After installing an AMD RX 9060 XT 16GB, my mouse pointer becomes sluggish whenever the GPU is idle. Interestingly, starting a YouTube video immediately makes the pointer feel normal again, which makes me suspect a power-management or display-compositing issue. I have already tried different kernel versions and switching to Wayland, but neither helped.
System: Linux Mint 22.3, Cinnamon 6.6.9, Ryzen 5 2600, RX 9060 XT 16GB using the amdgpu kernel driver and Mesa 25.2.8. I'm running two 1920×1080 displays, one at 75 Hz and one at an unspecified refresh rate. The system currently uses X11, although Wayland was also tested.
3 Answers
Variable refresh rate or the desktop compositor could also be involved, especially with multiple monitors using different refresh rates. Try disabling VRR/Adaptive Sync in the monitor’s settings or graphics configuration, and test with both displays set to the same refresh rate. Cinnamon and X11 can sometimes behave oddly with mixed-refresh multi-monitor setups.
It may be worth checking for USB or wireless interference too. One person with a Logitech wireless mouse saw the lag improve after moving the receiver from a rear motherboard port to a front-panel USB port, particularly after installing a newer graphics card. That may not be the same issue, but testing a different USB port, using a short extension cable, or keeping the receiver away from the GPU can help rule it out.
This sounds like an aggressive GPU power-saving state. As a test, try forcing the GPU or system power profile to performance and see whether the pointer becomes smooth. If that fixes it, you can experiment with a less aggressive profile afterward. Some desktop environments only expose balanced and energy-saving modes, so you may need a separate power-management tool or driver setting.
I only see balanced and energy-saving profiles, not a performance option. I may investigate other power-management settings, although I’d prefer to stay with Mint if possible.
I couldn’t find a VRR setting in Mint’s normal system settings, so I’m not sure whether it is enabled or where it would need to be changed.