1 size: 232.89 GiB speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> rev: 022 
           temp: 33 C scheme: GPT 
Partition: ID-1: / size: 69.74 GiB used: 33.77 GiB (48.4%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda6 
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 3.88 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda7 
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 53.0 C mobo: 37.0 C sodimm: 35.0 C gpu: nouveau temp: 25 C 
           Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 0

Post by **SMG** » Wed May 05, 2021 9:30 am

Wilop91 wrote: ⤴Wed May 05, 2021 3:47 amYou are also suggesting to check the browser settings but I'm unable to find something related with "graphics" in the FF or Brave "parameters" section. Which settings are you talking about?

Firefox > Settings > Preferences > General
Then scroll down the page to the Performance section. Depending upon the hardware and what you are doing (videos are intensive work for browsers), some settings might be better to have on or off. You can either check on the FF website to see what others have used when having issues or just test and see what works for you.

In the past, I had problems with a laptop and turning off hardware acceleration helped stabilize overall system performance (my Nvidia driver stopped crashing!).

Wilop91 · Post by **Wilop91** » Wed May 05, 2021 4:13 pm

@SMG
Thanks for this tip.
I have done it for all 3 browsers (FF, Chromium and Brave) and it improves a lot!
Its not perfect but much much better, i.e. less CPU and thus no fan.
Thanks again.

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