An update to Compiz that improves gaming performance is on its way to Ubuntu.

Compiz 0.9.8.6, currently in preparation, enables a small feature that improves full-screen OpenGL gaming performance in Unity.

With the update installed, which enables ‘Unredirect Fullscreen Windows‘ in Ubuntu’s default window manager by default, the developer spearheading the update, Timo Jyrinki, benchmarked a 18% increase in FPS.

Which isn’t bad, at all!

But why hasn’t this been enabled before now? Timo explains that “getting the feature work fluently has required fixes in both Compiz and drivers” which, until now, haven’t been ready.

The update, which is targeted for Ubuntu 12.10 and, eventually, 12.04, will hopefully arrive in the not so distant future.

In the mean time those most in need of this fix – and running Ubuntu 12.10 – can install it from the Unity Team SRU (Stable Release Update) PPA.

For more details on adding that PPA, and more technical run-down of the processes behind this update, head on over to Timo’s blog by clicking the the link below.

Timo’s Blog Post