I have a Lenovo Legion 5 with the following setup:
– Linux Kernel: 6.12.10-zen1-1-zen
– Desktop Environment: KDE Plasma 6.2.5 with KWin (Wayland)
– CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600H @ 4.28 GHz
– GPUs: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile / Max-Q (Discrete), AMD Radeon Vega Series (Integrated)
In all games running on Proton, I’m only seeing about 60% GPU usage. I’ve enabled nvidia-powerd and set performance profiles in Plasma and the Lenovo software, yet the GPU power consumption never exceeds 115W even though it’s rated for a max of 120W. CPU TDP is under 60W, leaving around 100W available, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
When I run a native game like Vintage Story using OpenGL, I get nearly 100% GPU utilization, with a power draw of 120W. However, in games like Deep Rock Galactic, the GPU utilization hangs around 60% and power usage doesn’t go over 100W. FPS isn’t capped, and I’m not hitting any performance limits.
So, what exactly is going on? Please provide actual advice beyond the typical “Nvidia issues.”
6 Answers
This could result from a CPU bottleneck, where one thread is limiting the rest. Try using something like FurMark to see if your GPU can hit higher utilization outside of games.
Laptops can often run into power or thermal throttling issues that desktops simply don’t. Remember, they’re working with a lot less space and cooling capacity.
OpenGL games might be defaulting to the integrated GPU instead of your Nvidia discrete card. To fix this, you can change system settings to prioritize the DGPU by creating a configuration file:
“`bash
mkdir -p ~/.config/environment.d
sudo nano /etc/environment.d/90-nvidia.conf
“`
Add the following lines:
“`bash
__NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1
__GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia
“`
I use a similar setup with an i7 9750H and GTX 2060, and it works well for me.
It might be an overhead issue from vkd3d that’s causing a CPU bottleneck. Also, ensure to check your VRAM usage, as Proton layers often consume a lot of VRAM.
There are several things you could try:
– Test with different kernels, such as XanMod or Liquorix.
– Laptop VRAM is usually limited, causing bottlenecks.
– Be cautious with benchmarks from non-native games; they might not show accurate data.
– Compare OpenGL and Vulkan performance in native games.
– Try different Nvidia drivers, even older versions.
– Use native benchmarks like Geekbench or FurMark to see if the issue persists.
You’ve mentioned this issue occurs only with Proton games. Have you tested if the same thing happens with games that run natively on Linux?
