Bug 505625 - kernel 6.15 flickering grey portion of screen at higher refresh rates
Summary: kernel 6.15 flickering grey portion of screen at higher refresh rates
Status: RESOLVED UPSTREAM
Alias: None
Product: kwin
Classification: Plasma
Component: wayland-generic (other bugs)
Version First Reported In: unspecified
Platform: Other Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: KWin default assignee
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-06-15 11:04 UTC by abc.mikey
Modified: 2025-08-22 12:02 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
flickering grey portion of screen (2.03 MB, image/jpeg)
2025-06-15 11:04 UTC, abc.mikey
Details
picture of grey zone in gnome under mouse pointer (3.86 MB, image/jpeg)
2025-06-15 12:00 UTC, abc.mikey
Details

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Description abc.mikey 2025-06-15 11:04:18 UTC
Created attachment 182283 [details]
flickering grey portion of screen

SUMMARY

Flickering grey bottom portion of the screen that fills a random amount of the screen. Present when refresh rate set to 120Hz but disappears when switching to 60Hz. 

In some cases it remains longer, this image was taken while most of the screen remained grey until I moved the mouse.

Issue only appears to be present with kernel 6.15.* and disappears if I instead load kernel `6.14.6-1-default`.

This may in fact be a kernel bug I have not been able to set refresh rates high enough with other DEs to see if they are also affected.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE
1. boot KDE plasma 6 with kernel 6.15.*
2. set refresh rate to 120Hz+ 
3. use for a minute until it starts flickering

OBSERVED RESULT

Flickering grey bottom portion of screen, that takes up random amount of the screen.

EXPECTED RESULT

Stable image.

SOFTWARE/OS VERSIONS
Linux/KDE Plasma: 
KDE Plasma Version: 6.3.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.14.0
Qt Version: 6.9.1

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

```
System:
  Kernel: 6.15.1-1-default arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 14.3.0
    clocksource: tsc avail: hpet,acpi_pm
    parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-6.15.1-1-default
    root=UUID=71572811-269b-4ced-88d0-74f348f8a78f splash=silent quiet
    security=apparmor amd_pstate=guided mitigations=auto
  Desktop: KDE Plasma v: 6.3.5 tk: Qt v: N/A info: frameworks v: 6.14.0
    wm: kwin_wayland tools: avail: swayidle,swaylock,xscreensaver vt: 2 dm:
    1: GDM v: 48.0 2: SDDM note: stopped Distro: openSUSE Tumbleweed 20250612
Graphics:
  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Navi 31 [Radeon RX 7900 XT/7900
    XTX/7900 GRE/7900M] vendor: XFX RX-79XMERCB9 driver: amdgpu v: kernel
    arch: RDNA-3 code: Navi-3x process: TSMC n5 (5nm) built: 2022+ pcie:
    gen: 4 speed: 16 GT/s lanes: 16 ports: active: DP-1 empty: DP-2, DP-3,
    HDMI-A-1, Writeback-1 bus-ID: 2f:00.0 chip-ID: 1002:744c class-ID: 0300
  Display: wayland server: X.org v: 1.21.1.15 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.6
    compositor: kwin_wayland driver: X: loaded: amdgpu dri: radeonsi gpu: amdgpu
    display-ID: 0
  Monitor-1: DP-1 model: Gigabyte M32UC serial: <filter> built: 2022
    res: 3840x2160 dpi: 140 gamma: 1.2 size: 697x392mm (27.44x15.43")
    diag: 800mm (31.5") ratio: 16:9 modes: max: 3840x2160 min: 720x400
  API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: amd radeonsi platforms: device: 0 drv: radeonsi
    device: 1 drv: swrast gbm: drv: kms_swrast surfaceless: drv: radeonsi
    wayland: drv: radeonsi x11: drv: radeonsi
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: amd mesa v: 25.1.3 glx-v: 1.4
    direct-render: yes renderer: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX (radeonsi navi31 LLVM
    20.1.6 DRM 3.63 6.15.1-1-default) device-ID: 1002:744c memory: 23.44 GiB
    unified: no display-ID: :0.0
  API: Vulkan v: 1.4.313 layers: 8 device: 0 type: discrete-gpu name: AMD
    Radeon RX 7900 XTX (RADV NAVI31) driver: N/A device-ID: 1002:744c
    surfaces: N/A device: 1 type: cpu name: llvmpipe (LLVM 20.1.6 256 bits)
    driver: N/A device-ID: 10005:0000 surfaces: N/A
  Info: Tools: api: clinfo, eglinfo, glxinfo, vulkaninfo
    de: kscreen-console,kscreen-doctor gpu: corectrl,radeontop wl: kanshi,
    swaymsg, wayland-info, wlr-randr x11: xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr
```
Comment 1 abc.mikey 2025-06-15 12:00:43 UTC
Created attachment 182285 [details]
picture of grey zone in gnome under mouse pointer

Looks like issue is not KDE specific as I was able to reproduce under Gnome as well. There I noticed that the issue almost always coincided with another issue I reported where the pointer was doubled up, also the grey area always started just below the mouse pointer.

Other issue: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=505623
Comment 2 John Kizer 2025-06-23 04:45:23 UTC
Hi - yep, this one looks like it's further upstream in the software stack, possibly somewhere in the interaction between your monitor, graphics card, and the Linux kernel AMD drivers?

If this post wasn't you, then you weren't the only one able to reproduce this issue on GNOME as well: https://www.reddit.com/r/gnome/comments/1lbv5f7/flashing_on_main_monitor/ 

Hope it can be resolved :-)
Comment 3 Zamundaaa 2025-08-22 12:02:40 UTC
Yeah, please report this at https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/drm/amd/-/issues