Optimizing Ubuntu Compton Performance for Better Rendering Efficiency
Compton is a lightweight window compositor commonly used in Ubuntu to enable visual effects like transparency and shadows. However, these effects can consume significant system resources, especially on older or low-end hardware. Below are actionable steps to tune Compton’s configuration for improved rendering efficiency.
The backend setting determines how Compton handles rendering. For better performance, use glx (OpenGL) instead of the default xrender. The glx backend leverages your GPU for faster rendering, while xrender relies on the CPU, which is slower.
Add this line to your Compton config file (~/.config/compton.conf):
backend = "glx";
Ensure your GPU drivers are up-to-date to fully utilize this setting.
Effects like shadows and transparency are resource-intensive. Disabling them can significantly improve performance:
shadow = false; to disable window shadows.opacity = false; to disable window transparency (or reduce it for focused windows only).Vertical sync prevents screen tearing but can introduce input lag or reduce frame rates on weaker GPUs. Test both settings:
vsync = true; (reduces tearing but may lower performance).vsync = false; (improves frame rates but may cause tearing).For NVIDIA/AMD GPUs, add these advanced settings to further boost performance:
glx-no-stencil = true; # Disables stencil buffer (reduces GPU load).
glx-no-rebind-pixmap = true; # Improves pixmap handling efficiency.
use-damage = true; # Skips rendering unchanged window regions.
These options are particularly effective for gaming or graphics-intensive tasks.
Prevent Compton from processing windows that don’t need effects (e.g., games, video players, or notification popups). Add exclusion rules to your config:
shadow-exclude = [
"name = 'Notification'",
"class_g = 'Dmenu'",
"class_g = 'Dunst'",
"class_g = 'Steam'"
];
unredir-if-possible = true; # Disables compositing for fullscreen windows (e.g., games).
This reduces the number of windows Compton needs to render.
Use tools like cpulimit to cap Compton’s CPU usage and prevent it from hogging system resources. For example, to limit Compton to 50% CPU:
cpulimit -l 50 -p $(pgrep compton);
Run this command after starting Compton, or add it to your startup scripts.
If Compton still struggles with performance, switch to a more modern alternative like Picom (Compton’s successor). Picom offers better performance and more features. Install it via:
sudo apt install picom;
Configure it similarly to Compton, using the same optimization principles.
After making changes, restart Compton to apply the new settings:
killall compton && compton -b;
Monitor performance using tools like htop or glxgears to ensure improvements. Adjust settings further based on your specific hardware and desktop environment.
