See Ubuntu bug report for more details: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nvidia-graphics-drivers/+bug/600178 There is extremely bad tearing with both nouveau and nvidia proprietary driver. Tearing is present even without using a compositing window manager. The only way I've been able to stop the tearing is to do something like: Section "Extensions" Option "Composite" "Disable" EndSection I'm not sure which component is at fault (XGL, composite, nouveau?). I have tested both nvidia driver and nouveau under unity, classic, and classic (no effects). Changing driver makes no difference. Single or dual display makes no difference.
I just tried the Fedora 15 LiveCD, which also exhibits tearing. With the 2 most popular Desktop distributions exhibiting such a major video issue, I would think this would be getting more attention.
Still issue on Kubuntu 12.04 with 7200/7300 Go, 8600M GT, 9600 GT, GT 220M, and so on.
Samples: http://rghost.ru/37220226 - Tearing test 1280x720 http://rghost.ru/37220233 - Tearing test 720x406 http://rghost.ru/37220247 - Tearing test 640x360
Same here on LG S900-U laptop, Nvidia 8600M GT, Kubuntu 12.04, both with nouveau and Nvidia drivers. I hope it gets fixed. it is painful to look at.
Actually it's even worse on my end. Tearing does not go away on nouveau's drivers no matter what I do. Even with compositing completely disabled, opengl video output still tears. The best I can do is enable opengl compositing with compton or something similiar and enable sync to Vblank, but there's still tearing at the top of any fullscreen video even with opengl video output. I'm on Arch with a Nvidia GTX 650. The tearing issue does not happen in the proprietary drivers either. I hope this issue gets more attention as the proprietary drivers have some other problems of their own for me.
Seems like tearing gone with Full Repaints VSync mode in KWin.
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