A number of recent Linux driver patches has reportedly resulted in significant performance gains for the Steam Deck. Valve's handheld runs on the Linux-based SteamOS, and these patches can apparently improve the Steam Deck's 1% low frame rates by as much as 31%.
A fresh 'epp_boost' feature for the AMD P-State driver is largely responsible for the performance boost. David Vernet, a Linux kernel hacker at Meta, is the developer behind it. The feature implements per-core Energy Performance Preference (EPP) for AMD CPUs. As far as I know, it's not yet been reviewed by AMD's Linux kernel engineers, though Vernet explains via the Linux kernel mailing list that it was developed with gaming specifically in mind (via Phoronix).
