Ubuntu Performance Tuning on Dell XPS – Need GPU Optimization Advice

I’m running Ubuntu 24.04 on my Dell XPS 17 9710, i7, RTX 3050, 64GB RAM and wanted to share my current setup, some of the performance tweaks I’ve made, and also ask for advice on improving GPU and system performance.

My Issue

While most of my workflow is smooth, I’m not getting the GPU performance I’d expect.

• I cannot find any GPU-related performance settings in the BIOS (e.g., dedicated VRAM allocation, performance modes, etc.).

• Ubuntu recognizes the GPU (NVIDIA RTX), drivers are installed, and I’m using the proprietary NVIDIA driver — but I’m unsure if the GPU is actually running at full performance for CUDA, AI workloads, and graphics rendering.

• BIOS and Ubuntu power settings are set to “Performance,” but I still feel the GPU isn’t fully utilized.

If anyone knows how to tweak GPU settings on XPS models without visible BIOS GPU options, or how to ensure maximum GPU performance in Ubuntu, please let me know.

Errors I’ve Encountered (and Workarounds)

I’ve run into a few issues after installing Ubuntu on the XPS:

1. NVMe I/O performance quirks – Fixed by applying custom udev rules to optimize scheduler and queue settings.

2. High swap usage despite large RAM – Resolved by adjusting vm.swappiness and increasing ZRAM size.

3. Fan profiles being too passive – Using auto-fan tools under Linux to make cooling more aggressive when under load.

Performance Tweaks I’ve Made

Here’s what I’ve done so far to improve performance — sharing in case it helps other XPS + Ubuntu users:

• Kernel & firmware updates: Running the latest Ubuntu kernel and updated Intel microcode.

• I/O scheduler tuning: Set NVMe devices to none scheduler for lower latency.

• ZRAM tuning: Increased ZRAM size to 30GB and set swappiness to 10 for faster memory management.

• Power management: Disabled power-saving features that throttle performance when on AC.

• CPU governor: Forced performance governor instead of ondemand or powersave.

• CrowdSec & minimal services: Removed unused background services to reduce system load.

My Ask

• How can I force the GPU to run at full performance under Ubuntu without BIOS-level GPU settings?

• Are there hidden Dell BIOS options for GPU tuning?

• Any NVIDIA driver tweaks or kernel parameters that give noticeable gains?

If anyone else is running Ubuntu on a Dell XPS and has cracked GPU or other optimization, I’d love to hear your setup.

I’m also happy to share exact commands/config files for the tweaks above if people want them.

Thanks in advance!