Compiz does not seem to run as smoothly as Metacity on my desktop system. With

With desktop effects switched on, I’d also notice tearing in areas of the screen with fast motion including in videos. I was fiddling with Compiz settings recently and managed to fix the problem entirely.

If you haven’t already installed the compiz configuration settings manager, install it by running the command:

Start CCSM from System->Preferences->CompizConfig Settings Manager. Under the category General, select General Options. Select the Display Settings tab. De-select the Detect Refresh Rate option. Set the Refresh Rate option to match the vertical refresh rate of your display. (I checked my monitor’s on-screen display to verify that it was running 60 Hz.) Finally, select the Sync To VBlank option.

If you didn’t find compiz smooth enough turning the refresh rate up a bit wont hurt.