Refresh rate drops without recovery since 6.6.3+
Brief summary of the problem:
I'm using a VRR monitor. Upon launching some full screen applications (particularly games), my refresh rate will either hold steady for a while, or may immediately drop from its normal 144Hz down to 48Hz. The drop itself doesn't appear to be a full mode switch: it will drop without the screen going black (i.e. it would appear to be very VRR specific). It sometimes happens without any obvious cause, though I at least have two instances where it seems to happen without fail:
- When launching VRRTest
- With a game running (either in full screen or borderless window), while switching workspaces (I'm using i3wm), the issue will become apparent upon switching back into the game's workspace.
xrandr
output claims the refresh rate is unchanged, however a refresh rate drop of this level is easily noticeable. I've been using the monitor's OSD to get the current refresh rate.
Once the refresh rate drops, I've found no automatic means of recovering. I can manually use xrandr
to set the refresh rate to something else (like 60Hz), then back up to 144Hz, which does work around the issue, but usually only for a period of perhaps a minute before it drops back down again.
Hardware description:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- GPU:
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Navi 31 [Radeon RX 7900 XT/7900 XTX] [1002:744c] (rev c8)
- System Memory: 32GB DDR5
- Display(s): LG - 34GN850-B
- Type of Display Connection: DP
System information:
- Distro name and Version: Arch Linux
- Kernel version: 6.6.3-arch1-1
- AMD official driver version: N/A (
mesa 1:23.2.1-2
)
How to reproduce the issue:
- Install kernel 6.6.3 or above (I've also seen this happening on 6.6.4). I've verified the issue does not present itself on 6.6.2.
- Open monitor's OSD so current refresh rate is visible
- Run VRRTest and see refresh rate drop.
- Exit VRRTest, refresh rate won't recover.