Developers have released new patches that introduce HDMI Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) gaming features to the AMD Linux GPU driver. These enhancements aim to improve gaming performance on Linux systems using AMD hardware. The updates were reported by Phoronix, a key source for Linux hardware news.
The Linux kernel's AMDGPU driver is set to gain support for advanced HDMI gaming technologies through a series of new patches. Specifically, these patches enable Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) over HDMI connections. VRR helps reduce screen tearing by synchronizing the display's refresh rate with the GPU's frame rate, while ALLM automatically switches the display to a low-latency mode when gaming content is detected, minimizing input lag.
This development comes from ongoing efforts to enhance open-source graphics support on Linux. Phoronix, a prominent site for Linux hardware benchmarks and reviews, highlighted the patches in a recent article. The features are particularly beneficial for gamers using AMD GPUs on Linux distributions like Ubuntu, where native support for these HDMI capabilities has been limited compared to Windows.
No specific timeline for merging these patches into the mainline kernel was detailed in the initial report, but such contributions typically undergo review before integration. This update aligns with broader improvements in the AMDGPU driver, which powers Radeon graphics cards and is crucial for desktop Linux performance in gaming and other graphics-intensive tasks.
The patches represent a step forward in making Linux a more viable platform for high-end gaming, addressing a gap in HDMI feature parity with proprietary drivers.
