From 26acb4546872544e45e7e9e13674e217bd62ef9e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "NGnius (Graham)" Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2022 00:07:04 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Updated FAQ (markdown) --- FAQ.md | 28 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 28 insertions(+) diff --git a/FAQ.md b/FAQ.md index 3736703..5a7195c 100644 --- a/FAQ.md +++ b/FAQ.md @@ -4,6 +4,30 @@ PowerTools interacts with the system in roughly the same way as outlined in [her PowerTools does not save any data by default; it reads and writes to the SteamOS system (mostly the Linux kernel). Since no data is saved, a reboot will reset all PowerTools settings back to default. +## Why use PowerTools? +The settings made available through PowerTools allow you to tweak your Steam Deck for the best performance and/or battery life. +PowerTools can be great for emulators which use too little performance, or for heavy games that use too much power. + +## How do I optimise my settings for a game? +A good first step is to turn on the performance overlay to see what resources are being used by the game. +Then change the settings until the game is using the resources more effectively. +This is mostly trial and error, but here are some tips: +- If only a few CPU threads are being used heavily at one time, try reducing the amount of CPUs available so the remaining threads can run at a higher frequency +- If the CPU is mostly idle but the GPU has high utilization, try reducing your graphics settings +- If you have higher-than-necessary FPS, try reducing TDP and frequencies to a point just before the stuttering starts +- If the CPU and GPU have reasonable utilization but you're experiencing stuttering, try reducing the CPU or GPU frequency to give the other one more power + +## What is CPU/GPU frequency? +The rate at which the processor does operations. +A lower frequency means the processor will do less over the period of time. +This is a balancing act between power efficiency (where a lower frequency is better) and performance (where higher frequency is better). +That's why frequencies fluctuate depending on the processor load. + +## What is PowerPlay? +An AMD marketing term for their GPU (and APU) power management settings. +PowerPlay is a Table (hence the initialism PPT) of power limits. +Basically TDP. + ## Why does PowerTools only let me select some values? 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. @@ -30,6 +54,8 @@ Advanced Micro Devices: the company that makes the processor in the Steam Deck "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 +## FPS +Frames Per Second: the rate that images ("frames") are displayed on screen to create motion ## GPU Graphics Processing Unit: the graphics processor, the Steam Deck uses one with RDNA2 architecture ## PPT @@ -38,6 +64,8 @@ PowerPlay Table: the power settings for AMD GPUs Quick Access Menu: the Steam Deck menu that comes up when you press the `...` button ## SMT Simultaneous MultiThreading: The generic term for making one logical core act like more than one core, equivalent to Intel's "hyperthreading". +## TDP +Thermal Design Power: technically the max sustained power usage of a computer chip, but is also colloquially used to mean power draw or limit. ## USDPL No, that's five letters