1Performance Tips 2================ 3 4Intel GPUs 5---------- 6 7#. Keep the system updated with the latest kernel and Mesa versions. 8#. Ensure SoC firmware is up-to-date. These firmware updates currently 9 require installing the Windows graphics driver; firmware updates 10 via `fwupd` are in progress. 11#. Use Wayland where possible, as it supports additional modifiers for 12 better performance. 13#. For MTL and newer integrated GPUs, disable VT-d if virtualization is 14 not needed. 15#. For discrete GPUs: 16 17 #. Enable `ReBAR`_ 18 #. For workloads that keep the GPU busy (e.g. 3D videogames), 19 minimize idle power consumption by enabling `ASPM`_ powersave mode. 20 #. For "bursty", latency-sensitive workloads (e.g. AI inference), 21 enable ASPM performance mode. 22 23.. _ReBAR: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000090831/graphics.html 24.. _ASPM: https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/6/html/power_management_guide/aspm 25 26Software rendering 27------------------ 28 29#. Turn off smooth shading when you don't need it (glShadeModel) 30#. Turn off depth buffering when you don't need it. 31#. Turn off dithering when not needed. 32#. Use double buffering as it's often faster than single buffering 33#. Compile in the X Shared Memory extension option if it's supported on 34 your system by adding -DSHM to CFLAGS and -lXext to XLIBS for your 35 system in the Make-config file. 36#. Recompile Mesa with more optimization if possible. 37#. Try to maximize the amount of drawing done between glBegin/glEnd 38 pairs. 39#. Use the MESA_BACK_BUFFER variable to find best performance in double 40 buffered mode. (X users only) 41#. Optimized polygon rasterizers are employed when: rendering into back 42 buffer which is an XImage RGB mode, not grayscale, not monochrome 43 depth buffering is GL_LESS, or disabled flat or smooth shading 44 dithered or non-dithered no other rasterization operations enabled 45 (blending, stencil, etc) 46#. Optimized line drawing is employed when: rendering into back buffer 47 which is an XImage RGB mode, not grayscale, not monochrome depth 48 buffering is GL_LESS or disabled flat shading dithered or 49 non-dithered no other rasterization operations enabled (blending, 50 stencil, etc) 51#. Textured polygons are fastest when: using a 3-component (RGB), 2-D 52 texture minification and magnification filters are GL_NEAREST texture 53 coordinate wrap modes for S and T are GL_REPEAT GL_DECAL environment 54 mode glHint( GL_PERSPECTIVE_CORRECTION_HINT, GL_FASTEST ) depth 55 buffering is GL_LESS or disabled 56#. Lighting is fastest when: Two-sided lighting is disabled 57 GL_LIGHT_MODEL_LOCAL_VIEWER is false GL_COLOR_MATERIAL is disabled No 58 spot lights are used (all GL_SPOT_CUTOFFs are 180.0) No local lights 59 are used (all position W's are 0.0) All material and light 60 coefficients are >= zero 61#. XFree86 users: if you want to use 24-bit color try starting your X 62 server in 32-bit per pixel mode for better performance. That is, 63 start your X server with startx -- -bpp 32 instead of startx -- -bpp 64 24 65#. Try disabling dithering with the MESA_NO_DITHER environment variable. 66 If this environment variable is defined Mesa will disable dithering 67 and the command glEnable(GL_DITHER) will be ignored. 68