The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming device from Valve that brings PC gaming to your pocket.
One of its unique features is the performance overlay. It’s a tool that lets you monitor your system’s performance while you play.
Today, we’ll take a closer look at what the performance overlay is, how it works, and how you can use it to optimize your gaming experience on the Steam Deck.
Quick Summary
This post provides details on
- The Steam Deck’s performance overlay and its benefits
- How to enable the Steam Deck’s performance overlay
- How to use the FPS Limiter with the Steam Deck
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
So without further ado, let’s get started.
Steam Deck’s Performance Overlay and Its Benefits
The Steam Deck performance overlay is a feature that can be enabled to display a game’s performance metrics on the device.
You’ll be able to view these metrics as you play so you can judge the Steam Deck’s performance on particular games in real-time.
Some of the metrics that you’ll be able to see include:
- Frame rate
- GPU and CPU performance
- Fan speed
- Battery life
And more.
When you use the overlay, you can tweak the game’s graphical settings to maximize the console’s performance and battery life. You can also use it to adjust the console’s adaptive brightness.
How to Enable the Steam Deck’s Performance Overlay? (Easy Tutorial)
To enable the performance overlay on the Steam Deck, you can follow these steps:
- Press the Quick Access Menu (QAM) button located on the right-hand side of the screen below the touchpad.
- Scroll down until you see the battery icon and press A to enter the performance menu.
- Underneath the battery life counter, select the Performance Overlay Level and press A to enter the sub-menu.
- Move the slider across the five options to see different levels of information, with level one displaying the FPS counter and level five displaying all performance details that are possible.
- To exit the performance overlay, press the B button a couple of times to hide the QAM screen.
Additionally, you can also click on the “Advanced View” to access further customization options.
The Advanced View has a list of additional settings, such as:
- Setting a frame rate limit
- Refresh rate
- Thermal power (TDP) limit
- Manual GPU clock control
And more.
Let’s look at the different metrics you can monitor with the Steam Deck Performance Overlay in more detail:
- CPU Usage: The percentage of CPU usage in real-time and allows you to monitor how much of the processor’s power is being used.
- GPU Usage: This refers to the percentage of GPU usage. You can use it to see how much of your graphics card’s power is being used.
- RAM Usage: The Performance Overlay displays the percentage of RAM usage, so you can keep an eye on how much memory is being used by your applications and games.
- Disk Usage: This is useful for users who want to keep an eye on their hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD) space.
- Temperatures: CPU and GPU temperatures are important as they allow you to monitor how hot your Steam Deck is while gaming.
- Battery Life: You can also see the battery life in real-time, so you know how much time they have left before their Steam Deck needs to be recharged.
Wondering how to get started with your new Steam Deck? Check out our beginner’s guide for helpful tips and advice.
How to Use the FPS Limiter with the Steam Deck? (Easy Guide)
The Steam Deck Performance Overlay has this cool feature called the FPS limiter that lets you control the FPS of your games.
You can access it by pressing the Quick Access button on the right side with the three dots. Next, go to the battery icon and switch to Advanced View.
From there, you can choose from a range of options: from 15 FPS to 60 FPS or even uncapped FPS.
However, it’s important to note that sometimes 60 FPS isn’t achievable or it eats up your battery life too much. That’s when the lower options like 30 FPS or even 40 FPS come in handy.
Yes, you read that right, 40 FPS. It might seem like an odd number, but it’s actually the sweet spot between 30 FPS and 60 FPS in terms of input lag and visual smoothness.
If you set your Steam Deck to 40 FPS and take a look at the frame time graph, you’ll see that it completely smooths out.
It might result in a slightly lower FPS number, but the game will feel much smoother.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Steam Deck Performance Overlay?
The Steam Deck Performance Overlay is a built-in feature in Valve’s Steam Deck console that allows users to monitor and optimize their device’s performance in real-time.
It provides various performance metrics such as frame rate, CPU and GPU usage, temperature, and battery life, among others.
How do I access the Steam Deck Performance Overlay?
To access the Steam Deck Performance Overlay, press the Quick Access button (the one with the three dots) on the right side of the device and go to the battery icon.
Under the Performance Overlay Level, switch to Advanced View to see all the available options.
What are the different features of the Steam Deck Performance Overlay?
The Steam Deck Performance Overlay offers a range of features, including
- FPS limiter
- Frametime graph
- CPU and GPU usage
- Temperature
- Battery life monitoring
It also provides advanced options such as per-game profiles and performance customization settings.
How can I use the Steam Deck Performance Overlay to optimize my device’s performance?
By monitoring the performance metrics provided by the Steam Deck Performance Overlay, you can identify any bottlenecks or issues that may affect your device’s performance.
You can then adjust the performance settings, such as the FPS limiter and graphical settings, to optimize the performance and improve the battery life of your device.
Can I save my performance settings per game?
Yes, the Steam Deck Performance Overlay offers a per-game profile feature that allows you to save your performance settings for each game.
This means you can customize the performance settings based on the requirements of each game and save them for future use.
What is the FPS limiter, and how can it help improve the performance of my device?
The FPS limiter allows you to cap the frame rate of your games, which can help improve the overall performance of your device since it reduces the strain on the CPU and GPU.
When you select an appropriate FPS limit, you can achieve a balance between performance and battery life.
Interested in reading reviews and hands-on impressions of the Steam Deck? Our experts have shared their thoughts on this innovative device.
Wrapping Things Up…
The performance overlay is an incredibly useful tool that you can utilize to get the most out of your Steam Deck in terms of game performance.
If you’re outside and want to extend the Steam Deck’s battery life, then the overlay can also be utilized for that.
We recommend that you tinker with its settings to find what works best for you. If you have any further questions, please let us know in the comments section below.
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