rtx 2060 mobile refresh only draws 80w on linux, any ideas?

hi, the gpu can pull 115w on windows but on linux it's only drawing 80w, 85w max short duration. doesnt matter what performance profile, overclock, or what i throw at it.

any ideas as to how to get the full potential of the gpu?

i've tried multiple kernels, different driver versions, the result is always the same.

 

Without proper driver (or OEM) support, I don't think you can.
Certain laptops like Eluktronics RM-15 also allow RTX 2060 to go up to 115W max, but they were designed with such profiles (which I think are proprietary to Eluktronics and Windows).
I don't think the software in question works under Linux (if it is software based - I doubt its bios based since you should be able to make use of the full GPU power).

NV drivers might be an issue too... but I think this has more to do with OEM laptop configuration (which is Windows specific).

 

thanks for the reply, i was thinking the same at first but even on a clean windows install with no lenovo apps/devices installed i can still control the power profiles with Fn+q and the gpu will still draw 115w. i think i might just have to have someone else with a legion 5 test it out to see if the results are the same or not.

 

Then it could be down to NV drivers (which from what I understand aren't exactly best under Linux).
I'm not sure which it might be.

 

I've always found that to be somewhat the case. CPUs often don't run full blast on Linux for me as well. It's like there is always something holding things back a bit. Have you tried Green With Envy to see if maybe you can force the GPU to put out a bit more? It's basically your Linux substitute for MSI Afterburner.


There is also a way to better control the CPU since I have often found TurboBoost to not perform as well with Linux.

 

for me the cpu is golden on linux, my highest cinebench R20 scores are from linux running R20 via wine for a score of 3582 compared to my windows max of around 3450

as for the gpu though, yeah i've tried GWE but you cant define power limits, only clocks. no matter what overclock i give it, it will not break 82w. im trying to find someone running my setup on linux to see if it's just an issue for me or for all. i also plan to try from a clean setup of another distro only because my arch install is going on a couple years and carried over from another laptop but i dont expect this would change things.

 

The power limit on an NVIDIA GPU is controlled by the vBIOS. The only way to override it is with firmware or a shunt mod.

 

yeah, thats the confusing part. no matter if i use the 85w, the 100w, or the 115w vbios the result is the same and it wont break 82w but only on linux, on windows i get 85w/100w/115w like its supposed to

 

Playing around with GPU's and Linux is a venture that takes some googling. It's possible the firmware isn't up to snuff in the tree yet. I had a helluva time tinkering with AMD but, NV is usually more of a cake walk with the proprietary drivers being installed much easier.

I did find some bios tweaks for AMD GPUs though that brought performance more inline with lower temps / lower power draws overall. The mods also provided more stability since it wasn't going hog wild with power generating heat. 80-82W is a good place to be unless you're seeing performance issues or lock ups. .... speaking of which.... it might be limiting you if your power adapter isn't giving enough W's to support it in full mode.

In the least it could be kernel related if you're using the stock kernel at a lower level than what's now available since release.
https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/?C=N;O=D

5.9.11 is the most current non-beta right now and it's stable. There may be another PPA for the RTX you can add to get updated drivers / software for the card. With the AMD there's a program called atiflash that lets you change the firmware via CLI moving bios files around and such to test for better performance.

 

thanks for the reply, the power delivery on this thing hasnt given me any issues on windows or linux and i've really pushed it to see if i could cause a draw from the battery during a combined synthetic cpu/gpu stress test and it handles it no problem. with a cpu undervolt it can run the all core max of 4.3ghz while also drawing 115w from the gpu during stress (windows, combined stress) and it does this constant, not just peak.

as for the kernel, i'm running the latest arch 5.9.11.arch2-1, i've also tried arch lts 5.4.80, and a few others but unfortunately showed the same results. tbh i dont really feel a need for the 115w in linux since im able to force g-sync and the lower frames on linux run smoother than the higher frames i get in windows without g-sync (work in progress) but knowing its there untapped irks me i guess. i could try 115w vbios from another product line but my experiences doing that usually mean having to run in hybrid mode and that kind of defeats the purpose of any gains even if i was to get 115w linux i would have no g-sync.

i'm trying, eventually it will happen, even if by shunt mod its gonna happen.

 

Knowing the option for more performance is the problem.....

I think just about anyone around here has the same diagnosis or wants it by asking about something.