Related
FWIW, I have tried GtabCom, Flashback, and Clemsyn/Calkulin6 recently, and I think I am going to stick with Clem/Calk6 (froyo). Here's what I found, and the order of the comparison topics reflects my priorities:
Boot time: quicker on clem/calk6 - takes about 24s from power button press to lock screen
Responsiveness: snappier on clem/calk6.
Stability (FCs, freeze-ups): better on clem/calk6
Video playback: Tied. Even though froyo has HW acceleration, video playback seems to be about the same for the quality of videos that I watch
Netflix: Tied. Available and working on both
upnp: Tied. Access to content over upnp works on both
Web browsing: Tied. HC has a better shortcut widget but Clem/Calk has a snappier browsing experience.
Apps/games: Tied. Everything I play seems to work on both platforms
Flash web games: Tied. Sites like Kongregate seem to work on both.
Flash video: Tied.
Sexiness: HC. HC is WAY sexier than froyo
Widgets: HC. Related to sexiness. Widgets are way better on HC.
Gmail widget: HC. Have not found a decent gmail widget on Clem/Calk
Location: HC. IP-based location not working on Clem/Calk6
Camera: Froyo. Works on froyo but I don't use it
Overall, I would say that in comparing functionality, froyo and HC are tied. HC is definitely better looking, but for me beauty is only skin deep , and speed and reliability are keeping me on Froyo.
Could you run this hw acceleration stress test on calkulin + clemsyn combo and let us know what fps the tablet could get :
http://demos.hacks.mozilla.org/openweb/HWACCEL/
Thanks
Thanks for posting.
How about battery life? Supposedly Gingerbread fixed a lot of the battery life problems and HC implemented that. Did you do anything with battery life comparision?
mydave1 said:
Could you run this hw acceleration stress test on calkulin + clemsyn combo and let us know what fps the tablet could get :
http://demos.hacks.mozilla.org/openweb/HWACCEL/
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also on Calkulin+ClemsynCombo v6 (an prefer it)...I get 10 FPS...my Windows PC @ work gets 12FPS.
Al
jhermit said:
Thanks for posting.
How about battery life? Supposedly Gingerbread fixed a lot of the battery life problems and HC implemented that. Did you do anything with battery life comparision?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point - I forgot about this in my original post. I think that battery life is much better in Clem/Calk6, and this is also important to me however I don't have any hard measurements to back this up. There are some threads that talk about included apps that reduce battery life in HC.
mydave1 said:
Could you run this hw acceleration stress test on calkulin + clemsyn combo and let us know what fps the tablet could get :
http://demos.hacks.mozilla.org/openweb/HWACCEL/
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aabbondanza said:
I'm also on Calkulin+ClemsynCombo v6 (an prefer it)...I get 10 FPS...my Windows PC @ work gets 12FPS.
Al
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Al, thanks for posting the result. I assume that you are using the stock browser ?
People who used HC alpha reported their test results to be between 4 - 12 fps. So it seemed that the full hw acceleration of froyo is not being utilized in browing ?
Could you repeat the test with different browsers, i.e. firefox, Dolphin HD v4.5 and opera mobile ?
Your 12 fps score on the PC is low. A $30 cheap 5450 radeon video card with 1 MB memory could improve the score to 60 + fps and you will notice a significant improvement.
Dave
mydave1 said:
Al, thanks for posting the result. I assume that you are using the stock browser ?
People who used HC alpha reported their test results to be between 4 - 12 fps. So it seemed that the full hw acceleration of froyo is not being utilized in browing ?
Could you repeat the test with different browsers, i.e. firefox, Dolphin HD v4.5 and opera mobile ?
Your 12 fps score on the PC is low. A $30 cheap 5450 radeon video card with 1 MB memory could improve the score to 60 + fps and you will notice a significant improvement.
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the results for Dolphin HD - 12 FPS & Firefox 6 FPS.
Couldn't locate a copy of Opera Mobile...market and amazon show my gtab as incompatible.
Yeah, business PC @ work not much for graphics- shared memory s.cks...your tax dollars @ work (it's a government PC).
Flash web games on Facebook (zynga, CivWorld, etc) are awful on both.
reignking said:
Flash web games on Facebook (zynga, CivWorld, etc) are awful on both.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bejeweled Blitz works fine for me through facebook, played on both Calk/Clem and BC/Clem both OCed 1400
Problem for me is the 'sexiness' of HC makes it very hard for me to go back to my old rom (Beasty/Clem) despite the fact it is noticeably faster then Gtab. Plus you lose out on some great tablet apps like News360.
Reeser,
What other tablet apps do you like since I do like News360 and a number of apps I find are definitely designed for phones instead of tablets.
reeser said:
Problem for me is the 'sexiness' of HC makes it very hard for me to go back to my old rom (Beasty/Clem) despite the fact it is noticeably faster then Gtab. Plus you lose out on some great tablet apps like News360.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You gain very little but lose a lot with HC. Mainly NO HW Acceleration. If I have good hardware then I want to be able to get the full benefits it has. HC is definitely the latest but gor GTabs, not the greatest IMO.
poymeister said:
FWIW, I have tried GtabCom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I use. I prefer an OS designed for a Tablet, when using a Tablet.
schettj said:
That's what I use. I prefer an OS designed for a Tablet, when using a Tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but it's like using a pc with an awesome video card only that he awesome video card is disabled in favor of lame intel graphics.
Just to get a consesus going. I've went back and forth between GTC and Clem/Calk5, I keep going back to Froyo. It may not have all the bells and whistles but it's just not worth it for what I lose in HC.
I'll stay on Froyo until I encounter a must have app that will only run on HC.
Here is the one thing that is detering me from going back to Froyo (and its so minor..)
PORTRAIT ORIENTATION. I WANT MY SOFT KEYS TO BE ON THE BOTTOM.
If Honeycomb would play hulu I would stay there, but I only get sound or video but not both in any of the solutions I have tried....anyone have a working hulu fix for Honeycomb?
I also agree, I also switch back to Gingerbread or Honeycomb due to the buttons on the bottom, if someone could create a utility for this I would probably stay with Froyo. As it is I switch between Beasty's, CM7Tab and Flashback and GtabComb on nearly a daily basis...So conflicted!
HD2FORNICK said:
Yeah but it's like using a pc with an awesome video card only that he awesome video card is disabled in favor of lame intel graphics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear this often, but in my actual use I don't see any issues with overclocked performance in graphics. I must not be playing enough games - I use it for email, reading, browsing, etc. Maybe watch a video now and then (on the far less than 720p screen, watching "HD" video makes no sense)
So, yeah. Whatever floats your boat.
I've been wondering about the hardware acceleration issue as well. It came up in the Illuminate thread, since he's claimed that HA is working on his rom. Folks there have tested some graphics intense games and they worked fine on their system. They can play video with software decoding, so what exactly does HA give us as a benefit.
Can anyone that's running a HC rom please run an Antutu benchmark and report their 2D and 3D rendering results?
the other benchmark test mainly concentrate on CPU performance, not graphics rendering. I had run a Neocore test and got 62.7FPS with Calk/Clem. I've been told that the test is outdated, but if it produces the same results with a HC rom, then we'll know that HA doesn't effect graphics rendering as much as we thought.
Thanks,
Todd Evans
TJEvans said:
I've been wondering about the hardware acceleration issue as well. It came up in the Illuminate thread, since he's claimed that HA is working on his rom. Folks there have tested some graphics intense games and they worked fine on their system. They can play video with software decoding, so what exactly does HA give us as a benefit.
Can anyone that's running a HC rom please run an Antutu benchmark and report their 2D and 3D rendering results?
the other benchmark test mainly concentrate on CPU performance, not graphics rendering. I had run a Neocore test and got 62.7FPS with Calk/Clem. I've been told that the test is outdated, but if it produces the same results with a HC rom, then we'll know that HA doesn't effect graphics rendering as much as we thought.
Thanks,
Todd Evans
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Todd,
Antutu v2.1
Flashback 7.1
2d 315
3d 1030
I've just picked up a gTab on eBay for quite a nice price, but it turns out that there are way more ROMs and developers for this gadget than I'd originally realized. I bought it with price-to-performance ratio in mind, my main goals being PDF reading on the go, Skype calls, light browsing, and maybe some emulation (can't get enough N64!). I bought the gTab knowing that there would be trade-offs, but it seems like some of the current ROMs have most things sorted out (even if the ROMs themselves are based on the outdated Froyo). My problem is that there are just so many ROMs, and it doesn't seem like there's a general consensus as to which one's "best" for performance.
So can anyone recommend a ROM based on what I'm looking for? I've read through the threads for most of the popular ones, including the Clemsyn + Calkulin release, Clemsyn + Beasty, Mountain Laurel, FrankenTAB, etc. etc. So far I haven't even been able to find the major differences between C/C and C/B, or what the new features of the newer ROMs are--only that they support a number of fixes for previous problems (and it seems like all of them support all of the fixes?).
Does any one ROM support "everything"? A snappy UI, low rate of app crashes, good hardware acceleration, proper battery life, Skype video calls, etc.? Or is it all a matter of trade-offs and opinions?
Edit: I didn't start this thread in the QA section because most of those threads looked more technical in nature. I apologize if this is in the wrong section.
I have tried most all of them that you mention and I like Beastly-Clemsyn the best,especially for what you are looking for. It is very fast and stable, can overclock but doesn't really even need it. Skype works, flash, everything except USB mouse, but that is caused by the Netflix fix and can be reverted if you would rather have a mouse than Netflix. Some games are a little touchy but they always are on the gtab. I have Muppen64 and I overclock when playing N64 games for better performance but it works well and works with my Wiimote over bluetooth. Flash, video and streaming work well and so on.
The older Roms can often be "updated". For example, I have one tablet with Beastly, I updated the Market and other Gapps that could be, put VTL launcher on and customize lock screen, did some light custom theme work and tweaking, installed Clemsyn's kernel and it's like a brand new rom.
I haven't tried Frankentab yet but I have it downloaded just haven't had a chance. I think it still has a couple bugs to work out but it looks very interesting. It is newer and actively maintained. Lots going on in the Gtab world lately, it has been great. I recommend you try a couple or a few and see what you like! My favorites are:
Froyo - Beastly-Clemsyn - Best all around ROM in my opinion
Gingerbread - Cyanogenmod 7
Honeycomb - Flashback (great looking but a few things don't work right)
ICS - to be continued ...!
DaggerDave said:
I have tried most all of them that you mention and I like Beastly-Clemsyn the best,especially for what you are looking for. It is very fast and stable, can overclock but doesn't really even need it. Skype works, flash, everything except USB mouse, but that is caused by the Netflix fix and can be reverted if you would rather have a mouse than Netflix. Some games are a little touchy but they always are on the gtab. I have Muppen64 and I overclock when playing N64 games for better performance but it works well and works with my Wiimote over bluetooth. Flash, video and streaming work well and so on.
The older Roms can often be "updated". For example, I have one tablet with Beastly, I updated the Market and other Gapps that could be, put VTL launcher on and customize lock screen, did some light custom theme work and tweaking, installed Clemsyn's kernel and it's like a brand new rom.
I haven't tried Frankentab yet but I have it downloaded just haven't had a chance. I think it still has a couple bugs to work out but it looks very interesting. It is newer and actively maintained. Lots going on in the Gtab world lately, it has been great. I recommend you try a couple or a few and see what you like! My favorites are:
Froyo - Beastly-Clemsyn - Best all around ROM in my opinion
Gingerbread - Cyanogenmod 7
Honeycomb - Flashback (great looking but a few things don't work right)
ICS - to be continued ...!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm definitely going to have to experiment with a few different releases. What makes you pick Beastly-Clemsyn over the Calkulin-Clemsin? And do you know if the Beastly-Clemsyn setup has the same .gif image bug as the C+C setup? Also, what kind of frame rates are you getting out of N64 games?
Shame about the mouse, but I guess I can live with that. Are there no configurations that have everything working including the mouse and netflix?
FrankenTAB is the one for me after trying many, many of them. Smooth, fast and everything works well. Zero crashes in the months I have ran it.
Sent from my FrankenTAB using Tapatalk
jhermit said:
FrankenTAB is the one for me after trying many, many of them. Smooth, fast and everything works well. Zero crashes in the months I have ran it.
Sent from my FrankenTAB using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you able to get .gifs to render properly in browsers other than Opera?
_anony said:
I'm definitely going to have to experiment with a few different releases. What makes you pick Beastly-Clemsyn over the Calkulin-Clemsin? And do you know if the Beastly-Clemsyn setup has the same .gif image bug as the C+C setup? Also, what kind of frame rates are you getting out of N64 games?
Shame about the mouse, but I guess I can live with that. Are there no configurations that have everything working including the mouse and netflix?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay I did some testing for you. I did not visit every web page but all the .gif image sites I went to rendered all the animated images just fine. I used DolphinHD and stock browsers to test (the ones that had problems with .gifs on C&C). Some basic Muppen64 testing:
Mario Kart 64 - OC=1336 - average 29 fps, 24-32 fps, very little/no stutter, playable
007 - OC=1336 - average 29 fps, 16-34 fps, very little/no stutter, playable
Super Smash Bros. - OC=1336 - average 34 fps, 25-50 fps, very little/no stutter, playable
Mario Kart 64 - No OC - average 24 fps, 18-28 fps, stutter and some lag, playable (barely)
007 - No OC - average 18 fps, 11-24 fps, lag and stutter, not very playable
Super Smash Bros. - No OC - average 24 fps, 14-47 fps, little lag/stutter, playable (not as smooth)
As you can see overclocking makes a big difference on emulators like Muppen64. I just crank it up to 1336 with SetCPU while using it and turn it back down when I am done (my gtab does not like to be overclocked!).
I chose Beastly over Caulkin for the following reasons: the .gif bug not reported in Beastly (not really a big deal), no market fix is required, Skype and Netflix both work without additional fixing, and I have never had a random crash, force close errors or SOD (until this morning anyway, I left it overclocked after testing and it was not happy when I tried to wake it back up. Oops!)
As far as I know there is no rom that is 100% working rom, including the stock rom. I believe you choose either working usb mouse and gsensor, or you can have Skype and Netflix, but the fix for one breaks the other. I don't care to use a usb mouse, but I do use a usb keyboard and it works fine. Like I said though you should definitely try a couple and see what works best for you. The difference between C&C and Beastly is they are ports of different roms built for other tablets. Read through the threads to find the fine details. I know it's a lot to read but it's better to read first and have fewer surprises later.
Thanks for the testing, DaggerDave. I'll have to try both FrankenTAB and C+B and see which one ends up working the best. Are there higher OCs than 1300 MHz?
It looks like the ICS rom that teamDRH is working on will be the undisputed champion by the time it's out of Beta, so I'm very excited for that.
_anony said:
Were you able to get .gifs to render properly in browsers other than Opera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Dolphin and have not had any problems displaying any pictures or flash.
_anony said:
Are there higher OCs than 1300 MHz?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes depending on the kernel that is used in the rom, or installed by you, you can OC up to 1600. Clemsyn just released recently new kernels here and at another tablet forum.
It looks like the ICS rom that teamDRH is working on will be the undisputed champion by the time it's out of Beta, so I'm very excited for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. So far I have resisted the temptation to try it out (just like FrankenTab), only because I haven't had the time yet. Looks like it will be great once some of the bugs are worked out and more apps are fixed to work with ICS.
DaggerDave said:
Yes depending on the kernel that is used in the rom, or installed by you, you can OC up to 1600. Clemsyn just released recently new kernels here and at another tablet forum.
Me too. So far I have resisted the temptation to try it out (just like FrankenTab), only because I haven't had the time yet. Looks like it will be great once some of the bugs are worked out and more apps are fixed to work with ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like ICS should blow Froyo roms out of the water once the kinks are worked out.
I do have one last question for you: If I have to sacrifice USB mouse for Netflix/Skype, do I also sacrifice bluetooth mouse/keyboard support?
Yea with working hardware acceleration, and eventually overclocking and more time to develop I can definitely see ICS becoming better than the Froyo roms. I love the Honeycomb UI but it was never fully developed, ICS will have the best of both.
I believe the Skype/Netflix fix effects the mouse orientation (moving mouse up goes right, right goes down, down goes left, etc). Probably regardless of weather the mouse is usb or bluetooth. Usb and bluetooth keyboards should work as long as the bluetooth version is supported by the Gtab. Some bluetooth keyboards have been reported not to work like the ones designed for the Asus Transformer I don't think they will work below Android 3.? just check before you buy one.
DaggerDave said:
I have tried most all of them that you mention and I like Beastly-Clemsyn the best,especially for what you are looking for. It is very fast and stable, can overclock but doesn't really even need it. Skype works, flash, everything except USB mouse, but that is caused by the Netflix fix and can be reverted if you would rather have a mouse than Netflix. Some games are a little touchy but they always are on the gtab. I have Muppen64 and I overclock when playing N64 games for better performance but it works well and works with my Wiimote over bluetooth. Flash, video and streaming work well and so on.
The older Roms can often be "updated". For example, I have one tablet with Beastly, I updated the Market and other Gapps that could be, put VTL launcher on and customize lock screen, did some light custom theme work and tweaking, installed Clemsyn's kernel and it's like a brand new rom.
I haven't tried Frankentab yet but I have it downloaded just haven't had a chance. I think it still has a couple bugs to work out but it looks very interesting. It is newer and actively maintained. Lots going on in the Gtab world lately, it has been great. I recommend you try a couple or a few and see what you like! My favorites are:
Froyo - Beastly-Clemsyn - Best all around ROM in my opinion
Gingerbread - Cyanogenmod 7
Honeycomb - Flashback (great looking but a few things don't work right)
ICS - to be continued ...!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How'd you update your google apps on the Beasty 2.2 rom? This oudated version of Calendar is driving me nuts.
I don't use Calendar, but others like the market, maps and search I had to either download them and install with ES File Explorer, or uninstall them and reinstall (either from the market or side loading). Some versions will not work, so you have to find ones that do. The newest Market 3.4.4 (?) is working, newest Gmail works but the latest Voice Search and Maps do not. You will have to find the older versions (Maps < v6 works) and test them till you find what works. Have you tried going to the apps (Calendar for example) in the market to try to update them? I think I updated Gmail that way, it didn't show an update in 'My Apps' but it did when I searched for it.
Search for "axleration .apk downloads" for a list of 5 good sites that offer free .apks. Or a google search for a specific .apk will give you more results. Or if you are desperate, I have downloaded newer roms before and extracted the .apks from them (stick to same android version).
Everyone needs to start demanding camera drivers, the rest has been worked out.
Hi all,
I've been playing with the ICS builds (be it CM9, AOKP, or Butter) and they all suffer from what I refer to as choppiness. This is most easily seen scrolling the homescreens which feels slightly jerky. It can be pinpointed using the program fps2D (you have to get it from another device, doesn't show up on the market with the Touchpad). When you launch fps2D you will see how the ball moves smoothly and every now and then it jerks back and forth.
This creates the really bad score that it receives in the benchmark. 3D performance is also rather bad for some reason.
Why am I starting this topic? No, its not a rant. I'm letting everyone know this same issue was encountered with the T-Mobile Galaxy S2 which is based I believe on the same chipset. Initially, the device had really bad stutter which it seems is very similar to the stutter I am seeing when I run fps2D on the touchpad. After some experienced devs started tracking the issue down, they found it was the 2D GPU drivers causing the issue and they fixed it by using the AT&T Skyrocket 2G GPU drivers. The skyrocket also uses the same chipset. I believe this same bug is currently plagueing the HP Touchpad ICS builds as the choppy performance is stemming from the GPU.
Can a kernel dev look into the issue? The Skyrocket GPU drivers (and now the fixed T-Mobile SGS2) should have the answer.
As far as i can understand, devs can't just take and use any driver, they need this driver to be made for ICS, which is a problem right now, since there are no dual-core Qualcomm devices with official ICS.
Back on March 2nd, I took the plunge and flashed CM7 on my rooted NT. Barring a few bugs that I could live with, everything works great!
Since then, Alpha Final came out, and I've been curious as to the difference people noticed between the two. I've read how the battery life is a little unstable (haven't really noticed that with alpha 12), and a few other things.
So, pardon me if this topic has been done already, but what are the benefits of upgrading from a version that already works for me? Does the wifi work better? Is the battery life---though unstable---still better under Final than it is under 12?
Thanks in advance, and kudos to the devs for an excellent ROM
Sent from my CM7 Nook Tablet using Tapatalk 8)
Newer versions of alphas are usually going to be better...
With that being said Alpha final is much better. No more having to restart tablet because wifi won't connect and most importantly hardware video decoding. Cm 7.2 based.
Its overall better in ever single way however battery life is the same for me as it was on alpha 12
nashdude said:
Back on March 2nd, I took the plunge and flashed CM7 on my rooted NT. Barring a few bugs that I could live with, everything works great!
Since then, Alpha Final came out, and I've been curious as to the difference people noticed between the two. I've read how the battery life is a little unstable (haven't really noticed that with alpha 12), and a few other things.
So, pardon me if this topic has been done already, but what are the benefits of upgrading from a version that already works for me? Does the wifi work better? Is the battery life---though unstable---still better under Final than it is under 12?
Thanks in advance, and kudos to the devs for an excellent ROM
Sent from my CM7 Nook Tablet using Tapatalk 8)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's three main differences:
1. Hardware Video Acceleration - This is a HUGE one. In Alpha 12, HD videos wouldn't necessarily decode properly or quickly - they'd play jittery and pixel-y because of a lack of H/W Video decoding. The newest version fixes this for a lot of video formats. In my experience, it's been amazing, but as always, your mileage may vary.
2. Wi-Fi has actually been tweaked and improved, so it's a bit more stable.
3. Alpha Final is built from latest CM7 Sources - This is a big deal because it means that in theory it should be more stable and have a slightly more robust feature set. Most people won't notice a difference, but it still stands that the Final is using code that is far more up to date.
Battery life in my experience has been about the same, but I haven't had much time to test extensively since I'm busy with University coursework.
I highly recommend upgrading to the latest version though; without H/W video acceleration you'll notice a lot of annoyances and performance issues when playing videos.
Excellent! This is EXACTLY the info I was looking for. Thanks, guys
**DISCLAIMERS**
This thread has no intention of attempting to complain, diminish, degrade, or criticize any developers on this forum or any of their work, as all of us are nothing but grateful for the amount of free, altruistic, and superior quality code that they provide us with. :good:
This thread has no intention of trying to reiterate the content of the "Butery Smoothness" thread found at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1814010 nor to define what "Buttery Smoothness" is, as the previous thread defines it well enough already through the posts and insight of multiple users.
This thread has been created with full knowledge and consideration of the alpha development stage that Android 4.1.1 is currently in and all content discussed in this thread is stated with regard to said knowledge and should only be perceived as an attempt to contribute to at least one of multiple bug fixes to further improve the state of Android 4.1.1 on the SGH-i717 for the good of all users
Purpose
The purpose of this thread is to solve the perceived lack of graphical smoothness and fluidity inside of Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean) on the SGH-i717 which has been noticed and reported by many users in multiple ROM's through the collaboration of information, ideas, and solutions between all users and developers.
Background
Many users have reported a significant lack of graphical performance in multiple Jelly Bean ROM's for the SGH-i717 in various scenarios such as home screen navigation, UI animations, and in-app scrolling where there is not only a user-noticeable drop in performance but a quantifiable drop in frame-rate. With Google's Project Butter being a highlight of Jelly Bean, the lack of smoothness in its current state for our device brings not only dismay but logical confusion as other, older devices with lower specifications (such as the Galaxy Nexus for example) perform better graphically than the SGH-i717 with higher specifications. The higher graphical performance in the older Ice Cream Sandwich indicates that the highlighted performance issue in Jelly Bean is not related to hardware incapability but to software utilization of the hardware.
I want to leave as little of my insight in this thread as possible because I want to hear from other users but I'll post some initial information and questions to provoke some response.
Ever since Jelly Bean development began, I've noticed this issue on my device and have even had a replacement device with the same experience so hardware isn't a likely culprit in my opinion. h0tw1r3 was one of the first developers to bring a Jelly Bean ROM to SGH-i717 users and other ROM's were formed briefly after his using it as a base. Until about the third or fourth build ( 8-21 I believe), the performance was sluggishly the same. After this build though, there was a noticeable increase in graphical performance, although still significantly behind ICS. That new standard hasn't changed much since until the latest CM10 nightly builds where I've noticed quite an increase in graphical performance putting it a little closer to ICS performance but still painfully behind such that Dolphin is the only browser that feels smooth enough to use efficiently.
I have also noticed an odd phenomenon where the performance varies from build to build without a noticeably significant change. For example, I remember using DaGr8's AOKP port for a while and finding it smoother than other ROM's at the time but once installing his next build (that only mentioned minor unrelated changes, although some could have been unlisted) the performance was back down again. I have experienced this with multiple different ROM's though which is what is most peculiar that there is so much inconsistency.
Helpful Questions
Have you noticed any of these issues before? If so, which ones?
Do you think the issue is hardware or software/driver related?
How would you compare your best JB experience to stable ICS builds?
Which processes/applications perform the best and the worst for you graphically?
Which ROM's run smooth for you and which ones don't?
Which browsers have you tried in Jelly Bean and which ones do you prefer the most?
Have you noticed graphical performance issues in Chrome consistently at all? If so, in which ROM's or instances have you experienced such?
Do you have any ideas/suggestions as to what is causing or what could fix this issue?
And regardless of the inevitable bugs we are experiencing in alpha software, are you extremely grateful for the developers who have provided us with them? (SAY YES!!)
If any of you would like to add more content or questions to this list (and PLEASE do), just ask them and I'll add them to this OP.
Suggestions and Modifications for Improvement (list will grow over time as new information is presented)
1) Verify that the "debug.mdpcomp.maxlayer" parameter in build.prop is set to the value of 3 and not 2 when you first install a ROM (thanks to NYConex for the tip!). Some developers/ROM chefs (lol) will customize this setting based on their preference. This setting disables (value 2) and enables (value 3) GPU acceleration taking the load off of the CPU. Disabling has fixed the flicker issue that has developed in Jelly Bean for many people but will severely impact performance and graphical smoothness as well as battery life potentially. For flickering, I instead recommend using a live wallpaper which will force the GPU to refresh the screen much more often disabling flicker (in the homescreen at least).
2)**ESSENTIAL FIX FOR SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT** Change the debug.composition.type in /system/build.prop from "dyn" to "gpu" and reboot. This makes a MAJOR difference in ALL areas of performance. The existing string that is entered by default is a "dynamic" setting which alternates putting the graphical load on either the GPU or CPU depending upon resource allocation. Changing the setting to "gpu" will force Android to constantly use the GPU for graphics so you won't notice stutter and lag as Android switches the load from the CPU and GPU. Using this setting also increases overall system speed IMMENSELY as it allows the CPU to do more central tasks like launching applications and communicating with hardware instead of handling the graphics. This "constant GPU setting" plays very nicely with Project Butter in the sense that it uses a constant component of hardware to render graphics along with the constant frame rate that VSync provides. I may try to learn how to make my first ROM sometime soon and when I do, I'll be sure and integrate this into the ROM. Either thank the post or let everyone know if this has helped you!
I have noticed that the liquid ROM as well as the most recent nightly (2 SEP) have been pretty smooth. Nova launcher works great and I don't really see a lot of lag outside the launchers. One thing that kinda brothers me is the lag that is introduced when you enable the nav bar. I don't know exactly what happens behind the scenes (other than it disable the hw keys and enables the soft keys) but it adds a lot of lag. Is there a way to monitor exactly what happens when doing things to your phone? When I use liquid it changes without a reboot but with cm10 I have to manually disable the hw keys so it requires a reboot. Anyone know what's going on with it?
NYConex said:
I have noticed that the liquid ROM as well as the most recent nightly (2 SEP) have been pretty smooth. Nova launcher works great and I don't really see a lot of lag outside the launchers. One thing that kinda brothers me is the lag that is introduced when you enable the nav bar. I don't know exactly what happens behind the scenes (other than it disable the hw keys and enables the soft keys) but it adds a lot of lag. Is there a way to monitor exactly what happens when doing things to your phone? When I use liquid it changes without a reboot but with cm10 I have to manually disable the hw keys so it requires a reboot. Anyone know what's going on with it?
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Good question. I know there are settings in Developer options that allow you to show GPU status and updates which may provide some insight into GPU/CPU utilization. I don't have an immediate answer for you though. I'll do some research and report back.
With the Liquid ROM, I noticed it to be of the poorest performance as others. Was your experience smooth out of the box or did you have to change the debug.mdcomp.maxlayer from 2 back to 3 first?
**EDIT**
I just tried the Liquid ROM again and realized the debug.mdpcomp.maxlayer setting was set to 2 by default in that ROM and after the changing it, the performance was much better, though about the same as CM10 nightlies.
The mdcomp.maxlayer is always the first thing I check after flashing a ROM. I always set it to 3. But if you go back to liquid try the navbar and you will see what I mean. In not home right now but when I get back I'll mess with it a little.
I'm on the Liquid ROM and I don't notice any lag. So i don't think anything needs fixed...since I dont have the problems u describe.
I use almost all aspects of the Note except little music and games.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
Try pulling down the notification drawer. Now sit there and tell me to my face its 60fps. No its not... its really choppy.
Fasty12 said:
Try pulling down the notification drawer. Now sit there and tell me to my face its 60fps. No its not... its really choppy.
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Lol damn right. I'd say its between 14-21 FPS variably.
Which ROM's have worked the best for you so far?
On mobile, had 2 scroll forever to read topic
SayWhat10 said:
On mobile, had 2 scroll forever to read topic
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Are you saying that my OP is too long which made you scroll forever or are you saying that the lag in Jelly Bean cause you to scroll forever?
andrawer said:
I'm on the Liquid ROM and I don't notice any lag. So i don't think anything needs fixed...since I dont have the problems u describe.
I use almost all aspects of the Note except little music and games.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
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Do you use Google Chrome? If so, how would you describe its performance in comparison to Ice Cream Sandwich?
The CM10 nightly has been the smoothest this far. So going by experience heres the rankings ATM.
1) Nightly... Smooth but constant flicker.
2) Liquid
2) Paranoid
3) Aokp
4) manualscout4life's rom.
Fasty12 said:
Try pulling down the notification drawer. Now sit there and tell me to my face its 60fps. No its not... its really choppy.
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Click to collapse
not sure if i understand.
I use my thumb to initiate the notification bar/drawer pulling down and it's immediate and smooth?? Up/down/up/down/up/down...smooth...just tried it. Not even a hint of lag...and that's with 4 notifications waiting for me to do something.
The mentioned lag on jellybean compared to anything previous doesn't come from anything done by Google or issues with software but comes from the lack of hardware acceleration which we don't get to use with jellybean, so our device is not being used to the fullest, is known like previous versions of android when it comes out and ported , is not going to performed like it's supposed to until HWA becomes available. This is the performance drop in fps compared to ICS. Some think because is a newer version of android is going to be better performing out of the box, but that won't happen unless an official version with HWA becomes available or a developer figures out how to implement it into a ROM.
I think JB is amazing and smooth in the little time it has been out.
RoloRacer Paranoid on JellyBean
I agree about the sluggishness of JB at its current state, its normal since we don't have HW acceleration, I'm on Paranoid and flashed Flaps Hot kernel, OC'ed to 1.7Ghz and its performing really well, you should try it out
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egomezmorales said:
I agree about the sluggishness of JB at its current state, its normal since we don't have HW acceleration, I'm on Paranoid and flashed Flaps Hot kernel, OC'ed to 1.7Ghz and its performing really well, you should try it out
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
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So when will we get hardware acceleration? When jb officially comes out for the note?
roloracer said:
The mentioned lag on jellybean compared to anything previous doesn't come from anything done by Google or issues with software but comes from the lack of hardware acceleration which we don't get to use with jellybean, so our device is not being used to the fullest, is known like previous versions of android when it comes out and ported , is not going to performed like it's supposed to until HWA becomes available. This is the performance drop in fps compared to ICS. Some think because is a newer version of android is going to be better performing out of the box, but that won't happen unless an official version with HWA becomes available or a developer figures out how to implement it into a ROM.
I think JB is amazing and smooth in the little time it has been out.
RoloRacer Paranoid on JellyBean
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This has been my thought and awareness all along and what I've wanted to work on repairing. Perhaps it's everyone's use of the term "smooth" that is making everything amiss. When people boast that their JB experiences are "incredibly smooth!" and even more specifically "smoother than ICS!" I think they are making very fallible statements because I don't think that my perception of JB being behind ICS in smoothness can be interpreted as just a "difference in opinion or interpretation". It's definitely factual and quantifiable when testing frame rates and comparing them to ICS. Perhaps it's safe to say that "Jelly Bean is remarkably usable right now considering its alpha state", but to say that it is smooth is quite a fallacy. It's really not much better than Gingerbread and Gingerbread lacked HW acceleration altogether.
But if JB lacks hardware acceleration completely, then how is toggling the maxlayer setting and HW overlay setting in developer options clearly affecting performance if HW acceleration isn't even supported at all in the first place? Some sort of acceleration is clearly being enabled for the evident difference in performance to occur.
I am grateful that you recognize JB's current state to be behind and also attribute it to HW acceleration as I initially did. Now we can hopefully gain some momentum on finding the hindrance of bringing HW acceleration to JB!
If there's anything we've learned thus far, it's not to label a ROM officially "smooth" unless you can prove it greater than or equal to stable ICS builds with quantifiable means!
The word "smooth" is beginning to become a profanity for me, which is rather extreme, as there aren't many words I don't say! Lol...
Everyone should read this.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...roject-butter-how-it-works-and-what-it-added/
Jb runs exceptionally well for me with just the 2 buffers. Are all the animations perfect every single time? No, but it's perfectly usable, and slick enough for my dd. I'm sure it will be sorted in time.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
So far the smoothest jb rom for me has been dagr8's aokp Sept 1 build.
HW overlays are disabled and cpu at stock frequencies. Running Nova 1.2.2 and have fluid home screen transitions and overall smoothness.
If I were to nitpick, the notification bar is the only thing that seems somewhat sluggish but only when I pull it down on the home screen (I am running a live wallpaper.)
No reboots or sleep of deaths so far, loving this rom at the moment.
yollasho said:
Everyone should read this.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/0...roject-butter-how-it-works-and-what-it-added/
Jb runs exceptionally well for me with just the 2 buffers. Are all the animations perfect every single time? No, but it's perfectly usable, and slick enough for my dd. I'm sure it will be sorted in time.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2
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Really interesting read, thanks for sharing!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 01:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:04 PM ----------
Fasty12 said:
So when will we get hardware acceleration? When jb officially comes out for the note?
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Yep, or that a developer taps on how to get HW acceleration
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We've had hardware acceleration.
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