Doh ! Sorted out why X slows down.
There is a little setting in the BIOS about "smart CPU" that drops the speed to the CPU to preserve power. I never paid it any attention; when this machine was a Windoze machine it never had any visible effect. Don't know if Windoze was just slow anyway or if it tweak the BIOS settings !!! Just goes to show ! Sorry about that, Owen On Monday 16 Dec 2002 10:35 pm, you wrote: > Hello, > > I have reported this before with Mandrake Cooker at about version 7.2 and > it still happens in the latest Cooker ! > > Basically when doing specific things both X and the frame buffer slow down > all on their own. > > I really don't know what is doing this and would appreciate any help. It > would really help to know if I am alone in this or if other people also get > similar or the same results. > > How to make it happen. > X :- > Start X. Start an application that that involves X doing a lot of movement. > The best example I have found is Mesa Gears because it outputs the fps. > When I start gears the results I see are : > 57 fps > 60 fps > 37 fps > 37 fps > 37 fps > Each output occurs at 5 second intervals. > > Now here comes the fun bit ! Start moving the mouse or keep a key > depressed. The fps output now goes up to 63 and stays there until the mouse > stops moving or the key is released where upon it goes straight back to 37 > ! Moreover, if gears is exited and re-started the whole cycle starts again. > I.e. the output starts at about 60 and then drops to 37, rather than > starting out at 37. > > This happens whether X is started when the frame buffer is in use or not. > Gears gear wheels visibly slow down, so it's not just the fps being printed > oddly. > > Frame Buffer: > Drop out of X and go to a directory with a number entries say /usr/bin. Do > an `ls'. Initially the output will go past rapidly but then very quickly > slow down to a crawl. Start moving the mouse, assuming you have gpm running > ! and the output speeds up again ! > > So what is this strange system I have ? It is a Dell Inspiron 7000, PII > 400, 256Mb Ram, ATI Rage Mobility +. > > Can anyone help with this strange and annoying `feature' ? > > Thanks, > Owen
