What is the name of this image glitch and is it fixable: Intel GPU + X?

[USerID]

A glitch like the one in the screenshot occurs very frequently and irregularly. I don't even know how to "classify" it. Is it a GPU, monitor, or X issue? These black stripes, squares, and rectangles can "jump" across the panel, desktop, etc.
This can be temporarily resolved by exiting X. Sometimes (for a short time) minimizing the Firefox browser to a smaller window helps. However, the problem persists even in the terminal under X (see screenshot).

 

[fernandel]

A glitch like the one in the screenshot occurs very frequently and irregularly. I don't even know how to "classify" it. Is it a GPU, monitor, or X issue? These black stripes, squares, and rectangles can "jump" across the panel, desktop, etc.
This can be temporarily resolved by exiting X. Sometimes (for a short time) minimizing the Firefox browser to a smaller window helps. However, the problem persists even in the terminal under X (see screenshot).

Do you have anything in the logs?

 

[USerID]

I don't know. This command and similar ones don't show anything significant during the distortion phase:
$ cat /var/log/messages | grep drm
This kind of screen garbage doesn't appear in Windows 11 or the latest Alpine Linux. Only on FreeBSD.

 

[fernandel]

I don't know. This command and similar ones don't show anything significant during the distortion phase:
$ cat /var/log/messages | grep drm
This kind of screen garbage doesn't appear in Windows 11 or the latest Alpine Linux. Only on FreeBSD.

and /var/log/messages/Xorg0.log? Maybe is something here relatid on gpu.

 

[USerID]

$ cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep EE

    (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
[   350.188] (EE) Failed to load module "intel" (module does not exist, 0)
[   350.798] (II) Initializing extension MIT-SCREEN-SAVER
[   763.926] (EE) event5  - HS6209 A4tech 2.4G Wireless Device Mouse: client bug: event processing lagging behind by 30ms, your system is too slow
[  2919.686] (EE) event5  - HS6209 A4tech 2.4G Wireless Device Mouse: client bug: event processing lagging behind by 81ms, your system is too slow

$ cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep intel

[   350.188] (==) Matched intel as autoconfigured driver 0
[   350.188] (II) LoadModule: "intel"
[   350.188] (WW) Warning, couldn't open module intel
[   350.188] (EE) Failed to load module "intel" (module does not exist, 0)

$ cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep Intel

[   350.666] (II) modeset(0): glamor X acceleration enabled on Mesa Intel(R) HD Graphics 2000 (SNB GT1)

 

[Charlie_]

Seems SandyBridge issue.

Thread 'random pixel glitches'

Dec 21, 2025

Hello,

I use a macbookpro 8,2 (late 2011) that has:
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2435M CPU @ 2.40GHz (2394.56-MHz K8-class CPU)

Entering 'pciconf -lv | grep -B3 display', I get the following output:
vgapci0@pci0:0:2:0: class=0x030000 rev=0x09 hdr=0x00 vendor=0x8086 device=0x0126 subvendor=0x106b subdevice=0x00db
vendor = 'Intel Corporation'
device = '2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller'
class = display

According to this web page, it's an HD Graphics 3000 Sandy Bridge.

Entering 'sysctl -a | grep memory', I get the following...

• Domecq
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Display Servers

• 

 

[USerID]

$ pciconf -lv | grep -B3 display

vgapci0@pci0:0:2:0:    class=0x030000 rev=0x09 hdr=0x00 vendor=0x8086 device=0x0102 subvendor=0x8086 subdevice=0x2010
    vendor     = 'Intel Corporation'
    device     = '2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller'
    class      = display

$ pkg info | grep drm

drm-66-kmod-6.6.25.1500068_8   Direct Rendering Manager GPU drivers
libdrm-2.4.131,1               Direct Rendering Manager library and headers

I created a section as described here. I'll try to track it down and report back with the results. Thanks everyone!
https://forums.freebsd.org/threads/random-pixel-glitches.100879/post-733415

 

[USerID]

It didn't help. X didn't load at all.
/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf:

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Card0"
    Driver         "intel"
    Option         "DRI" "3"
    Option         "AccelMethod" "glamor"
    Option         "TearFree" "true"
EndSection

 

[Charlie_]

I have "AccelMethod" set to "SNA".
Domecq also writes that SNA (Sandybridge's New Acceleration) works.

 

[eternal_noob]

The intel driver is should not be used. Remove it (the package) and use modesetting instead.

 

[Charlie_]

The intel driver is should not be used. Remove it (the package) and use modesetting instead.

I don't think so.
Sandybridge is old enough that the Intel drivers work.
Note that SNA cannot be used for AccelMethod in modesetting.
Edit: Isn't modesetting only recommended for IvyBridge and later?

 

[eternal_noob]

I don't know, I'm no expert. I just read "intel" and thought of all the threads suggesting replacing it with modesetting.

 

[USerID]

Driver "intel"

I just deleted this entry. X launched. I'll monitor the situation. Thanks for the recommendations.

 

[eternal_noob]

In fact you could remove the entire 20-intel.conf file. X.Org is pretty good at automatic configuring. And i think it's really necessary to remove the intel driver package altogether, so it does not get picked up automatically.

 

[schweikh]

I don't know. This command and similar ones don't show anything significant during the distortion phase:
$ cat /var/log/messages | grep drm
This kind of screen garbage doesn't appear in Windows 11 or the latest Alpine Linux. Only on FreeBSD.

Off-topic: if you still "cat file | grep something" you are wasting precious CPU cycles for fork/exec (and get awarded a UUOC ), when any grep would take a file name as argument. You can even place the redirection first, as in < /var/log/messages grep drm

 

[Charlie_]

I just deleted this entry. X launched.

This is because the Intel driver does not allow you to specify glamor as the AccelMethod.
Modesetting seems to be recommended for Gen3 and later.