Integrated video very, very sluggish while I have a dedicated GPU installed LM v20.1

[jonny-come-lately]

When I connect the monitor to the dedicated GPU in the PCI-e slot
it works great. But, when I plug it into the integrated / onboard
port (Display Port / HDMI), it's so slow and sluggish that it's not
usable.

I selected IGFX as the default video in the BIOS, but I
just get a blank screen and a blinking cursor.

When I try the PCI option it works but is very, very sluggish.

I use my dedicated GPU for large video rendering projects; consequently,
by using the onboard video for my monitor it would help speed up my
processing time.

O.S.: Linux Mint 20.1 Cinnamon 64-bit

Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z97

GPU: AMD Radeon VII

Any suggestions on a fix?

Thanks

John

[SMG]

When I connect the monitor to the dedicated GPU in the PCI-e slot
it works great. But, when I plug it into the integrated / onboard
port (Display Port / HDMI), it's so slow and sluggish that it's not
usable.

Welcome to the forum, John.

To get an idea of why there might be differences, we would need to see information about how Mint views your hardware. Section 5 of READ: How To Get Help! explains entering this command in a terminal: inxi -Fxxxrz to get that information. Click </> from the mini toolbar above the textbox where you type your reply and then place your cursor between the code markers and paste the results of the command between the code markers [code]Results[/code]. This will let us know how Mint sees your hardware.

Since you are seeing a difference depending upon where you have the monitor attached, let us know where the monitor is attached when you provide the output. Then change to the other port and run just inxi -Gx and also post that result. That is the part of inxi I suspect may change due to using a different port.

[jonny-come-lately]

Code: Select all

plugged into onboard video:

$ inxi -Fxxxrz

System:
  Kernel: 5.4.0-80-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: Desktop Mobo: Gigabyte model: G1.Sniper Z97 v: x.x serial: <filter> 
  BIOS: American Megatrends v: F8 date: 09/19/2015 
CPU:
  Topology: Quad Core model: Intel Core i7-4790K bits: 64 type: MT MCP 
  arch: Haswell rev: 3 L2 cache: 8192 KiB 
  flags: avx avx2 lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx 
  bogomips: 64000 
  Speed: 1500 MHz min/max: 800/4400 MHz Core speeds (MHz): 1: 1500 2: 1500 
  3: 1501 4: 1501 5: 1501 6: 1500 7: 1502 8: 1501 
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics 
  vendor: Gigabyte driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:0412 
  Device-2: AMD Vega 20 [Radeon VII] driver: amdgpu v: 5.6.20.20.45 
  bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 1002:66af 
  Device-3: AMD Vega 20 [Radeon VII] driver: amdgpu v: 5.6.20.20.45 
  bus ID: 06:00.0 chip ID: 1002:66af 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: amdgpu,ati,modesetting 
  unloaded: fbdev,radeon,vesa resolution: 1360x768~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon VII v: 4.6.14756 Core Profile Context 20.45 
  compat-v: 4.6.14756 direct render: Yes 
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor HD Audio 
  driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus ID: 00:03.0 chip ID: 8086:0c0c 
  Device-2: AMD Vega 20 HDMI Audio [Radeon VII] driver: snd_hda_intel 
  v: kernel bus ID: 03:00.1 chip ID: 1002:ab20 
  Device-3: AMD Vega 20 HDMI Audio [Radeon VII] driver: snd_hda_intel 
  v: kernel bus ID: 06:00.1 chip ID: 1002:ab20 
  Sound Server: ALSA v: k5.4.0-80-generic 
Network:
  Device-1: Qualcomm Atheros Killer E220x Gigabit Ethernet vendor: Gigabyte 
  driver: alx v: kernel port: c000 bus ID: 08:00.0 chip ID: 1969:e091 
  IF: enp8s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter> 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 525.31 GiB used: 27.55 GiB (5.2%) 
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Samsung model: SSD 850 EVO 500GB size: 465.76 GiB 
  speed: 6.0 Gb/s serial: <filter> rev: 3B6Q scheme: MBR 
  ID-2: /dev/sdb type: USB vendor: Generic model: USB3.0 CRW -0 
  size: 29.82 GiB serial: <filter> rev: 1.00 scheme: MBR 
  ID-3: /dev/sdc type: USB vendor: Generic model: USB3.0 CRW -1 
  size: 29.72 GiB serial: <filter> rev: 1.00 
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 456.95 GiB used: 23.26 GiB (5.1%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda5 
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 29.0 C mobo: N/A 
  Fan Speeds (RPM): N/A 
  GPU: device: amdgpu temp: 29 C fan: 826 device: amdgpu temp: 41 C fan: 805 
Repos:
  No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list 
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/amdgpu-pro-local.list 
  1: deb [ trusted=yes ] file:/var/opt/amdgpu-pro-local/ ./
  Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 
  1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com ulyssa main upstream import backport #id:linuxmint_main
  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
Info:
  Processes: 279 Uptime: 3d 3h 29m Memory: 31.18 GiB used: 1.28 GiB (4.1%) 
  Init: systemd v: 245 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 9.3.0 alt: 9 Shell: bash 
  v: 5.0.17 running in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.0.38 

-----

Plugged into GPU'S (onboard video disabled)

$ inxi -Gx

Graphics:
  Device-1: AMD Vega 20 [Radeon VII] driver: amdgpu v: 5.6.20.20.45 
  bus ID: 03:00.0 
  Device-2: AMD Vega 20 [Radeon VII] driver: amdgpu v: 5.6.20.20.45 
  bus ID: 06:00.0 
  Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: amdgpu,ati 
  unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa resolution: 1360x768~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon VII v: 4.6.14756 Core Profile Context 20.45 
  direct render: Yes 
  

[SMG]

When I connect the monitor to the dedicated GPU in the PCI-e slot it works great.

You wrote this as if you have one GPU, but the data you posted indicates there are two dedicated GPUs in addition to the onboard Intel graphics. The dedicated GPUs are rendering in both cases you described. However, it is possible Intel is rendering when you have the monitor plugged into the onboard. We would have to check the Xorg log to know for sure.

Graphics - plugged into onboard video:
Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics
vendor: Gigabyte driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:0412
Device-2: AMD Vega 20 [Radeon VII] driver: amdgpu v: 5.6.20.20.45
bus ID: 03:00.0 chip ID: 1002:66af
Device-3: AMD Vega 20 [Radeon VII] driver: amdgpu v: 5.6.20.20.45
bus ID: 06:00.0 chip ID: 1002:66af
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: amdgpu,ati,modesetting
unloaded: fbdev,radeon,vesa resolution: 1360x768~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon VII v: 4.6.14756 Core Profile Context 20.45
compat-v: 4.6.14756 direct render: Yes

Graphics - Plugged into GPU'S (onboard video disabled)
Device-1: AMD Vega 20 [Radeon VII] driver: amdgpu v: 5.6.20.20.45
bus ID: 03:00.0
Device-2: AMD Vega 20 [Radeon VII] driver: amdgpu v: 5.6.20.20.45
bus ID: 06:00.0
Display: x11 server: X.Org 1.20.9 driver: amdgpu,ati
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon,vesa resolution: 1360x768~60Hz
OpenGL: renderer: AMD Radeon VII v: 4.6.14756 Core Profile Context 20.45
direct render: Yes

You are using the proprietary AMD driver and renderer from AMD's website. Most people find that it is not necessary, but sometimes systems do benefit from using it. I do not know if that proprietary driver might be a reason you are seeing a difference when you plug into the onboard graphics. Normally, the graphics drivers for both Intel and AMD are installed from the kernel.

But, when I plug it into the integrated / onboard port (Display Port / HDMI), it's so slow and sluggish that it's not usable.

I do not know what setting you have in the BIOS when you do that. That might make a difference.

I selected IGFX as the default video in the BIOS, but I just get a blank screen and a blinking cursor.

That makes it sound like the Intel driver is not working in that configuration.

When I try the PCI option it works but is very, very sluggish.

Where do you have the monitor plugged in when you select this and say it is "sluggish"?

I use my dedicated GPU for large video rendering projects; consequently, by using the onboard video for my monitor it would help speed up my processing time.

I think that might depend on how the video software uses the graphics drivers on your PC.

I do not know enough about the specifics of your mobo to know the best configuration. Usually, when people are using both onboard and discrete GPUs simultaneously they have multiple monitors. You only have one monitor. It is possible that on your system there is not a significant benefit to attaching the monitor to the onboard GPU rather than to one of the discrete GPUs.

[SMG]

This thread Does igfx or pcie matter? may help explain what you have noticed.

[jonny-come-lately]

I reinstalled the onboard Intel video driver.....no fix:

$ sudo apt-get install --reinstall xserver-xorg-video-intel

[SMG]

I reinstalled the onboard Intel video driver.....no fix:

$ sudo apt-get install --reinstall xserver-xorg-video-intel

Why? I did not recommend doing that. The data shows the driver was installed.

Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics
vendor: Gigabyte driver: i915 v: kernel bus ID: 00:02.0 chip ID: 8086:0412

I suggest you read up on the settings on your motherboard related to video. Based on what you have written, I do not think you have the correct settings to do what you would like to do. It may not even be possible to do what you would like to do with your motherboard, but I do not know enough about your motherboard to definitively say that.