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NVIDIA Performance Configuration Guide for Bazzite/Fedora Immutable (FCOS 43)

Problem Overview

On Bazzite (and other Fedora immutable distros) with NVIDIA GPUs, the GPU may stay at the lowest performance level (P8 state) even during gaming, causing poor performance. This happens because the GPU doesn't automatically ramp up to higher power states under load.

Hardware Details

This guide was tested with:

  • OS: Bazzite 43 (Fedora Core 43 immutable)
  • GPU: NVIDIA Quadro T2000 with Max-Q Design
  • Driver: 580.95.05
  • CUDA: 13.0
  • Platform: Dell Precision 5550 i9-10885H, 64GB DDR4 RAM, Toshiba nVME 2.0 512GB drive
  • Game(s): World of Warcraft WOTLK Warmane Edition, Gauntlet (Steam)

Game Tuning

If you are using Lutris you may need to enable VKD3D and add the following environment details under System options:

  • KEY DXVK_ASYNC VALUE 1
  • KEY DXVK_HUD VALUE fps
  • KEY __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME VALUE nvidia
  • KEY __NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD VALUE 1

Note: Future guide coming soon "How to setup Lutris correctly and configure various types of games and common issue resolutions"

The same principles apply to other NVIDIA GPUs on Bazzite/Fedora immutable systems.

Solution: Manual Performance Configuration

Step 1: Verify NVIDIA Drivers Are Working

Since you're using the bazzite-gnome-nvidia image, drivers should already be installed. Verify with:

nvidia-smi

You should see your GPU information displayed.

Step 2: Check Supported Clock Speeds

Find out what clock speeds your GPU supports:

nvidia-smi -q -d SUPPORTED_CLOCKS

For the Quadro T2000, the supported clocks are:

  • Memory: 5001 MHz (max), 810 MHz (mid), 405 MHz (low)
  • Graphics: 300-2100 MHz

Step 3: Check Current Power Settings

nvidia-smi -q -d POWER

This shows your current and maximum power limits.

Step 4: Enable Performance Mode and Lock Clocks

# Enable persistent performance mode
sudo nvidia-smi -pm 1

# Lock clocks to maximum (adjust values for your GPU)
sudo nvidia-smi -ac 5001,2100

# Verify the changes
nvidia-smi

The -ac flag syntax is: nvidia-smi -ac <memory_clock>,<graphics_clock>

Step 5: Create Convenient Aliases

Add these to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_aliases:

# GPU performance aliases (adjust clock speeds for your GPU)
alias gpu-max='sudo nvidia-smi -pm 1 && sudo nvidia-smi -ac 5001,2100 && echo "GPU: Maximum Performance (2100MHz)"'
alias gpu-high='sudo nvidia-smi -pm 1 && sudo nvidia-smi -ac 5001,1800 && echo "GPU: High Performance (1800MHz)"'
alias gpu-conservative='sudo nvidia-smi -pm 1 && sudo nvidia-smi -ac 5001,1200 && echo "GPU: Conservative Performance (1200MHz)"'
alias gpu-auto='sudo nvidia-smi -pm 0 && sudo nvidia-smi -rac && echo "GPU: Auto clocks restored"'
alias gpu-status='nvidia-smi && nvidia-smi -q -d PERFORMANCE | grep -E "Performance State|Clocks"'
alias gpu-watch='watch -n 1 nvidia-smi'

Reload your shell:

source ~/.bashrc

Now you can easily switch performance modes:

  • gpu-max - Maximum performance for demanding games
  • gpu-high - High performance, slightly lower clocks
  • gpu-conservative - Balanced performance for lighter workloads
  • gpu-auto - Return to automatic clock management
  • gpu-status - Check current GPU status
  • gpu-watch - Monitor GPU in real-time

Making Settings Persistent (Optional)

To automatically apply performance settings on boot, create a systemd service:

Create the Service File

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/nvidia-performance.service

Add This Content

[Unit]
Description=NVIDIA GPU Performance Settings
After=nvidia-persistenced.service

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/bin/nvidia-smi -pm 1
ExecStart=/usr/bin/nvidia-smi -ac 5001,2100
RemainAfterExit=yes

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Note: Adjust the clock speeds in the ExecStart line to match your GPU's capabilities.

Enable the Service

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable nvidia-performance.service
sudo systemctl start nvidia-performance.service

Verify It's Running

sudo systemctl status nvidia-performance.service

Monitoring GPU Performance

Using nvtop (Recommended)

Install if not already available:

rpm-ostree install nvtop
systemctl reboot

Then run:

nvtop

This provides a real-time view of GPU usage, clocks, memory, and temperature.

Using nvidia-smi

# Single snapshot
nvidia-smi

# Continuous monitoring
watch -n 1 nvidia-smi

# Detailed performance info
nvidia-smi -q -d PERFORMANCE

Troubleshooting

GPU Still Not Ramping Up

  1. Check if performance mode is enabled:

    nvidia-smi -q -d PERFORMANCE | grep "Performance Mode"

  2. Verify clocks are locked:

    nvidia-smi -q -d CLOCKS

  3. Check for thermal throttling:

    nvidia-smi -q -d TEMPERATURE

Settings Not Persisting After Reboot

If using the systemd service and settings don't persist:

  1. Check service status:

    sudo systemctl status nvidia-performance.service

  2. Check service logs:

    journalctl -u nvidia-performance.service

  3. Ensure the service is enabled:

    sudo systemctl is-enabled nvidia-performance.service

Permission Issues with Aliases

If you get permission errors when using the aliases, you may need to configure passwordless sudo for nvidia-smi commands. Edit sudoers:

sudo visudo

Add this line (replace yourusername with your actual username):

yourusername ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/nvidia-smi

Understanding nvidia-smi Flags

  • -pm 1 - Enable persistent mode (keeps driver loaded, reduces latency)
  • -pm 0 - Disable persistent mode (auto management)
  • -ac <mem>,<gpu> - Lock application clocks to specified MHz
  • -rac - Reset application clocks to default (auto)
  • -pl <watts> - Set power limit in watts
  • -q -d <section> - Query detailed information for a specific section

Performance vs Battery Life (Laptops)

If you're on a laptop:

  • Gaming on AC power: Use gpu-max
  • Light work on battery: Use gpu-auto or gpu-conservative
  • Maximum battery life: Use gpu-auto and let the GPU idle at P8 state

Locked clocks will drain battery faster even when idle, so remember to run gpu-auto when you're done gaming.

Additional Resources

Contributing

If you found this guide helpful, consider sharing it with the Bazzite/Universal Blue community on their Discord or GitHub discussions!

Last Updated: November 2025
Tested On: Bazzite 43 (Fedora Core 43), NVIDIA Driver 580.95.05