diff --git a/FAQ.md b/FAQ.md index f892550..1430b4a 100644 --- a/FAQ.md +++ b/FAQ.md @@ -5,9 +5,8 @@ PowerTools does not save any data by default; it reads and writes to the SteamOS Since no data is saved, a reboot will reset all PowerTools settings back to default. ## Why does PowerTools only let me select some values? -There's a few reasons for this, depending on the values in question: -- GPU PPT Wattage: The rest of the values can already be set from SteamOS's Performance settings in the QAM -- Others: logical limits coming from the [specs of the Steam Deck](https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech) +There's a few reasons for this, depending on the values in question, but it all stems from limits imposed by (or to protect) the hardware. +Most limits can be justified by the [specs of the Steam Deck](https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech) or the allowed values for a specific kernel API. ## How do I reset to default settings? Restart your Steam Deck. Nothing in PowerTools is persistent, unless you enable persistence (in which case: turn off the toggle, *then* restart your Deck). @@ -16,13 +15,19 @@ Restart your Steam Deck. Nothing in PowerTools is persistent, unless you enable I don't know, ask Valve. Most of the defaults are pretty logical, so none of them should be too objectionable. ## What does disabling SMT do? -The SMT toggle in PowerTools doesn't actually disable SMT. Instead it disables every second CPU, since every group of two CPUs is one logical CPU core. +The SMT toggle in PowerTools doesn't technically disable SMT. +Instead it disables every second CPU, since every group of two CPUs is one logical CPU core. + +## Why does disabling SMT speed up some games? +I don't really know. +My theory, which is backed by exactly zero research and experiments, is that since SMT increases performance of a single core by less than 100% (usually it's closer to 30-50%), that 150% performance gets split between two threads, effectively reducing each thread's performance to 75% when both threads are under heavy load. +It would then follow that disabling one of those threads would restore the remaining thread to 100% performance. # TLA (Three Letter Acronyms) ## AMD Advanced Micro Devices: the company that makes the processor in the Steam Deck ## APU -"Accelerated" Processing Unit: the marketing term for a CPU with an integrated GPU +"Accelerated" Processing Unit: the marketing term used by AMD for a CPU with an integrated GPU ## CPU Central Processing Unit: the main processor, the Steam Deck uses one with Zen2 architecture ## GPU