[SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

marq13 · 2024-10-10 19:47:38

Hi y'all.

On my Windows installation I had been using the Lenovo Vantage application for managing my performance & battery behaviour without problems.

However I am soon to be moving to the Arch distro and I am not entirely sure how to approach this situation.

I had read the wiki article specific for Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 laptops: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Lenovo … d_Gaming_3, however acpi calls are only tested on a couple of models, none of which is mine.

My configuration on Lenovo Vantage: (just an insight for you)
1. Performance: quiet mode (which I believe corresponds to "battery saving" in the wiki)
- On the wiki it says that I can just use Fn+Q for switching between performance modes, but the below table shows that it is not marked, which confuses me.
- Additionally, I have the option: "Automatically switch to Performance mode when launching games and switch back after exiting the game." switched on. Even thought I will most definitely not be playing video games on my Arch installation, I will for sure do other highly intensive tasks. I saw that kernel automatically scales your CPU frequency, so is there anything more I should do?
2. Battery: conservation mode.

I believe one of the solutions would be to just try some acpi calls from the wiki on my fresh installation, and if something goes wrong - to just revert to the previous system snapshot. But I wouldn't do that just in case it can mess with my hardware in unexpected manner. Or just try some other way?

I am looking for any help, tips or insights. Maybe how would you approach this situation etc.

Thanks in advance to everybody reaching out, it is much appreciated!

P.S. 1 - I am nowhere near to being an expert in Arch. I had been learning, researching and taking notes for over 3 weeks and this is one of the final pieces in the puzzle (or at least I hope so ). Please keep your answers beginner-friendly if you can.
P.S. 2 - This was previously posted at "Newbie Corner" due to me not being aware of a forum specific for laptops.

Last edited by marq13 (2024-10-15 08:31:44)

mesaprotector · 2024-10-11 00:06:59

marq13 wrote:

- On the wiki it says that I can just use Fn+Q for switching between performance modes, but the below table shows that it is not marked, which confuses me.
- Additionally, I have the option: "Automatically switch to Performance mode when launching games and switch back after exiting the game." switched on. Even thought I will most definitely not be playing video games on my Arch installation, I will for sure do other highly intensive tasks. I saw that kernel automatically scales your CPU frequency, so is there anything more I should do?

I cannot give you advice on playing with ACPI calls, though I wish you luck - but I can at least answer these. The wiki saying Fn+Q is not marked just means that the Q keycap on your laptop does not say anything about performance modes. Compared to Fn + F1, Fn + F2 etc. where there is a small icon on the F1, F2, etc. key showing what extra functionality it has, the Q key has nothing printed on it except the letter Q :>

As to the second one, I'd recommend using the prime-run script (one of the tiniest Arch packages there is!); you can run everything by default on only your integrated Intel graphics, and then anything you run wrapped with the command "prime-run" will run on the dedicated Nvidia graphics instead. It does mean a slightly more manual workflow than the automatic switching you'd get on Windows, but I've found it less buggy than the alternatives.

The only differences between the power modes on Linux, at least on my Lenovo LOQ, are a different GPU power limit, and a different fan curve (performance being much louder). As you mentioned, the kernel automatically scales your CPU frequency. You can change the default CPU frequency governor as well; "ondemand" is likely the best for most use cases if you have it available.

yataro · 2024-10-11 03:56:43

On the wiki it says that I can just use Fn+Q for switching between performance modes, but the below table shows that it is not marked, which confuses me.

This should work on Linux, and the power button LED (if you have one) will change its color for the specified power mode.

Automatically switch to Performance mode when launching games and switch back after exiting the game.

I'm afraid there is no support for this feature on Linux. The best you can do is look for a solution that will allow you to use the eGPU for specific applications. prime-run mentioned in the previous post will work as a manual solution.

Battery: conservation mode.

It is available from the ideapad-acpi driver and some desktop environments like KDE allow you to manage it from the power settings. In KDE it's located in "Advanced Power Settings".

I believe one of the solutions would be to just try some acpi calls from the wiki on my fresh installation, and if something goes wrong - to just revert to the previous system snapshot. But I wouldn't do that just in case it can mess with my hardware in unexpected manner. Or just try some other way?

Most of the settings that you set from the Lenovo Vantage Windows app will remain between restarts (for example, rapid battery charging). You should also take a look on https://github.com/johnfanv2/LenovoLegionLinux (it may not be supported very well for your specific model though)
Be aware that settings will reset when the power is entirely out, so do not drain your battery, otherwise, you will be forced to reconfigure these settings.

prime-run is a really good way to run Linux native applications on the eGPU. For wine/proton, you should use dxvk, which is not only faster, but automatically uses eGPU.

yataro · 2024-10-11 04:10:26

mesaprotector wrote:

You can change the default CPU frequency governor as well; "ondemand" is likely the best for most use cases if you have it available.

It's unlikely for intel_pstate so OP should take a look at https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CPU_fr … cy_scaling
IMHO keeping powersave is good enough

marq13 · 2024-10-11 17:12:16

First,
Thanks to both of you for setting aside a bit of your time to help me out. It is very much appreciated.

I've read all of what y'all wrote and here's what I have to say:

1. I decided to use the Optimus-Manager for automatic loading and deloading of dGPU and iGPU. I'll give it some time and if it is not satisfactory I will probably pivot to the prime-run, because it is the official method supported by NVIDIA. I just think it will be such a burden to do the things manually always, but if it works much better I guess I have no choice.

2. For tweaking the CPU frequencies on my own, I don't really know. How necessary is that? I had been using Ubuntu for a while now too, and I had never tweaked anything special or similar to that. Everything worked, and still works flawlessly. How great of a job does the kernel do for me?

3. I wish my Power LED colours would change when changing the performance mode, but for my model it looks like that is not the case unfortunately (it is just white). I mean that is not the huge problem considering that I am really rarely using the Fn+Q. But of course it would be good to know in which mode I am on in case sometimes I need it (or if I mistakenly press it).

4. I forgot to write this before, but it looks like that "settings" (or at least some) set on Lenovo Vantage get "transferred" to Linux too (yataro pointed something similar). I have set the conservation mode first time I opened the Vantage, and got really surprised when I booted Ubuntu and the battery wouldn't charge over 60%. This leads me to believe that Vantage interacts/changes the firmware for the hardware, changing it's behaviour. Now the question is if I wipe out the whole SSD (which I plan on doing), would the settings remain or not. If they do, that would be great, but if they do not I guess I will look at what KDE is offering (Advanced Power Settings), or some other solution. I strongly believe the changes would remain, because I don't see any logical reason as to why would it have anything to do with SSD, but correct me if I am wrong and give me your thoughts.

HUGE NOTE: I've ultimately decided that I am looking for a simple set up for the power management at the moment, because I just want to install Arch and start using it (literally everything is set up to my liking, and I just don't really care to dive too much into power related things), and the time is of essence to me at the moment. I know that this approach might be wrong, and things shouldn't be rushed, and the whole point of Arch is to configure things, but I don't mind coming back to this when I have time. There is so much info about this on the web, but so little for my model that it makes things overwhelming and that is why I even posted in the forum. It makes me just want to stick to simple, "out-of-the-box" things.

Essentially for me the conservation mode is a must, because I never really turned it off in the first place (95% of the time I use the laptop plugged in). If kernel manages performance good/great, I am okay with it for now (I mean if it works like Ubuntu I am more than happy). Performance modes that are set with Fn+Q would be nice just in case I need them, but I haven't found the reliable source how to check in which mode am I running.

What do you all think? Anything is appreciated: comments, thoughts, recommendations, what would you do, critiques etc.

marq13 · 2024-10-11 17:14:38

Also, I had found some tools similar to these: https://store.kde.org/p/2150610.

What are your thoughts on this? Would it hurt to try them out?

I am in the process of contacting the developer to check for which models was this tested on.

yataro · 2024-10-12 03:48:25

2. For tweaking the CPU frequencies on my own, I don't really know. How necessary is that? I had been using Ubuntu for a while now too, and I had never tweaked anything special or similar to that. Everything worked, and still works flawlessly. How great of a job does the kernel do for me?

I made already made my point about this:

yataro wrote:

IMHO keeping powersave is good enough

CPU has its own governors and it is good.

3. I wish my Power LED colours would change when changing the performance mode, but for my model it looks like that is not the case unfortunately (it is just white). I mean that is not the huge problem considering that I am really rarely using the Fn+Q. But of course it would be good to know in which mode I am on in case sometimes I need it (or if I mistakenly press it).

You can search for ACPI call to check this on web or you can send me ACPI dump and I can find it for you. Then you can write a simple script and even monitor it as a notification. But why can't you use LenovoLegionLinux for this?

would the settings remain or not

They will stay no matter what. They are not stored on any drive, but in the laptop's internal controller. Just be sure to read my reply about how not to lose them.

HUGE NOTE: I've ultimately decided that I am looking for a simple set up for the power management at the moment, because I just want to install Arch and start using it (literally everything is set up to my liking, and I just don't really care to dive too much into power related things), and the time is of essence to me at the moment. I know that this approach might be wrong, and things shouldn't be rushed, and the whole point of Arch is to configure things, but I don't mind coming back to this when I have time. There is so much info about this on the web, but so little for my model that it makes things overwhelming and that is why I even posted in the forum. It makes me just want to stick to simple, "out-of-the-box" things.

You really think too much, don't you ? If it's working then everything is fine.

Essentially for me the conservation mode is a must

How to verify

cat /sys/module/ideapad_laptop/drivers/platform\:ideapad_acpi/VPC2004\:00/conservation_mode

What are your thoughts on this? Would it hurt to try them out?

Not to be rude but try it and find out . I do not use any of utilities of this kind.

marq13 · 2024-10-12 08:18:59

Hey yataro! Thank you again for reaching out, it is much appreciated!

I am just going to stick to the basics like you said, and not overthink it.

You can search for ACPI call to check this on web or you can send me ACPI dump and I can find it for you.

I can't seem to find the ACPI call on the web. I only found this: https://github.com/johnfanv2/LenovoLegi … issues/235.
I will send you my ACPI dump in a couple of hours, after I install Arch.

Then you can write a simple script and even monitor it as a notification.

This is an amazing idea! I have no experience in writing scripts but I will look into it.

But why can't you use LenovoLegionLinux for this?

Isn't this only for Legion branch laptops? I did some more digging now and it appears that there are people using LLL on my model, like the link above I provided you with. What do you think? You have more experience than I do that is for sure.

How to verify

cat /sys/module/ideapad_laptop/drivers/platform\:ideapad_acpi/VPC2004\:00/conservation_mode

Thanks for the heads up. I will try it out.

Not to be rude but try it and find out . I do not use any of utilities of this kind

Yeah I decided not to test my luck.

Tell me what you think!

marq13 · 2024-10-13 08:42:51

Hey sorry for the late reply... I can't seem to find a way to send you a dump. Can you guide me through the process?

Could not open table file: /sys/firmware/acpi/tables/SSDT4
Could not get ACPI tables, AE_ACCESS

Here's what I get when running acpidump.

yataro · 2024-10-13 09:05:24

Isn't this only for Legion branch laptops?

I think it could work on some other models

Here's what I get when running acpidump.

Try as root?

marq13 · 2024-10-13 14:39:43

Okay that worked but the output is huge, like 30000 lines lol.

Last edited by marq13 (2024-10-13 14:39:59)

yataro · 2024-10-14 03:14:45

Yeah, the output is long mostly because it is a hex dump. The -b switch will dump tables as a binary files, but Im fine with any of output kinds
btw, in the issue you linked, there's an ACPI call to query mode, have you tested it?

marq13 · 2024-10-14 13:35:22

I haven't tried the ACPI call just in case, but I will now:

sudo sh -c "echo '\_SB_.PC00.LPCB.EC0.GZ44' > /proc/acpi/call && cat /proc/acpi/call && echo '\n'"

Printed 0x0\n. I pressed Fn+Q and it printed 0x1\n... Lol it worked!
I know the 0 is the "Quiet mode" because I remember setting it on my Windows before installing Arch, and I haven't pressed Fn+Q since.

Nice catch yataro! I didn't really want to do it just in case it can mess with my firmware.

I will create the script and put it in my PATH now.

Do you mind me sending you a message when I have some other problems? :d

Thank you so much for staying and helping me figure this thing out.

yataro · 2024-10-15 03:12:30

I'm glad you get things sorted out if you believe your problem was solved prepend "[SOLVED]" to topic title, please

Do you mind me sending you a message when I have some other problems? :d

You can always create a new topic, no need to contact me directly. Someone can find something useful in discussion.

marq13 · 2024-10-15 08:23:57

Sure! Thanks

Arch Linux

#1 2024-10-10 19:47:38

[SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#2 2024-10-11 00:06:59

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#3 2024-10-11 03:56:43

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#4 2024-10-11 04:10:26

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#5 2024-10-11 17:12:16

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#6 2024-10-11 17:14:38

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#7 2024-10-12 03:48:25

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#8 2024-10-12 08:18:59

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#9 2024-10-13 08:42:51

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#10 2024-10-13 09:05:24

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#11 2024-10-13 14:39:43

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#12 2024-10-14 03:14:45

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#13 2024-10-14 13:35:22

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#14 2024-10-15 03:12:30

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

#15 2024-10-15 08:23:57

Re: [SOLVED] Performance & Battery conf - Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3 15IHU6

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