New Intel Linux Graphics Driver Patches, Up to 10~15% Better Performance | Hacker News Reader

New Intel Linux Graphics Driver Patches, Up to 10~15% Better Performance

phoronix.com

183 pointsmikece35 comments

It seems the extra performance is entirely due to being more aggressive about switching to higher power modes, not due to efficiency improvements.

Well if AMD can burn up their CPUs then We should be able to atleast overclock our GPUs a bit. plus you get nice planned obsolescence benefit on the side.

- some Product Mgr at Intel probably.

We cannot allow a chip-melt gap!

context ?

Probably AMD's 7000 issue: https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/24/23695829/amd-7000x3d-cpu-...

> Google engineers are interested in hooking this into Feral's GameMode

Afaik ChromeOS gamemode is completely independent from Ferals work?

What's the timeline for something like this landing into linux distro repositories?

Years for Ubuntu/RedHat, six to twelve months for Fedora, it varies for everything else

Fedora updates the kernel mid-cycle so could be weeks to months depending on various factors. Mesa versions would be 6 months usually though.

Fedora sometimes has a newer kernel than Arch if the release times line up just right.

> Years for Ubuntu/RedHat, six to twelve months for Fedora

Is there some literature on why this is? I'm curious. Is Fedora more "experimental"?

Fedora does breaking point releases around every six months, and yes it's kind of more "experimental", generally speaking the repositories are as up to date as possible in a point release distribution, kernel version are always up to date, and Fedora is generally early adopter of breaking changes in programs such as GNOME, Wayland, Pipewire, new Wine versions, etc. Also Kernel updates are done mid-cycle which means this update could land even in just a few weeks from now.

Meanwhile Ubuntu does a new LTS release once every two years, which are already somewhat outdated when they get released.

What sort of "vetting" and acceptance testing does Ubuntu/RedHat do given their delayed cycle?

Might be a week or two for Arch and OpenSUSE Tumbleweed.

If when it lands I wonder how much it would help with video tasks like plex transcoding

Waiting for i915 working with aarch64.

How can we get these patches in Ubuntu?

Pull kernel source, apply patches, build kernel, run kernel.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/BuildYourOwnKernel

Assuming it's accepted right away, it'd be in the merge window for kernel 6.4, and since Ubuntu 23.04 just came out with 6.2, you'll have to wait for 23.10 at the earliest.

Or you could just compile your own kernel and test it out.

Sandy Lake fans just keep on winning. Never obsolete.

Is this just for mobile devices? Not sure why the diver should command low power states when plugged in and playing a game other than for thermals.

Sometimes you want to conserve every bit of power so the SoC can boost hard when it really needs to. And you dont want the CPU/GPU running faster than they have to, otherwise you sap TDP the rest of the chip could use.

That being said, Intel IGPs arent (yet) fast enough to be throttling down in games :P

It's for Intel's integrated graphics, which are most prevalent on laptops.

I imagine NUCs/tiny-form-factor desktops and business computers in general also make a significant fraction of the install base

Why not? Desktop CPUs and other components do it all the time. Why waste energy?

If I’m actively using my desktop, I’d prefer it to be running at full performance. If it’s just sitting idling while I’m out to lunch, sure, power down as much as possible. Different situation to a laptop where you have a tiny battery and thermals to worry about.

The actual overall energy usage while I’m using it is negligible compared to just about anything else. I would use more energy in the day running my stove.

What about climate change? Don't you care about saving the planet?

If you can use your GPU at full power, why do I have to drink out of a paper straw?

Is this serious? Paper straws were partly about moral panic about ocean plastic getting in to animals, and don't seem directly related to climate change.

I live near a McDonalds and I'm fucking glad I don't see plastic straws in the bushes next to the sidewalk any more.

I no longer use paper straws. Instead, I carry around a reusable metal straw that I wash after every use with copious amounts of water.

I don’t drive a car, have kids, or travel much. Those things matter more than the power state of my GPU by orders of magnitude.

A single commute to an office by car likely uses more energy than a lifetime of PC gaming.

Maybe there is an argument that games are a waste of energy, but I would prefer maximum performance for my games, makes them more enjoyable, or on the margin, playable in the first place. Low power states make sense when you're not actually trying to use all the performance.

Not all games or applications will use up all your resources so lower power states make sense to save energy and reduce thermals as well.

Alternatively , a game/app might trigger boosts that can’t be sustained, or some instructions like AVX that are intensive that require dropping thermals to sustain.

Power state switching is very common and a very interesting space to dial in.

It's not about wasting energy, it's about using it when demanded. Games are about the most demanding thing you can do with a gpu, if it's throttled for games, I don't know when it wouldn't be.

Electricity is clearly far too cheap in their area! :)

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