Linux

preempt=full threadirqs mitigations=off split_lock_detect=off intel_pstate=active nvidia.NVreg_EnableGpuFirmware=1 nowatchdog nmi_watchdog=0 audit=0 rcu_nocbs=1-3 nohz_full=1-3 isolcpus=managed_irq,1-3

USB IRQ Pinning

/etc/systemd/system/usb-irq-pinning.service

[Unit]

Description=Pin USB XHCI Interrupts to Dedicated CPU Core

After=multi-user.target

[Service]

Type=oneshot

RemainAfterExit=yes

ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/pin-xhci.sh

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

/usr/local/bin/pin-xhci.sh

#!/bin/bash

TARGET_CORE="3"

HEX_MASK=$(printf "%x" $((1 << TARGET_CORE)))

for irq in $(grep xhci /proc/interrupts | awk -F: '{print $1}' | tr -d ' '); do

echo "Pinning IRQ $irq to core $TARGET_CORE with mask $HEX_MASK"

echo "$HEX_MASK" > /proc/irq/$irq/smp_affinity

done

Note: You might need to tune or disable the irqbalance service as well.

Run sync on shutdown

/etc/systemd/system/sync-on-shutdown.service

[Unit]

Description=Flush filesystem buffers before shutting down

After=multi-user.target

[Service]

Type=oneshot

RemainAfterExit=true

ExecStart=/bin/true

ExecStop=/usr/bin/sync

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

/usr/lib/systemd/system-shutdown/force-sync.sh

#!/bin/sh

/usr/bin/sync

Network bufferbloat optimizations (tuned for my network)

/etc/systemd/system/net-shaper.service

[Unit]

Description=Bufferbloat Shaper

After=network.target

[Service]

Type=oneshot

ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/net-shaper.sh

RemainAfterExit=yes

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

/usr/local/bin/net-shaper.sh

#!/bin/bash

# Clear existing rules

tc qdisc del dev enp4s0 root 2>/dev/null

tc qdisc del dev enp4s0 ingress 2>/dev/null

tc qdisc del dev ifb0 root 2>/dev/null

# Load IFB

# modprobe ifb numifbs=1

ip link add name ifb0 type ifb

ip link set dev ifb0 up

# Upload Shaping

tc qdisc add dev enp4s0 root cake bandwidth 445mbit ack-filter ethernet

# Download Shaping

tc qdisc add dev enp4s0 handle ffff: ingress

tc filter add dev enp4s0 parent ffff: protocol all u32 match u32 0 0 action mirred egress redirect dev ifb0

tc qdisc add dev ifb0 root cake bandwidth 2050mbit ethernet

Redirect NVIDIA's shader cache to RAM

/etc/systemd/system/nvidia-cache-ram.service

[Unit]

Description=Redirect NVIDIA Shader Cache to RAM

After=tmp.mount home.mount

Requires=tmp.mount

Before=display-manager.service

[Service]

Type=oneshot

RemainAfterExit=yes

ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/nvidia-ram-cache.sh start

ExecStop=/usr/local/bin/nvidia-ram-cache.sh stop

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

/usr/local/bin/nvidia-ram-cache.sh

#!/bin/bash

USER_CACHE="/home/melody/.cache/nvidia"

BACKUP_CACHE="/home/melody/.cache/nvidia.bak"

RAM_CACHE="/tmp/nvidiashaders"

USER_NAME="melody"

case "$1" in

start)

# 1. Clear stale symlink if previous shutdown was unclean

if [ -L "$USER_CACHE" ]; then

rm "$USER_CACHE"

fi

# 2. Process existing physical directory

if [ -d "$USER_CACHE" ] && [ ! -L "$USER_CACHE" ]; then

# Create a fresh backup copy on disk

rm -rf "$BACKUP_CACHE"

cp -a "$USER_CACHE" "$BACKUP_CACHE"

# Prepare RAM directory and populate it

mkdir -p "$RAM_CACHE"

cp -a "$USER_CACHE"/. "$RAM_CACHE/" 2>/dev/null || true

rm -rf "$USER_CACHE"

else

# Ensure RAM directory exists even if no disk cache was present

mkdir -p "$RAM_CACHE"

fi

# 3. Secure permissions and create the symlink

chown -R "$USER_NAME":"$USER_NAME" "$RAM_CACHE"

ln -s "$RAM_CACHE" "$USER_CACHE"

chown -h "$USER_NAME":"$USER_NAME" "$USER_CACHE"

;;

stop)

# 1. Break the symlink connection

if [ -L "$USER_CACHE" ]; then

rm "$USER_CACHE"

fi

# 2. Recreate physical directory on disk

mkdir -p "$USER_CACHE"

# 3. Sync RAM cache back to persistent disk storage

if [ -d "$RAM_CACHE" ]; then

cp -a "$RAM_CACHE"/. "$USER_CACHE/" 2>/dev/null || true

fi

# 4. Restore proper ownership to the user

chown -R "$USER_NAME":"$USER_NAME" "$USER_CACHE"

;;

*)

echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop}"

exit 1

;;

esac

Redirect Mesa's shader cache to RAM

/etc/systemd/system/mesa-cache-ram.service

[Unit]

Description=Redirect MESA Shader Cache to RAM

After=tmp.mount home.mount

Requires=tmp.mount

Before=display-manager.service

[Service]

Type=oneshot

RemainAfterExit=yes

ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/mesa-ram-cache.sh start

ExecStop=/usr/local/bin/mesa-ram-cache.sh stop

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

/usr/local/bin/mesa-ram-cache.sh

#!/bin/bash

USER_CACHE="/home/melody/.cache/mesa_shader_cache"

BACKUP_CACHE="/home/melody/.cache/mesa_shader_cache.bak"

RAM_CACHE="/tmp/mesashaders"

USER_NAME="melody"

case "$1" in

start)

# 1. Clear stale symlink if previous shutdown was unclean

if [ -L "$USER_CACHE" ]; then

rm "$USER_CACHE"

fi

# 2. Process existing physical directory

if [ -d "$USER_CACHE" ] && [ ! -L "$USER_CACHE" ]; then

# Create a fresh backup copy on disk

rm -rf "$BACKUP_CACHE"

cp -a "$USER_CACHE" "$BACKUP_CACHE"

# Prepare RAM directory and populate it

mkdir -p "$RAM_CACHE"

cp -a "$USER_CACHE"/. "$RAM_CACHE/" 2>/dev/null || true

rm -rf "$USER_CACHE"

else

# Ensure RAM directory exists even if no disk cache was present

mkdir -p "$RAM_CACHE"

fi

# 3. Secure permissions and create the symlink

chown -R "$USER_NAME":"$USER_NAME" "$RAM_CACHE"

ln -s "$RAM_CACHE" "$USER_CACHE"

chown -h "$USER_NAME":"$USER_NAME" "$USER_CACHE"

;;

stop)

# 1. Break the symlink connection

if [ -L "$USER_CACHE" ]; then

rm "$USER_CACHE"

fi

# 2. Recreate physical directory on disk

mkdir -p "$USER_CACHE"

# 3. Sync RAM cache back to persistent disk storage

if [ -d "$RAM_CACHE" ]; then

cp -a "$RAM_CACHE"/. "$USER_CACHE/" 2>/dev/null || true

fi

# 4. Restore proper ownership to the user

chown -R "$USER_NAME":"$USER_NAME" "$USER_CACHE"

;;

*)

echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop}"

exit 1

;;

esac

Make the NVIDIA GPU less tolerant about temperature

/etc/systemd/system/nvidia-power-limit.service

[Unit]

Description=Set NVIDIA GPU Power and Temp Limits

After=nvidia-persistenced.service

[Service]

Type=oneshot

ExecStart=/usr/bin/nvidia-smi -gtt 80

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

Make the Intel CPU less tolerant about temperature and cap power limits for 13/14 gen

Note: requires intel-undervolt.

Note: requires CFG lock to be DISABLED in BIOS.

/etc/intel-undervolt.conf

enable yes

power package 253/128 253

tjoffset -20

interval 5000

daemon power

daemon tjoffset

Add yourself to the realtime group and games group

Note: requires the realtime group to be installed plus Steam and Proton to be fully installed.

sudo usermod -a -G games username

sudo usermod -a -G realtime username

Tweak realtime privileges

/etc/security/limits.d/99-realtime-privileges.conf

@realtime - rtprio 99

@realtime - memlock unlimited

@realtime - nice -20

Aggressive mount options to maximize caching

For EXT4:

defaults,noatime,commit=600,data=writeback 0 2

Note: To fully apply on EXT4, the partition needs to be tweaked while unmounted. Run:

tune2fs -o journal_data_writeback /dev/actual/path/to/partition

For NTFS:

defaults,force,uid=1000,gid=1000,noatime,async,prealloc,nofail,x-systemd.mount-timeout=10 0 0

Give yourself unlimited memlock limits

/etc/security/limits.conf

melody soft memlock unlimited

melody hard memlock unlimited

Further improve pipewire's latency

$HOME/.config/pipewire/pipewire.conf.d/10-realtime.conf

context.modules = [

{ name = libpipewire-module-rt

args = {

nice.level = -20

rt.prio = 88

rlimits.enabled = true

rtkit.enabled = false

}

flags = [ ifexists nofail ]

}

]

Swapfile instead of swap partition

/etc/systemd/system/dynamic-swap.service

[Unit]

Description=Dynamic Loop Swapfile Manager

After=local-fs.target

[Service]

Type=oneshot

RemainAfterExit=yes

ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/manage-swap.sh start

ExecStop=/usr/local/bin/manage-swap.sh stop

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

/usr/local/bin/manage-swap.sh

#!/bin/bash

SWAP_FILE="/swapfile" # Change this path if you want it saved elsewhere

case "$1" in

start)

# 1. Create the 16GB file

truncate --size=16G "$SWAP_FILE"

chmod 600 "$SWAP_FILE" # Security best practice: restrict read permissions

# 2. Set up loop device and grab its dynamically assigned name

LOOP_DEV=$(losetup --show -f "$SWAP_FILE")

# 3. Format and activate

mkswap "$LOOP_DEV"

swapon "$LOOP_DEV"

;;

stop)

# 1. Find which loop device is currently tied to our swapfile

LOOP_DEV=$(losetup -j "$SWAP_FILE" | cut -d: -f1)

# 2. Deactivate and detach if it exists

if [ -n "$LOOP_DEV" ]; then

swapoff "$LOOP_DEV"

losetup -d "$LOOP_DEV"

fi

# 3. Clean up the file

rm -f "$SWAP_FILE"

;;

esac

Change stop job limits (use with caution)

Tip: always run sudo sync before shutting down.

/etc/systemd/system.conf

DefaultTimeoutStopSec=10s

DefaultTimeoutAbortSec=10s

DefaultDeviceTimeoutSec=10s

/etc/systemd/user.conf

DefaultTimeoutStopSec=10s

/etc/systemd/logind.conf

KillUserProcesses=yes

Note: KillUserProcesses attempts a SIGTERM first, it does not immediately execute your processes with a SIGKILL.

Disable unneeded PCI devices:

/etc/udev/rules.d/99-disable-pci.rules

# Disable Intel Device 8086:7a62

ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="pci", ATTR{vendor}=="0x8086", ATTR{device}=="0x7a62", RUN+="/bin/sh -c 'echo 1 > /sys%p/remove'"

# Disable NVIDIA Device 10de:22bc

ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="pci", ATTR{vendor}=="0x10de", ATTR{device}=="0x22bc", RUN+="/bin/sh -c 'echo 1 > /sys%p/remove'"

Tip: use sudo lspci -nn to get a human-readable output of the IDs that you need.

DXVK configuration for best latency:

Note: Replace maxFrameRate with monitor refresh rate minus 3.

dxgi.maxFrameRate=237

d3d9.maxFrameRate=237

d3d11.samplerAnisotropy = 16

d3d9.samplerAnisotropy = 16

dxgi.maxFrameLatency = 1

d3d9.maxFrameLatency = 1

dxgi.syncInterval = 0

d3d9.presentInterval = 0

dxvk.latencySleep = True

Another important note: Unity games have trouble with enforced anisotropic filtering (red lines bug). Disable AF for Unity games if needed.

A few env variables for best latency and QoL:

Note: As already mentioned previously, replace framerate ones with your monitor refresh rate minus 3.

__GL_MaxFramesAllowed=1

__GL_SYNC_TO_VBLANK=0

vblank_mode=0

VKD3D_FRAME_RATE=237

VKD3D_SWAPCHAIN_PRESENT_MODE=IMMEDIATE

MESA_VK_WSI_PRESENT_MODE=immediate

MANGOHUD_CONFIG="no_display,fps_limit=237,af=16,vsync=1,gl_vsync=0"

__GL_LOG_MAX_ANISO=4

Once again, Unity games have trouble with enforced AF. If you're running an Unity game, disable AF.

Tips for Games, Steam and Proton

You can use things like WOW64 and other environment variables to improve your experience, such as loading Vulkan layers in a specific order, forcing Wayland in Proton, LD_PRELOADing things and so forth. If you're not preloading anything, please always use LD_PRELOAD="" to avoid the input timebomb issue. You can use Proton Experimental bleeding edge to get constant updates from the git Proton, it's usually much better than regular Proton and provides better performance. Right click on Proton Experimental in Steam, select Beta and select bleeding edge. You can force a game to use this compatibility tool from game's properties, or globally from Steam's settings. If your games are on a NTFS partition, you need to erase its compatdata folder and replace it with a symlink that points to /home/username/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata. In turn, this compatdata folder can actually be moved anywhere else as long as it's an ext4 filesystem or a fully Linux-supported filesystem, and then just symlink it back, just make sure the right permissions are in place and so forth.

Tips for CPU and GPU performance (Intel CPU / NVIDIA GPU)

You should always use power-profiles-daemon to control Intel's performance (set to performance when gaming, set to balanced when not gaming). Use nvidia-settings with its PowerMizer setting to do the same with your NVIDIA GPU. This avoid stutters and performance drops.

Tips for VRAM usage (DMEMCG)

You can use dmemcg to efficiently use your VRAM, specifically get the dmemcg-booster, kcgroups-dmemcg and plasma-foreground-booster-dmemcg for KDE Plasma, this is the correct way to enable them:

sudo systemctl enable dmemcg-booster-system

systemctl --user enable plasma-foreground-booster

The system needs to be rebooted afterwards. Obviously, this is tested on KDE Plasma. For more details on this, look in documentation.

Force usage of hugepages

Use the following environment variable:

GLIBC_TUNABLES=glibc.malloc.hugetlb=2

Note: Do NOT set this system-wide, a lot of applications will break.

Questions / want to contribute to this info?

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http://discord.gg/6TMHU63