Running Linux On The ASUS ROG Ally Gaming Handheld
As for the integrated RDNA3 graphics with the ROG Ally, they are identified as gfx1103_r1.
OpenGL vendor string: AMD OpenGL renderer string: AMD Radeon Graphics (gfx1103_r1, LLVM 15.0.7, DRM 3.49, 6.2.0-20-generic) OpenGL core profile version string: 4.6 (Core Profile) Mesa 23.0.2 OpenGL core profile shading language version string: 4.60 OpenGL core profile context flags: (none) OpenGL core profile profile mask: core profile OpenGL core profile extensions: OpenGL version string: 4.6 (Compatibility Profile) Mesa 23.0.2 OpenGL shading language version string: 4.60 OpenGL context flags: (none) OpenGL profile mask: compatibility profile OpenGL extensions: OpenGL ES profile version string: OpenGL ES 3.2 Mesa 23.0.2 OpenGL ES profile shading language version string: OpenGL ES GLSL ES 3.20 OpenGL ES profile extensions:
The support is in place for the Ryzen Z1 Extreme graphics with Mesa 23.0 and was working fine on Ubuntu 23.04.
deviceID = 0x15bf deviceType = PHYSICAL_DEVICE_TYPE_INTEGRATED_GPU deviceName = AMD Radeon Graphics (RADV GFX1103_R1)
The RADV driver on Mesa 23.0 also works with the Z1 Extreme's integrated RDNA3 graphics.
For those curious about the /proc/cpuinfo CPU metrics meanwhile for the Z1 Extreme:
processor : 15 vendor_id : AuthenticAMD cpu family : 25 model : 116 model name : AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme stepping : 1 microcode : 0xa704101 cpu MHz : 1600.000 cache size : 1024 KB physical id : 0 siblings : 16 core id : 7 cpu cores : 8 apicid : 15 initial apicid : 15 fpu : yes fpu_exception : yes cpuid level : 16 wp : yes flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht syscall nx mmxext fxsr_opt pdpe1gb rdtscp lm constant_tsc rep_good amd_lbr_v2 nopl nonstop_tsc cpuid extd_apicid aperfmperf rapl pni pclmulqdq monitor ssse3 fma cx16 sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic movbe popcnt aes xsave avx f16c rdrand lahf_lm cmp_legacy svm extapic cr8_legacy abm sse4a misalignsse 3dnowprefetch osvw ibs skinit wdt tce topoext perfctr_core perfctr_nb bpext perfctr_llc mwaitx cpb cat_l3 cdp_l3 hw_pstate ssbd mba perfmon_v2 ibrs ibpb stibp vmmcall fsgsbase bmi1 avx2 smep bmi2 erms invpcid cqm rdt_a avx512f avx512dq rdseed adx smap avx512ifma clflushopt clwb avx512cd sha_ni avx512bw avx512vl xsaveopt xsavec xgetbv1 xsaves cqm_llc cqm_occup_llc cqm_mbm_total cqm_mbm_local avx512_bf16 clzero irperf xsaveerptr rdpru wbnoinvd cppc arat npt lbrv svm_lock nrip_save tsc_scale vmcb_clean flushbyasid decodeassists pausefilter pfthreshold v_vmsave_vmload vgif x2avic v_spec_ctrl avx512vbmi umip pku ospke avx512_vbmi2 gfni vaes vpclmulqdq avx512_vnni avx512_bitalg avx512_vpopcntdq rdpid overflow_recov succor smca flush_l1d bugs : sysret_ss_attrs spectre_v1 spectre_v2 spec_store_bypass bogomips : 6587.52 TLB size : 3584 4K pages clflush size : 64 cache_alignment : 64 address sizes : 48 bits physical, 48 bits virtual power management: ts ttp tm hwpstate cpb eff_freq_ro [13] [14] [15]
Yes, with the Zen 4 cores it's entertaining to see AVX-512 support in a handheld... If thinking about the Intel AVX-512 days from years ago with the heat and power to now seeing power efficient AVX-512 from AMD on a gaming handheld is quite a difference.
On the hardware monitoring side the k10temp driver does work with the Ryzen Z1 Extreme for reporting the SoC temperature. The ASUS and asus_custom_fan_curve HWMON drivers also work with this device. So it's nice under Linux to see the support for being able to set a custom fan curve while the ASUS HWMON driver reports the fan speed. The CPU SoC power consumption reporting for the Z1 Extreme also works under Linux via PowerCap/RAPL interfaces... Stay tuned for performance-per-Watt metrics when it comes to my Linux review of the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme.
Long story short, the basics are in place sans the WiFi issue and then "extra" features like the fingerprint sensor not supported. But at least there is a patch on the way that may address the MediaTek WiFi issue. Needless to say, the Linux experience on the ASUS ROG Ally isn't as good as SteamOS out-of-the-box on the Steam Deck. But the hardware of the ASUS ROG Ally with the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme is extremely interesting.
That is today's short overview of the Linux basics on the ASUS ROG Ally gaming handheld and in the days ahead will be Windows 11 vs. Linux benchmarks on the ASUS ROG Ally, Steam Deck vs. ROG Ally benchmarks, and more. Stay tuned to Phoronix.
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