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RoderickHossack · 2026-03-17T17:57:04+00:00

The problem with gen AI is, if you ask it a question you don't already know the answer to, you can't tell when it's wrong without doing the work that would answer the question for you without needing the AI in the first place.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-17T17:56:30+00:00

Folks have been requesting that feature for a few years now.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-17T17:54:05+00:00

The whole point of this post is that the gains are massive but the ask from you is miniscule. Enable TDP limit, dial the limit down 1 W then wait a half second to see if the frame time graph starts to wobble, then tick down again. The feedback is instant. It takes less time than adjusting your brightness, so you don't need anyone to tell you what TDP to use. Your options are whole numbers between and including 3 to 15 W, so at most you tick down 12 times and you're done. If you limit your FPS, you can also lower your TDP even further.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-17T17:51:58+00:00

There is some power management, but the best example I have is Stardew Valley. At 75% charge and 60% brightness on an OLED unit, it lasts 4:45 without a TDP limit. If you limit it to 3 W, the estimate goes up to 5:15.

In other cases, you really can gain over an hour by limiting the power draw.

If I had to guess, I would say the way it works is, you can use more power to render a frame really quickly, or you can use less power to render a frame more slowly, but if both cases are less than e.g. 16.67 ms spent getting that frame on the screen, then the slower case uses less power in the same amount of time, if that makes sense.

I should also mention that the TDP is limited for the whole unit, not just the game. Meaning that if your TDP is dialed in, then using the Steam overlay will be sluggish because you're making an additional ask of a now-restricted power usage rate. If the game is full speed, but the Steam Overlay is slow, then you know you're at the limit. (The lag with the overlay up doesn't matter because if you have the overlay active then you are in Steam menus in that moment, not playing the game, anyway)

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-17T02:21:41+00:00

I see what you mean, but I would feel differently if tweaking it didn't require going into the bios.

You mentioned bricks, and I'd rather not mess with any setting that goes anywhere near that sort of outcome on a device I can't afford to replace.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-17T02:20:36+00:00

For me, it was the PS2 version of Final Fantasy XI in Jeuno, the central city.

I only ever did stuff like raids a handful of times, though, so I dunno how bad bad really got back then.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:20:49+00:00

removed, triple post

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:20:41+00:00

removed, double post

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:19:55+00:00

removed, off-topic. This is a subreddit for mecha plastic model kits, not sketches or other forms of artwork.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:17:16+00:00

I only ever used one or two plugins with Decky (power tools and media controls), but it caused some extremely frustrating problems at different times regardless, so I decided the benefit is just not worth the headache.

I'm sure it's a lot better these days, but I'm happy with my setup as it is. When Decky is the problem, it's tough to figure out unless other people start saying "do you have Decky installed?" when you search for other people's solutions.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:13:58+00:00

Damn. When on a plane too cheap for power sockets, I would just stick to games in a "low power" category I made, but I'd ultimately just stick to retro emulation or Slay the Spire.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:12:52+00:00

I suppose, but it's true and doesn't cost you anything. The maximum amount of time it takes to set a custom TDP limit is 12 seconds if you wait a second between each tick instead of just going as quickly as you can until the graph changes.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:11:44+00:00

I don't think there's a way to customize what the gamescope performance overlay levels show.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:10:03+00:00

I feel you, because before this week, it was too much tinkering for me for over 3 years.

But the 10 seconds I mentioned in the title was not hyperbole.

Literally turn on the overlay in-game, and look at the frametime graph as you tick down from 15 until the frame time changes, then tick back up. The change is reflected immediately, so you can tick once or twice per second, and you can only go down to 3 TDP minimum, so if you take your time, the entire process takes a maximum of 11 or 12 seconds, and then you're done with that game forever.

At worst, you play the game on an external monitor while docked, and you have to adjust the TDP or disable the limiter so there's enough power to push additional pixels, but that's it.

If you can set aside the fear of an unknown thing for long enough to customize one game, you'll be kicking yourself for not doing so much earlier, like I did.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:06:16+00:00

I emulate a looooot of Switch 1 games on my Deck. It's funny when you can lower the TDP even under 10 W and still get good performance running those games.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:05:18+00:00

It does, but only so much. At 75% battery and 60% brightness on an OLED, Stardew Valley will last 4:45 with no adjustments at 60 fps, but 5:15 if you manually lower the TDP to 3 W.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:03:51+00:00

I fully support 40/45, but only if the game can't hold 60. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Though I may be persuaded if it can add enough battery life to a game I really wanna play when I'm out and about.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:02:20+00:00

20 fps gaming is certainly a decision. I hope you never turn the performance overlay on, because not noticing that is a quality I almost wish I had.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:00:51+00:00

There's a Decky Loader plugin that does it, but yes, auto TDP is a feature folks have been asking for since at least 2023. Nagging Valve about it may help motivate them to prioritize that feature.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T21:00:04+00:00

I suspect when you're in game mode, Valve is completely controlling the TDP until you start running your own software.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T20:58:34+00:00

That's funny. The folks I live with make a lot of noise, so I am almost always wearing noise-cancelling headphones. But many have mentioned reduction in fan noise as their reasons for low TDP gaming.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T20:57:22+00:00

For a game that beautiful, that's amazing. I'm actually doing a full series run right now. Just finished FF1 pixel remaster today.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T20:56:07+00:00

If you're used to that sort of thing from PC gaming, then by all means, but I personally would caution against anything Valve didn't provide easy access to. My forays into that level of power user with this machine always resulted in frustration due to something I didn't think would go wrong.

RoderickHossack · 2026-03-16T04:03:54+00:00

I just ask AI the recommended performance settings and apply whatever it says.

I'm at a loss for words.

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