Compositor (X11)

If you use a DE with X11, then you probably have a compositor. The compositor does nice things like window shadow and effects. But it also reduces fps, adds input lag, and introduces stuttering. That's why you should disable it when running a game.

Disabling composition for your games

This page needs work, for the following reason(s): I don't know whether the procedure for disabling composition in Cinnamon actually works. In case this does not work, you should not be using Cinnamon. If you want a DE that looks a bit like Windows, you should choose KDE Plasma instead. Please edit if you know more.

Disabling composition will dramatically improve input lag and "smoothness". Here is how to do it:

• If you use Gnome (the default DE on Pop!_OS): You don't have to do anything. Gnome uses unredirection (the same thing Windows does), which is almost as good as disabling compositon. Disabling composition in Gnome is not possible.
• If you use KDE:
  • For Lutris: Right click the game -> Configure -> System options -> Disable desktop effects.
  • For Steam, Heroic or others: Manually disable composition with shift + alt + f12 before launching the game. The same combination re-enables it. (TODO: It may be that Steam and Heroic automatically disable composition. But I don't know.)
  • You can use Autocomposer
• If you use Cinnamon: Go to settings -> general -> disable compositing for full-screen window