Linux SBIOS support for Nvidia's Dynamic Boost - Acer Nitro V15 ANV15-51

Hi, I have Acer Nitro V15 and it has Nvidia 4050 75w DGPU. I am currently using Fedora linux and i have issues with Dynamic Boost. I am using the latest Nvidia driver and i have tried both open and proprietary versions. As per Nvidia guide (https://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/565.57.01/README/dynamicboost.html) i tried to enable but it gave me error.

"SBIOS support for Dynamic Boost

Run the following command to check if the SBIOS supports DynamicBoost:

nvidia-settings -qDynamicBoostSupport"

$ nvidia-settings -q DynamicBoostSupport

ERROR: Error resolving target specification '' (No targets match target specification), specified in query 'DynamicBoostSupport'.

$ nvidia-smi
   GPU Power Readings
       Power Draw                        : 1.46 W
       Current Power Limit               : 60.00 W
       Requested Power Limit             : N/A
       Default Power Limit               : 60.00 W
       Min Power Limit                   : 5.00 W
       Max Power Limit                   : 75.00 W

My Current and default power limit is locked to 60W instead of 75W because of the dynamic boost. So i would request you to provide bios update for Nvidia's Dynamic Boost support on linux.

[Edited the thread to add model number to the title]

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eGomes

Welcome @SoloSaravanan,

I believe this cap is due to thermal limitation issues from the poor Nitro V15's cooling system design (same heatsink and heatpipes shared between CPU, dGPU, VRAM and VRM):

And also, because of the AC Chargers power limit (135 W) available for this model:

SoloSaravanan

@eGomes Then why Acer mentioned Maximum Graphics Power Up to 75 W in their website?

https://www.acer.com/us-en/laptops/nitro/nitro-v-15/pdp/NH.QN8AA.001

eGomes

Have you checked that your Nitro V15 is using the latest firmware version (1.21 or above) available?

https://www.acer.com/us-en/support/product-support/ANV15-51/downloads

SoloSaravanan

@eGomes Yes, I am using the latest bios

$ sudo dmidecode -t bios -q
BIOS Information
Vendor: INSYDE Corp.
Version: V1.21
Release Date: 10/25/2024
Address: 0xE0000
Runtime Size: 128 kB
ROM Size: 32 MB

eGomes

If you try set the Power plan in Fedora = Performance mode, is there any change in the dGPU limit values?

SoloSaravanan

No. Fedora uses tuned and tuned doesnt change anything related to gpu.

eGomes

I think you should put some load on your dedicated GPU and see if it can reach the Boost Clock.

According to the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (75W) specifications, should operate in 1665 ~ 2055 MHz.

SoloSaravanan

I have played many graphic intensive games and it never went above 60 W. Thats why i need to enable Dynamic Boost. Problem is there is no support in bios to enable this feature.

eGomes

As far as I know Dynamic Boost (aka Max-Q) is only available on laptops using GeForce RTX 20-series:

NVIDIA Support Home - How to Enable or Disable Dynamic Boost in the NVIDIA Control Panel

Have you tried using the nvidia-smi tool to adjust the Power Limit (= 75 W) of your RTX 4050?

$ sudo nvidia-smi -pl 75

How to Set NVIDIA Power Limit on Ubuntu

SoloSaravanan

@eGomes Do you use Linux? Dynamic Boost is available for all GPU's above RTX20 series. And the pl command has been dropped few years ago. https://github.com/NVIDIA/open-gpu-kernel-modules/issues/483

$ sudo nvidia-smi -pl 75
Changing power management limit is not supported for GPU: 00000000:01:00.0.
Treating as warning and moving on.
All done.

eGomes

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1318386#Comment_1318386

I'm studying Linux Mint and Zorin. And it's proving to be a very rewarding challenge. 😉

As we can see from the link you provided, if trying to use an earlier version (525xx) of the NVIDIA driver or loading the nvidia-powerd service didn't work. There is a strong indication that this cap on PL max, is to prevent the VRM from exceeding its limit (frying it) and avoid automatic thermal shutdown.