A Meta developer's Linux patch could boost Steam Deck frame rates by up to 32%

A Linux kernel developer at Meta has proposed patches that could potentially boost frame rates on the Steam Deck by up to 32%. The patches, added to the amd-pstate driver, address stuttering and frame-time spikes experienced on AMD APU-based gaming handhelds. The driver's Energy Performance Preference (EPP) attribute allows for control over processor frequency, but the base implementation can be inefficient for gaming workloads.

David Vernet's solution introduces a per-core EPP boost, monitoring each processor core every 10 milliseconds. If a core is at least 50% busy, its EPP setting is adjusted to performance mode, remaining in this state for 300 milliseconds without further busy samples before reverting to the previous setting. Benchmarks on Civilization VI running on a Steam Deck showed a 31.8% improvement in 1%-low frame rate and a 4.1% improvement in p99 frame time.

While the average frame rate remained unchanged, these patches could theoretically enhance performance across various other games on any SteamOS or Linux handheld device equipped with an AMD APU.