(Repost) VirtualBox lags host with nested paging enabled on ASUS TUF Gaming F15 FX507ZE-RS73

[eg1]

This problem affects me for every Windows version I try to use. It impacts the following Windows versions: Windows 3.1, NT 4.0, XP, Windows 7, and Windows 10. In this case, I will use Windows XP SP3 as an example.

Steps to reproduce:
1. Create a new VM
2. Choose expert mode
3. Name and OS: Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3
4. Choose 4096 MB of RAM
5. Choose 1 CPU core
6. Hard disk size 40 GB unallocated, Virtual disk format file format VMDK
7. All other VM settings at default
8. Lag problem occurs

Bug report video link: https://easyupload.io/6uex7f
Bug report logs 8 7 2023 link: https://www.virtualbox.org/attachment/t ... %20SP3.zip
Bug report ticket link: https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/21613

I have tried the following things in VirtualBox settings to attempt a fix for the problem:
1. Tried disabling PAE/NX
2. Tried Disabling 3D acceleration
3. Tried disabling Intel AMD VT
4. Disabled nested paging, which was a partial fix but slowed VM performance
5. Tried making a making fresh Windows install on a separate partition on the host

Hardware Configuration

Code: Select all

Computer:      ASUS ASUS TUF Gaming F15 FX507ZE_FX507ZE
CPU:           Intel Core i7-12700H (Alder Lake-H 682, L0)
               2700 MHz (27.00x100.0) @ 4588 MHz (46.00x99.8)
Motherboard:   ASUS FX507ZE
BIOS:          FX507ZE.315, 06/17/2022
Chipset:       Intel Alder Lake-P PCH
Memory:        16384 MBytes @ 2394 MHz, 40-39-39-76
               - 8192 MB PC38400 DDR5 SDRAM - Micron MTC4C10163S1SC48BA1
               - 8192 MB PC38400 DDR5 SDRAM - Micron MTC4C10163S1SC48BA1
Graphics:      Intel Iris Xe Graphics (Alder Lake-P 682 GT2) - Integrated Graphics Controller [ASUS]
               Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 1024 MB 
Graphics:      NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop (GA107M) [ASUS]
               NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop, 4096 MB GDDR6 SDRAM
Drive:         INTEL SSDPEKNU512GZ, 500.1 GB, NVMe
Drive:         Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield, 976.8 GB, NVMe
Drive:         WDC WD40NDZW-11A8JS1, 3907.0 GB, Serial ATA 6Gb/s @ 6Gb/s <-> USB
Drive:         CT1000X8SSD8, 976.8 GB, NVMe
Drive:         Samsung PSSD T7 Shield, Disk drive
Drive:         Micron Crucial X8 SSD, Disk drive
OS:            Microsoft Windows 11 Professional (x64) Build 22621.2070 (22H2)
Misc:          Intel/VT-D enabled in BIOS

[scottgus1]

(Repost)

Normally we don't want topics to be spread about in multiple places, but I'll let this one be, as the other topic had lots of extra stuff.

I have tried the following things to attempt a fix for the problem:

Are these things done on the host's BIOS or in the VM's settings?

A link to your Bugtracker Ticket would be good, too.

[eg1]

I have tried the following things in VirtualBox settings to attempt a fix for the problem:
1. Tried disabling PAE/NX
2. Tried Disabling 3D acceleration
3. Tried disabling Intel AMD VT
4. Disabled nested paging, which was a partial fix but slowed VM performance
5. Tried making a making fresh Windows install on a separate partition on the host

These were done in the VM settings.

I should mention that I tried the following things in the host BIOS:
1. Tried disabling hyperthreading
2. Tried disabling advanced power management
3. Tried disabling secure boot

[fth0]

I've watched the (old an new) videos, and I'm still not sure what exactly you consider a lag. Please describe it with your own words.

[eg1]

The host machine lags when the VM is running, did you open the easyupload.io link?

Also:

I have tried the following things in VirtualBox settings to attempt a fix for the problem:
1. Tried disabling PAE/NX
2. Tried Disabling 3D acceleration
3. Tried disabling Intel AMD VT
4. Disabled nested paging, which was a partial fix but slowed VM performance
5. Tried making a making fresh Windows install on a separate partition on the host

None of the following above helped the problem!

[fth0]

The host machine lags when the VM is running, did you open the easyupload.io link?

Yes, both the old one (from the other thread and the ticket) and the new one (from this thread). Where and when is the lag visible in the latest video?

[eg1]

It does not lag the host when the VM is paused, but there is a lag on the host when the VM is unpaused.

Note that the file explorer window just is fine when the VM is paused, but the window starts to lag when the VM is unpaused
Note 2 that the host lags when nested paging is enabled, but the host does not lag when nested paging is disabled
Why does the Host lag with nested paging enabled?

[fth0]

Thanks for describing the lag, now I see what you mean. It depends on the video viewer how good it is to see, but it is easy to see when stepping in single-frame mode.

I cannot explain why it happens, but I can guess the role of nested paging: With nested paging enabled, the guest runs much faster than without. Since it can use much more CPU cycles to execute its own code, including the graphics code producing video frames, the video frames have more "influence" on the host's video output. Perhaps you can use some software displaying fps (frames per second) on the host and in the guest to check what happens.

[eg1]

The lag has gotten so severe that sometimes the FPS of my host and VM is now as low as 5 FPS.

I used FRAPS to benchmark another app because VirtualBox is not compatible, watch the PCBox framerate counter in the top right corner.
Usually, the VM runs at 40 FPS. However, it can drop as low as 20 FPS when I resize the VM window, the host machine goes to 5 FPS when OBS Studio is not in use.

Video capture link: https://easyupload.io/g7u9z8

[eg1]

Hello is anybody here?

[fth0]

I've looked at your latest video capture and I've read a bit about video stuttering in general. I'd suggest to investigate in two different directions:

Does the host CPU have enough time to calculate more frames per second?

What's the state of VSYNC on your host OS and in your guest OS? Are you using G-Sync or FreeSync on the host? What synchronization methods does your monitor offer?

[eg1]

My system does have standard V-Sync on but does not support FreeSync. Remember that my CPU is an Intel Core i7-12700H processor?
This CPU is quite powerful and should have no issues handling VirtualBox. My CPU does have the resources to run the program smoothly.

[fth0]

Looking at the specs for your Gaming Laptop, I've noticed that it uses two GPUs (Intel + NVIDIA), NVIDIA's Optimus, Asus MUX-Switch and Adaptive-Sync. I don't know how those really work together, but this could lead to situations where Windows decides when to use which GPU, and to adapt the refresh rate to the frame rate. In your latest video, I've noticed that the PCBox window changed from 70 fps to 60 fps (VM window at rest).

My system does have standard V-Sync on [...].

Which methods of en-/disabling V-Sync are available (BIOS, Intel GPU driver, NVIDIA GPU driver, ..., PCBox configuration)?
What changes when you disable V-Sync?
What changes when you disable Adaptive-Sync?

[eg1]

Hey there!

I apologize for my prolonged absence. After conducting some research, I discovered that VirtualBox appears to encounter issues exclusively on Windows, rather than Linux. Consequently, I installed Manjaro Linux as a dual-boot system and am now seeking assistance from the knowledgeable individuals here. I am hopeful that someone can guide me through compiling the Linux version of VirtualBox for Windows. This problem has been causing me significant frustration, so any assistance that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read my message.

This problem does not occur on Linux. One thing. Why??

[scottgus1]

Fth0, do you suppose a BIOS update might work here too? eg1's laptop is Intel not AMD but it's a 12th generation, maybe new?

eg1, no one here is a developer, though some are really close. Some new Ryzen CPUs with Virtualbox trouble were fixed with a host BIOS update. Maybe your Intel could benefit?

FWIW it happens on Windows on your laptop, but the forum hasn't exploded everywhere with this problem. so we all need to guess what's happening locally on your end.