Radeon open source driver power saving
Kernel Mode Settings (KMS) is available in the radeon open source driver since Ubuntu Karmic Koala 9.10. KMS allows automatic hardware settings detection and there are two power saving methods available in KMS: Dynpm and Profile . !If you're using the proprietary ATI driver (fglrx), ignore this article! Dynpm The Dynpm method dynamically changes the GPU frequency on demand. So when an intensive task is being is executed the frequency is increased to provide more performance. To enable the Dynpm method , open a terminal window and run: sudo sh -c "echo dynpm > /sys/class/drm/card0/device/power_method" Profile With the Profile method the GPU frequency is adjusted according to profile settings. There are 5 power profiles: default, uses default clocks/volts low, forces GPU to lowest available frequency; may cause some issues on certain laptops and displays, as this is the mode used when the display switches to dpms off mode mid, forces GPU to be ...