Valve has played a crucial role in the recent expansion of Linux gaming. Through its Proton compatibility layer, Windows games can now run smoothly on Linux. Despite this progress, further optimizations are necessary to enhance the performance of these games on Linux.
Natalie Vock, a Linux graphics engineer contracted by Valve, is currently working on innovative techniques to optimize VRAM usage. These optimizations aim to ensure that games run seamlessly on Linux even with limited memory, such as GPUs with 8GB VRAM. It is important to note that these optimizations are currently focused on AMD graphics cards.
It is worth mentioning that the Steam Deck, as well as the upcoming Steam Machine and Frame, all rely on Linux-based SteamOS. Therefore, these devices will also benefit from the new VRAM optimization techniques being developed. For more details, continue reading below.
Valve’s Engineer Enhances AMDGPU’s VRAM Management on Linux
Natalie Vock, an independent contractor working with Valve, recently shared details on her efforts to improve VRAM management in low-end AMD GPUs with typically 8GB of memory or less. Vock’s focus lies on the RADV Vulkan driver used for AMD GPUs, where she has worked on kernel and user-space patches.
Starting with the kernel patches, the first one enhances the support for the DRM device memory cgroup controller (dmemcg), allowing for more effective management of GPU memory usage across the system. The second patch modifies the TTM memory management code to optimize VRAM allocations and evictions for applications. Together, these patches enable more efficient utilization of GPU VRAM.
The user-space components include dmemcg-booster and plasma-foreground-booster. The former is a systemd service that utilizes the improved dmemcg controller from the kernel patches to enhance its functionality. The latter is a service that integrates with the KDE Plasma Desktop Environment to better manage foreground applications and optimize VRAM usage.
These new kernel and user-space components work in harmony to prioritize the GPU’s dedicated VRAM for games, granting them first access before other system components. This ensures that as long as the game is running in the foreground, it will receive the highest priority access to the VRAM pool.
If you own a budget or low-end AMD GPU with 8GB of VRAM, you can expect to see significantly improved performance on Linux once these patches are integrated into the mainline kernel. This improvement will also enhance the 1% and 0.1% frame rates, leading to a smoother gaming experience. Additionally, you may notice fewer texture pop-ins in the game environment, which can be quite bothersome.
The upcoming Steam Machine will feature an 8GB AMD GPU, underscoring the importance of Valve’s engineer actively working on these VRAM optimizations.
Edited by Suraj Bhowal