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Martin 265e369823 fix: correct cyan-skillfish-governor service names in performance troubleshooting

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Performance Troubleshooting

This guide covers common performance issues and their solutions for the BC-250.

Quick Diagnostics

Before troubleshooting specific issues, run these commands to check your system status:

# Check GPU frequency and temperature
sensors

# Check GPU utilization and frequency
watch -n 1 cat /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.1/0000:01:00.0/gpu_busy_percent
watch -n 1 cat /sys/class/drm/card0/device/pp_dmu_clock

# Check if GPU driver is loaded
lspci -k | grep -A 3 VGA

# Verify Mesa version
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version"

# Check governor status (if installed)
systemctl status oberon-governor
# or
systemctl status cyan-skillfish-governor-tt

GPU Locked at 1500MHz

Symptoms:

GPU frequency stuck at 1500MHz regardless of load
Low FPS in games despite acceptable temperatures
radeontop or monitoring tools show constant 1500MHz

Cause: The default GPU governor is locked by BIOS. Without a user-space governor, the GPU cannot scale frequency dynamically.

Solution: Install GPU Governor

The BC-250 requires a custom GPU governor to enable dynamic frequency scaling between 350-2300MHz (patched kernel) or 1000-2000MHz (unpatched kernel).

Option 1: Oberon Governor (Recommended for most users)

Features:

Multi-step frequency scaling
Maintains GPU usage between 45-70%
Lower CPU overhead (0.4% CPU usage)
100ms burst-to-max time

Installation:

Fedora/Bazzite:

dnf copr enable @exotic-soc/oberon-governor
dnf install oberon-governor
systemctl enable --now oberon-governor

Arch/Manjaro:

yay -S oberon-governor
systemctl enable --now oberon-governor

Configuration:

Edit /etc/oberon-config.yaml:

opps:
  - frequency:
    - min: 1000
    - max: 2000
  - voltage:
    - min: 700
    - max: 1000

Restart the service:

sudo systemctl restart oberon-governor

Verify it's working:

oberon-governor --help  # Should show v0.1.4 or higher
systemctl status oberon-governor

Option 2: Cyan Skillfish Governor (Advanced users)

Features:

Continuous frequency adjustment (no steps)
Maintains GPU utilization 70-95% (configurable)
Higher CPU overhead (0.9-1.3% CPU usage)
24ms burst-to-max time
More responsive to burst loads

Installation:

Fedora/RPM:

dnf copr enable filippor/bazzite
dnf install cyan-skillfish-governor-tt

Arch/AUR:

yay -S cyan-skillfish-governor-tt
# Or for SMU variant (no kernel patch needed):
yay -S cyan-skillfish-governor-smu

Debian: Download .deb from GitHub releases

Configuration:

The governor uses voltage/frequency pairs. Edit the config file and add as many stable points as you've tested:

safe-points = [
    { freq_mhz = 350,  voltage_mv = 570 },
    { freq_mhz = 860,  voltage_mv = 600 },
    { freq_mhz = 1090, voltage_mv = 650 },
    { freq_mhz = 1280, voltage_mv = 700 },
    { freq_mhz = 1460, voltage_mv = 750 },
    { freq_mhz = 1620, voltage_mv = 800 },
    { freq_mhz = 1760, voltage_mv = 850 },
    { freq_mhz = 1890, voltage_mv = 900 },
    { freq_mhz = 2030, voltage_mv = 950 },
    { freq_mhz = 2090, voltage_mv = 975 },
    { freq_mhz = 2140, voltage_mv = 1000 },
    { freq_mhz = 2230, voltage_mv = 1050 },
]

load_target = { min = 70, max = 95 }

!!! warning "Test Your Values" Default values are conservative. Test stability for your specific board:

```bash
# Stop the governor
sudo systemctl stop cyan-skillfish-governor-tt

# Manually set frequency/voltage
echo vc 0 <CLOCK> <VOLTAGE> > /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.1/0000:01:00.0/pp_od_clk_voltage

# Run stress test (benchmark, game, etc.)
# If stable, add to config. If crashes, increase voltage or lower frequency.
```

Enable and start:

sudo systemctl enable --now cyan-skillfish-governor-tt

GPU Frequency Not Scaling Above 2000MHz

Symptoms:

Governor installed but GPU won't go above 2000MHz
Governor config shows max 2300MHz but actual frequency limited

Cause: Kernel doesn't have the frequency range patch.

Solution: Apply Kernel Patch

The BC-250 needs a kernel patch to unlock frequency range from 500-2500MHz (default is 1000-2000MHz).

Pre-patched Kernels:

Bazzite: Uses patched kernel by default (no action needed)

CachyOS:

# CachyOS has pre-patched kernels in their repo
paru -S linux-cachyos-lts-headers

Fedora/Arch - Manual Patch:

Download the patch:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mothenjoyer69/bc250-documentation/main/kernel-patches/amdgpu-frequency-range.patch

Apply to kernel source and recompile, or use a tool like dkms or CachyOS kernel manager.

Verification:

cat /sys/class/drm/card0/device/pp_od_clk_voltage
# Should show range up to 2300MHz or higher

Software Rendering (llvmpipe) Instead of GPU

Symptoms:

glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer" shows "llvmpipe"
Games extremely slow (5-10 FPS)
Steam shows "Software Rendering" in system info

Diagnostic:

glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer"
# Bad:  OpenGL renderer string: llvmpipe (LLVM 15.0.0, 256 bits)
# Good: OpenGL renderer string: AMD Radeon Graphics (gfx1013, LLVM 15.0.0, DRM 3.54, 6.12.0)

vulkaninfo --summary
# Should show AMD RADV driver

Cause 1: Mesa Too Old

Solution: Upgrade to Mesa 25.1.3 or newer

Fedora 43+:

# Mesa 25.1+ is in official repos
sudo dnf update mesa*

Fedora 42:

# Use COPR for Mesa 25.1+
sudo dnf copr enable @exotic-soc/bc250-mesa
sudo dnf update mesa*

Arch/Manjaro:

# Install from official repos
sudo pacman -S mesa

Verification:

glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version"
# Should show Mesa 25.1.3 or higher

Cause 2: Wrong Graphics Adapter Selected

Some games (especially Red Dead Redemption 2) default to software rendering.

Solution:

Check available adapters:

vulkaninfo --summary

In-game, change graphics adapter number to match the GPU (not llvmpipe).

For RDR2 specifically, launch with:

-useMaximumSettings

Cause 3: Driver Not Loaded

Check if amdgpu driver is loaded:

lspci -k | grep -A 3 VGA
# Should show "Kernel driver in use: amdgpu"

If not loaded, check:

dmesg | grep amdgpu
# Look for errors

Common fix - ensure these kernel parameters are set (and nomodeset is removed):

# Edit /etc/default/grub
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="amdgpu.sg_display=0"

# Regenerate grub config
sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg  # Fedora
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg    # Arch

Low FPS / Poor Gaming Performance

Check GPU Utilization

# Monitor GPU load percentage
watch -n 1 cat /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.1/0000:01:00.0/gpu_busy_percent

# If GPU is at 100% constantly = thermal throttling or insufficient performance
# If GPU is at 30-50% = governor not scaling properly, or game/driver issue
# If GPU is at 0-10% = not using GPU (software rendering)

Issue: Governor Not Installed

See "GPU Locked at 1500MHz" section above.

Issue: Broken Kernel Version

Symptoms:

Previously working setup suddenly has poor performance after kernel update
Random GPU crashes under load
System freezes during gaming
Running kernel 6.15.0-6.15.6 or 6.17.8-6.17.10

Solution:

Install Working Kernel

!!! danger "AVOID BROKEN KERNEL VERSIONS" Kernel 6.15.0-6.15.6 and 6.17.8-6.17.10 break GPU driver support. Use 6.15.7-6.17.7, 6.17.11+, or 6.18.x for best performance, or 6.12.x-6.14.x LTS for stability.

Arch/Manjaro:

# Option 1: Install working 6.15.7-6.17.7 kernel
sudo pacman -S linux  # Check version is in working range
# Option 2: Install LTS kernel for guaranteed stability
sudo pacman -S linux-lts linux-lts-headers
# Set as default in bootloader

CachyOS:

# Check version first
paru -S linux-cachyos  # Ensure it's 6.15.7-6.17.7
# Or for LTS stability:
paru -S linux-cachyos-lts linux-cachyos-lts-headers

Fedora:

# Check current kernel
uname -r

# Install older kernel from koji if needed
# Or wait for kernel fixes

Issue: IOMMU Causing Crashes

Symptoms:

Random system crashes under GPU load
Weird performance issues
System hangs

!!! danger "IOMMU is Broken on BC-250" IOMMU MUST be disabled in BIOS. It is broken on BC-250 and causes crashes, display failures, and instability.

Solution:

Disable IOMMU in BIOS (required), or add kernel parameter as backup:

amd_iommu=off

Issue: RADV_DEBUG Environment Variable

Some older setup guides recommend setting RADV_DEBUG=nocompute globally. This may not be needed on Mesa 25.1+.

Test without it:

# Remove from Steam launch options
# Remove from /etc/environment if set there

Issue: Game-Specific Optimizations

Steam Launch Options:

Most games work with:

RADV_DEBUG=nocompute %command%

For better performance, try:

# FSR enabled
WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1 %command%

# Vulkan backend
PROTON_USE_WINED3D=0 %command%

# Gamescope for consistent frametimes
gamescope -W 1920 -H 1080 -f -- %command%

Thermal Throttling

Symptoms:

Performance starts good then degrades after 5-15 minutes
Temperatures above 85-90C
GPU frequency drops under sustained load

Check Temperatures:

watch -n 1 sensors

Safe operating temperatures:

70-85C: Normal under load
85-90C: High but acceptable
90C+: Thermal throttling likely

Solutions:

1. Improve Cooling

Arctic P12 Max recommended (high static pressure: 3.27 mmH2O)

Alternative good options:

Noctua NF-A12x25 (2.34 mmH2O)
Arctic P14 PWM (2.4 mmH2O)

Fan configuration:

# Set fans to full speed in BIOS (for testing)
# Or use fan control software

2. Repaste / Replace Thermal Pads

APU die: Use quality thermal paste (Arctic MX-4, Noctua NT-H1) or PTM7950 phase-change pad
Memory/VRM: 2mm thermal pads (verify thickness first)
Ensure heatsink is properly secured

3. Undervolt GPU

If thermal throttling persists, try undervolting:

# Example: 2000MHz at 940mV instead of 1000mV
echo vc 0 2000 940 > /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.1/0000:01:00.0/pp_od_clk_voltage
echo c > /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.1/0000:01:00.0/pp_od_clk_voltage

Test stability with benchmarks. If stable, update governor config.

VRAM Allocation Issues

Checking Current VRAM Split

# Total system RAM
free -h

# GPU VRAM visible
sudo lshw -C display | grep -i memory

Issue: Game Crashes with "Out of Memory"

Symptoms:

Games crash after loading
Artifacts then crash (Company of Heroes 3, RDR2)
"Out of memory" errors

Common with: 512MB dynamic allocation + ZRAM enabled

Solution 1: Use Fixed VRAM Allocation

Boot into BIOS and change VRAM allocation:

For most games: 4GB VRAM / 12GB RAM
For competitive/esports: 6GB VRAM / 10GB RAM
For VRAM-heavy games: 8GB VRAM / 8GB RAM or 10GB VRAM / 6GB RAM

!!! info "Dynamic Allocation Issues" 512MB dynamic allocation conflicts with ZRAM on some games. Use fixed allocation instead.

Solution 2: Disable ZRAM

# Disable ZRAM
sudo systemctl stop zram-swap
sudo systemctl disable zram-swap

Solution 3: Replace ZRAM with zswap (Better for RAM-Hungry Games)

zswap compresses swap in RAM before writing to disk, avoiding ZRAM's VRAM conflicts while still helping with memory pressure. Community reports this made games like AoE2:DE with UHD textures playable at 4K.

Bazzite setup:

# Disable zram
echo "" | sudo tee /etc/systemd/zram-generator.conf

# Set up swapfile first (see https://docs.bazzite.gg/Advanced/swapfile/)

# Enable lz4 drivers in initramfs
rpm-ostree initramfs --enable \
  --arg=--add-drivers \
  --arg=lz4 \
  --arg=--add-drivers \
  --arg=lz4_compress

# Add kernel parameters
rpm-ostree kargs --append-if-missing="zswap.enabled=1 zswap.max_pool_percent=25 zswap.compressor=lz4"

# Reboot, then set swappiness
echo 180 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/swappiness

Verify: grep -r . /sys/module/zswap/parameters/

!!!warning "zswap and SSD Wear" zswap eventually writes to your swap file on disk. Not recommended on slow storage devices.

Solution 4: Increase VRAM Visibility (Advanced)

For LLM/AI workloads that need more than 12GB VRAM:

Add to kernel command line:

amdgpu.gttsize=14750 ttm.pages_limit=3959290 ttm.page_pool_size=3959290

This allows GPU to allocate up to ~14.75GB VRAM. Limit usage to 14.25-14.5GB in applications to avoid crashes.

Stuttering and Frame Pacing

Issue: Inconsistent Frame Times

Symptoms:

FPS counter shows 60+ but feels choppy
Frame time graph shows spikes
Stuttering during gameplay

Solution 1: Use Gamescope

Gamescope provides consistent frame pacing:

# Install gamescope
sudo dnf install gamescope  # Fedora
sudo pacman -S gamescope    # Arch

# Launch game through gamescope
gamescope -W 1920 -H 1080 -f -- %command%

# With frame limit
gamescope -W 1920 -H 1080 -r 60 -f -- %command%

Solution 2: Disable Compositor (X11)

For KDE Plasma (X11):

# Disable compositor in System Settings > Display > Compositor
# Or use keyboard shortcut: Alt+Shift+F12

Solution 3: Use Wayland

Wayland generally has better frame pacing than X11.

Solution 4: Audio Configuration

Some games (especially emulators) have frame pacing tied to audio:

# Check PulseAudio/PipeWire sample rate
pactl info | grep "Default Sample"

# Lock to 48kHz
# Edit /etc/pulse/daemon.conf (PulseAudio) or PipeWire config
default-sample-rate = 48000

For Ryujinx (Switch emulator): Change audio backend in settings can dramatically improve performance.

System Configuration Issues

Kernel Parameters (Optimal)

Edit /etc/default/grub:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="amdgpu.sg_display=0 mitigations=off"

Explanation:

amdgpu.sg_display=0: Required for kernel < 6.10 (doesn't hurt on newer)
mitigations=off: +18 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 (60→78 FPS) but reduces security

!!! danger "Security Warning" mitigations=off disables CPU vulnerability mitigations. Only use if you trust all code running on the system.

Regenerate grub:

sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg  # Fedora
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg    # Arch

Remove nomodeset

!!! danger "Critical: Remove nomodeset After Driver Installation" nomodeset is ONLY for installation. It disables GPU acceleration. Remove it after Mesa is installed.

Check if present:

cat /etc/default/grub | grep nomodeset

If found, remove it and regenerate grub config.

Performance Monitoring Tools

Real-time Monitoring

MangoHud (in-game overlay):

# Install
sudo dnf install mangohud  # Fedora
sudo pacman -S mangohud    # Arch

# Use in Steam launch options
mangohud %command%

# Or global config in ~/.config/MangoHud/MangoHud.conf

Radeontop (terminal):

sudo dnf install radeontop
radeontop

Sensors (temperatures/voltages):

watch -n 1 sensors

CoolerControl (GUI):

# Fedora/Bazzite
ujust install-coolercontrol

# Provides fan control and sensor monitoring

Benchmarking

Unigine Superposition:

# Good for thermal/stability testing
# 1080p Extreme preset
# Stock BC-250: ~3888 score
# 2.22GHz OC: ~4118 score

vkmark (Vulkan):

sudo dnf install vkmark
vkmark

Cyberpunk 2077 Benchmark: Popular community test - consistent results:

Stock: ~57 FPS (1080p high)
2.22GHz: ~60 FPS
With mitigations=off: +15-20 FPS

Distribution-Specific Issues

Fedora

Issue: MTG Arena crashes GUI

Confirmed issue on Fedora with Gnome
Works fine on Manjaro
Try KDE Plasma instead of Gnome

Bazzite

Issue: Freeze on Sleep

Known issue: system appears frozen when entering sleep
Solution: Press power button to wake (don't hold, just press)

Issue: Bazzite Update Breaks System

If an update causes issues, rollback:

rpm-ostree status
rpm-ostree rollback

CachyOS

Issue: Installation ISO Won't Boot

Use LTS kernel ISO
Build custom ISO with LTS kernel (see guide in System Configuration section)

Quick Performance Checklist

Use this checklist to verify your system is properly configured:

Mesa version 25.1.3 or higher
Kernel 6.17.11+, 6.18.x, 6.15.7-6.17.7, or 6.12.x-6.14.x LTS (NOT 6.15.0-6.15.6 or 6.17.8-6.17.10)
GPU governor installed and running (oberon or cyan-skillfish)
nomodeset removed from kernel parameters
BIOS flashed to P3.00 with 512MB dynamic or 4-12GB fixed VRAM
glxinfo shows RADV driver, not llvmpipe
Temperatures under 85C under load
Cooling with high static pressure fan (>2.0 mmH2O)
IOMMU disabled in BIOS
systemctl status oberon-governor shows active

Quick test:

# This should show GPU scaling dynamically
watch -n 0.5 'cat /sys/class/drm/card0/device/pp_dmu_clock && cat /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:08.1/0000:01:00.0/gpu_busy_percent'

# Run a game or benchmark
# Frequency should scale from ~1000MHz idle to 2000+MHz under load
# GPU utilization should be 80-100% in demanding scenes

Getting Help

If you're still experiencing performance issues after following this guide:

Gather system information:

# Create a system report
uname -r                    # Kernel version
glxinfo | grep -i mesa      # Mesa version
sensors                     # Temperatures
systemctl status oberon-governor  # Governor status
cat /etc/oberon-config.yaml       # Governor config
dmesg | grep amdgpu | tail -50    # Recent GPU messages

Join the Discord community:

BC-250 Discord: Largest community, most active support
Search for your specific issue first - likely already solved

Check GitHub documentation:

18 KiB Raw Blame History

Performance Troubleshooting

Quick Diagnostics

GPU Locked at 1500MHz

Option 1: Oberon Governor (Recommended for most users)

Option 2: Cyan Skillfish Governor (Advanced users)

GPU Frequency Not Scaling Above 2000MHz

Software Rendering (llvmpipe) Instead of GPU

Low FPS / Poor Gaming Performance

Check GPU Utilization

Issue: Governor Not Installed

Issue: Broken Kernel Version

Issue: IOMMU Causing Crashes

Issue: RADV_DEBUG Environment Variable

Issue: Game-Specific Optimizations

Thermal Throttling

1. Improve Cooling

2. Repaste / Replace Thermal Pads

3. Undervolt GPU

VRAM Allocation Issues

Checking Current VRAM Split

Issue: Game Crashes with "Out of Memory"

Stuttering and Frame Pacing

Issue: Inconsistent Frame Times

System Configuration Issues

Kernel Parameters (Optimal)

Remove nomodeset

Performance Monitoring Tools

Real-time Monitoring

Benchmarking

Distribution-Specific Issues

Fedora

Bazzite

CachyOS

Quick Performance Checklist

Getting Help

Additional Resources

18 KiB

Raw Blame History