Is graphics loading modesetting bad?

[ron.alan]

Lately on some websites I've been getting very choppy scrolling, so I ran inxi -G and here's the output:

Graphics:
Device-1: Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics
driver: i915 v: kernel
Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.16 driver: X: loaded: modesetting
unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: crocus gpu: i915 resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
API: EGL v: 1.5 drivers: crocus,swrast
platforms: gbm,x11,surfaceless,device
API: OpenGL v: 4.6 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: intel mesa v: 25.0.7-2
renderer: Mesa Intel HD Graphics (HSW GT1)
Info: Tools: api: eglinfo,glxinfo x11: xdriinfo, xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr

The part that concerns me is "driver: X: loaded: modesetting." I seem to recall something not good about modesetting. Am I correct? I researched how to prevent modesetting from loading and found this:

For Intel Graphics

Edit GRUB Configuration:
Open as superuser /etc/default/grub and edit the GRUB configuration file.
Find the line starting with GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT.
Add i915.modeset=0 to this line. It should look something like this:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash i915.modeset=0"

Update GRUB

Should I do this? I'm afraid if I do, I'll boot to a black screen.

 

[dos2unix]

hmmm... where did you get this?

That advice would DISABLE your graphics driver entirely!

It's easy to confuse Two Different Things:
1. Kernel Mode Setting (KMS) - GOOD

i915.modeset=1 (enabled by default)
Modern way graphics drivers work
You WANT this enabled!

2. Xorg modesetting driver - NEUTRAL/OK

X.Org fallback driver
Not ideal but not necessarily bad
Your concern here

Device-1: Intel HD Graphics (HSW GT1) - Haswell integrated graphics
driver: i915 v: kernel (GOOD - kernel driver loaded)

Display: x11 server: X.Org
driver: X: loaded: modesetting (This is the X driver)
dri: crocus (GOOD - Mesa driver)


DO NOT Disable Modesetting!
If you add i915.modeset=0 you will:

Disable kernel mode setting
Break graphics entirely
Boot to black screen (as you feared!)
Need to boot from USB to fix

I don't know what distro you use.. but try installing the intel driver.

sudo dnf install xorg-x11-drv-intel

Optional: Recommended

sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf
```

**Add:**
```
Section "Device"
    Identifier "Intel Graphics"
    Driver "intel"
    Option "AccelMethod" "sna"
    Option "TearFree" "true"
EndSection

Option 2: Enable Hardware Acceleration in Browser
Firefox:

about:config
Search: layers.acceleration.force-enabled
Set to true
Restart browser

Chrome:

chrome://flags
Search: "hardware acceleration"
Enable
Restart

Finally: You might not like this.. but it is definitely true.


Check If Using Wayland Would Help
Your system uses X11,
At login screen:

Click gear icon (bottom right)
Select "GNOME on Wayland" or "Plasma (Wayland)"
Login and test

Wayland often better with Intel graphics

Some of my benchmarks show Wayland is as much as 300-350% faster than X11 for Intel.

Again, this is a dnf example, use whatever pkg manager makes sense.

You can test this yourself

# Check if GPU acceleration working
glxinfo | grep "direct rendering"
# Should say "Yes"

# Check GPU load while scrolling choppy site
intel_gpu_top
# (install with: sudo dnf install intel-gpu-tools)

 

[ron.alan]

I don't know what distro you use.. but try installing the intel driver.

Using Devuan. I looked in the repos and xorg-x11-drv-intel isn't listed. But I do have intel-media-va-driver installed. There is also one listed as intel-media-va-driver-non-free but that is not installed. If I do install xorg-x11-drv-intel do I need to configure the system to use it, or would it do it automatically?

EDIT
I also have xserver-xorg-video-intel installed.

 

[KGIII]

I'll ask a couple of easy questions.

What browser is this?

Have you tried an alternative browser?

 

[GatorsFan]

Me - I disabled Hardware Acceleration in Firefox - Edit:Setting:General: and UNCHECK everything in Performance - runs smooth now - here is my inxi -G

Graphics:
Device-1: Intel Alder Lake-P GT1 [UHD Graphics] driver: i915 v: kernel
Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.16 driver: X: loaded: modesetting
unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: iris gpu: i915 resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
API: EGL v: 1.5 drivers: iris,swrast platforms: gbm,x11,surfaceless,device
API: OpenGL v: 4.6 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: intel mesa v: 25.0.7-2
renderer: Mesa Intel Graphics (ADL GT2)
Info: Tools: api: eglinfo,glxinfo de: xfce4-display-settings x11: xdriinfo,
xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr

 

[KGIII]

I disabled Hardware Acceleration in Firefox

Indeed, which is why I asked which browser they were using. Turning off HA can cure all sorts of weird bugs, especially if it's a Chromium-based browser (but also with Firefox).

 

[ron.alan]

It's only the Amazon website and browser is Pale Moon. I had hardware acceleration turned off, probably for some weird issue as already mentioned, of which I can't remember right now. Strangely, turning it back on seems to help a little bit with my Amazon issue.

 

[MikeWalsh]

@ron.alan :-

I hate to say it, mate - I know it won't go down well with you! - but Chrome would honestly work better.

Despite that the "parent" (Chromium) is always built against cutting-edge everything, when Google take a stable build of the source code and create Chrome with it, they always re-compile it against a substantially older build-environment.....to make it available to as wide an 'audience' as possible.

But I think I'm wasting my time suggesting it.


Mike.

 

[ron.alan]

But I think I'm wasting my time suggesting it.

No, you're not. Well, as far as Chrome goes, yes you are. But I do use Chromium as my backup browser. I think I got Amazon running okay enough to not switch it to Chromium.