AMD Driver Patch Aims to Smooth Steam Deck Frame Hitches

A recent patch for AMD's Linux drivers offers a potential solution to performance issues on the Steam Deck and other AMD-based gaming hardware operating in Energy Performance Preference (EPP) mode. Kernel coder David Vernet identified that the current driver can misinterpret short thread sleep periods as a cue to lower performance targets. This leads to increased frame latency and jerky visuals when the threads wake up.

Vernet's solution involves a more nuanced approach than simply switching to permanent 'performance' mode, which negates energy savings. The patch intelligently monitors cores and temporarily elevates the performance setting for a core only when a busy thread would benefit. Once the workload diminishes, the core reverts to energy-saving EPP mode. Early testing of this patch on Civilization VI demonstrated a significant 31.8 percent improvement in 1% low FPS and 4.1 percent faster p99 frame generation times.

While this adjustment primarily enhances the generation of the slowest frames, thereby reducing stuttering, its broader impact on various gaming benchmarks will be clearer once the patch is integrated into the main AMD Linux kernel. This development highlights ongoing efforts to optimize Valve's handheld hardware through low-level software updates.