7.5 KiB
Gaming Laptop Configuration Example
This example demonstrates WiseTLP configuration for a gaming laptop optimized for performance while maintaining reasonable battery life during non-gaming use.
System Specifications
- Laptop: Gaming laptop with dedicated GPU
- CPU: Intel Core i7-12700H (14 cores)
- RAM: 32GB DDR4
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3070 Mobile
- Battery: 90Wh Li-ion
- Display: 15.6" 144Hz
User Preferences
Power Profile: Performance
Use Case: Gaming
Battery Priority: Balanced
Performance Mode: Maximum
Special Requirements:
- Gaming performance priority
- Prevent thermal throttling
- Fast system wake/sleep
Generated TLP Configuration
General Settings
TLP_ENABLE=1
TLP_WARN_LEVEL=3
TLP_DEBUG=0
CPU Management
# Performance-oriented CPU scaling
CPU_SCALING_GOVERNOR_ON_AC=performance
CPU_SCALING_GOVERNOR_ON_BAT=ondemand
# Aggressive frequency scaling on AC
CPU_SCALING_MIN_FREQ_ON_AC=800000
CPU_SCALING_MAX_FREQ_ON_AC=4700000
# Conservative on battery to preserve power
CPU_SCALING_MIN_FREQ_ON_BAT=800000
CPU_SCALING_MAX_FREQ_ON_BAT=3200000
# Platform profiles for gaming performance
PLATFORM_PROFILE_ON_AC=performance
PLATFORM_PROFILE_ON_BAT=balanced
# CPU energy performance preference
CPU_ENERGY_PERF_POLICY_ON_AC=performance
CPU_ENERGY_PERF_POLICY_ON_BAT=balance_performance
# Turbo boost settings
CPU_BOOST_ON_AC=1
CPU_BOOST_ON_BAT=1
# HWP (Hardware P-states) settings
CPU_HWP_DYN_BOOST_ON_AC=1
CPU_HWP_DYN_BOOST_ON_BAT=0
Rationale: Gaming requires maximum CPU performance on AC power. On battery, we use ondemand governor to balance performance with battery life while still allowing turbo boost for responsiveness.
GPU Power Management
# NVIDIA GPU settings
RUNTIME_PM_ON_AC=auto
RUNTIME_PM_ON_BAT=auto
# Radeon DPM (if applicable)
RADEON_DPM_STATE_ON_AC=performance
RADEON_DPM_STATE_ON_BAT=balanced
# Intel GPU settings
INTEL_GPU_MIN_FREQ_ON_AC=300
INTEL_GPU_MAX_FREQ_ON_AC=1300
INTEL_GPU_MIN_FREQ_ON_BAT=300
INTEL_GPU_MAX_FREQ_ON_BAT=800
Rationale: Dedicated GPU performance is prioritized on AC power for gaming. Battery mode reduces GPU frequency to conserve power.
Disk Management
# Aggressive disk performance on AC
DISK_APM_LEVEL_ON_AC=254
DISK_APM_LEVEL_ON_BAT=128
# No spindown timeout for SSD
DISK_SPINDOWN_TIMEOUT_ON_AC=0
DISK_SPINDOWN_TIMEOUT_ON_BAT=0
# SATA link power management
SATA_LINKPWR_ON_AC=max_performance
SATA_LINKPWR_ON_BAT=med_power_with_dipm
# NVMe power management
AHCI_RUNTIME_PM_ON_AC=on
AHCI_RUNTIME_PM_ON_BAT=auto
Rationale: Fast game loading requires maximum disk performance on AC. SSD doesn't need spindown timeout. Battery mode uses moderate power saving.
Network Management
# WiFi power management
WIFI_PWR_ON_AC=off
WIFI_PWR_ON_BAT=on
# Ethernet wake-on-LAN
WOL_DISABLE=Y
# Network device power management
RUNTIME_PM_DRIVER_DENYLIST="mei_me nouveau nvidia"
Rationale: Gaming requires reliable, low-latency network connectivity. WiFi power saving is disabled on AC but enabled on battery to conserve power.
USB and Peripheral Management
# USB autosuspend for power saving
USB_AUTOSUSPEND=1
USB_EXCLUDE_AUDIO=1
USB_EXCLUDE_BTUSB=1
USB_EXCLUDE_PHONE=1
# Exclude gaming peripherals from autosuspend
USB_ALLOWLIST="046d:c52b 1532:0037" # Gaming mouse and keyboard
# Runtime PM for USB devices
USB_AUTOSUSPEND_DISABLE_ON_SHUTDOWN=1
Rationale: Gaming peripherals need to remain active for immediate response. Audio and Bluetooth devices are excluded from autosuspend to prevent interruptions.
Thermal Management
# Thermal zone trip points (prevent throttling)
TEMP_LIMITS_ON_AC="85/95"
TEMP_LIMITS_ON_BAT="80/90"
# Fan control (if supported)
FAN_SPEED_ON_AC=auto
FAN_SPEED_ON_BAT=auto
Rationale: Higher thermal limits on AC power allow for sustained gaming performance. Battery limits are lower to prevent overheating during mobile use.
Audio and Multimedia
# Audio power management
SOUND_POWER_SAVE_ON_AC=0
SOUND_POWER_SAVE_ON_BAT=1
SOUND_POWER_SAVE_CONTROLLER=Y
Rationale: Audio power saving disabled on AC for gaming audio quality. Enabled on battery for power conservation.
System Sleep and Wake
# Fast resume for gaming
RESTORE_DEVICE_STATE_ON_STARTUP=1
DEVICES_TO_DISABLE_ON_STARTUP=""
# USB device handling during sleep
USB_EXCLUDE_WWAN=1
USB_EXCLUDE_PRINTER=1
Rationale: Fast wake/sleep cycle for gaming sessions. Critical devices remain configured for immediate use.
Performance Impact
Gaming Performance (AC Power)
- CPU: Maximum performance with all cores available
- GPU: Full performance mode for dedicated graphics
- Storage: Maximum I/O performance for fast game loading
- Network: Low-latency connectivity for online gaming
- Thermal: Higher limits to prevent throttling during intensive gaming
Battery Life (Battery Power)
- Runtime: 4-6 hours for general use, 1.5-2.5 hours for gaming
- Standby: Optimized sleep/wake for extended standby time
- Balanced: Performance available when needed, power saving when idle
Warnings and Considerations
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Thermal Management: Higher performance settings may increase heat generation. Ensure adequate cooling.
-
Battery Health: Gaming on battery will reduce battery lifespan. Consider AC power for extended gaming sessions.
-
Fan Noise: Performance mode may result in more aggressive fan curves for thermal management.
-
Power Consumption: AC power consumption will be higher during gaming sessions (150-200W typical).
-
Component Longevity: Sustained high performance may impact long-term component reliability.
Customization Options
For Competitive Gaming
# Even more aggressive performance
CPU_SCALING_GOVERNOR_ON_BAT=performance
PLATFORM_PROFILE_ON_BAT=performance
WIFI_PWR_ON_BAT=off
For Extended Battery Gaming
# More conservative battery settings
CPU_SCALING_MAX_FREQ_ON_BAT=2400000
CPU_BOOST_ON_BAT=0
PLATFORM_PROFILE_ON_BAT=low-power
For Content Creation
# Optimize for rendering workloads
CPU_ENERGY_PERF_POLICY_ON_AC=performance
CPU_ENERGY_PERF_POLICY_ON_BAT=performance
SOUND_POWER_SAVE_ON_AC=0
Monitoring and Validation
Performance Monitoring
# CPU frequency monitoring
watch -n 1 'cat /proc/cpuinfo | grep MHz'
# Thermal monitoring
watch -n 1 'sensors'
# Power consumption
sudo powertop --time=60
Gaming Benchmarks
- 3DMark: Graphics performance validation
- Unigine Heaven: Thermal stability testing
- CPU-Z: CPU performance verification
- CrystalDiskMark: Storage performance testing
Battery Testing
- PowerTOP: Power consumption analysis
- Battery runtime: Real-world usage testing
- Standby drain: Sleep power consumption
Troubleshooting
Performance Issues
- Verify CPU governor is set correctly:
cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_governor - Check thermal throttling:
dmesg | grep -i thermal - Monitor GPU performance:
nvidia-smi(for NVIDIA)
Battery Issues
- Check power consumption:
sudo powertop - Verify power profiles:
system76-power profile - Monitor charging behavior:
upower -i /org/freedesktop/UPower/devices/battery_BAT0
Thermal Issues
- Monitor temperatures:
sensors - Check fan operation:
pwmconfig(if supported) - Verify thermal limits: Check BIOS/UEFI settings
This configuration provides optimal gaming performance while maintaining reasonable power management for non-gaming use cases.