AMD is bringing performance-boosting SmartShift tech to Linux laptops:
AMD is seemingly continuing to prepare the ground for its SmartShift tech to debut on Linux laptops, and hopefully this should be realized in time for the launch of the next batch of all-AMD notebooks.
This is according to Linux enthusiast site Phoronix.com, which flagged up a couple of recent patches adding elements of support for SmartShift under Linux – which follows a bunch of previous work – and theoretically we could be looking at full support making the cut for the Linux 5.14 kernel later this year.
[...] Also noteworthy is that AMD once again touched on what SmartShift does at the recent Computex show, highlighting some of the frame rate boosts (in the order of 10% or so) which can be expected with this tech alongside Smart Access Memory.
SmartShift was first revealed for Windows 10 laptops early last year, and the tech allows for the shifting of power dynamically between the CPU and GPU, enabling a swift performance boost when the workload requires it. However, SmartShift only came to a single Dell laptop in 2020, with the broader rollout being delayed until 2021 – and indeed further SmartShift-toting notebooks were finally just shown off at Computex.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 03 2021, @04:18PM
It costs big bucks to package up hidden backdoors and marketing.
(Score: 2) by shortscreen on Thursday June 03 2021, @08:36PM
They are advertising it as a performance boost but it sounds more like they are playing games with their own self-imposed current or heat-dissipation limits. If it requires software support to sync the CPU and GPU power states, then overclockers will hack it to run both parts at full tilt and get even better frame rates, at least until something melts. It's always nice when software can melt things though, isn't it?
If it were me, I'd rather just have better cooling in the laptop, or a less demanding software workload and less demanding hardware to go with it. For instance, maybe the game could have an option to turn off that fragment shader for the photo realistic dandruff particles and mud puddle reflections?