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amdtop is a Linux terminal system monitor that combines CPU and general system metrics with AMD GPU telemetry, and can show XDNA NPU utilization when the loaded driver exposes counters the program recognizes. It supports discrete AMD GPUs and APUs; an NPU being detected does not by itself mean live utilization will appear.
What amdtop monitors
The interface groups information into collapsible CPU, GPU, NPU and process sections. It remembers section state across runs. CPU details include per-core activity grids and history graphs, package temperature and power, load average, and system memory and swap.
Each GPU appears in a separate band identified by an index and PCI bus ID. Discrete cards show VRAM, while APUs show GTT, the unified system memory used by the GPU. Process rows can include resident system memory, VRAM or GTT use, and engine activity. Where supported, adaptive memory-bandwidth telemetry can show memory-controller utilization; supported APUs can also report SoC DRAM read and write throughput.
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The project README reports 41 bundled themes, with tokyo-night as the default. That is a feature count stated by the project, not an independent performance or adoption measure.
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Install amdtop on Linux
Check the prerequisites
The project lists Rust 1.88 or newer, libdrm development headers, and an AMD GPU or APU using the amdgpu kernel driver. Its runtime dependency is libdrm_amdgpu.so.1. Development package names vary by distribution:
- Debian or Ubuntu:
libdrm-dev - Fedora:
libdrm-devel - Arch:
libdrm
Install and launch
- Install Rust 1.88 or newer and the libdrm development package for your distribution.
- Install the stable release with
cargo install amdtop, or use the Arch AUR package. For the development version, the README documents a Git-based Cargo installation. - Launch the monitor by entering
amdtopin a terminal.
amdtop is licensed under Apache-2.0. Consult the amdtop project documentation for its current installation instructions and project details.
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- Axial-tech fans now feature a smaller fan hub that facilitates longer blades and a barrier ring that increases downward air pressure
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- Dual-ball fan bearings last up to twice as long as standard conventional sleeve bearings designs
- 0dB technology lets you enjoy light gaming in relative silence
Read the interface and identify a GPU
amdtop lists physical GPUs in PCI BDF order and displays each device’s bus ID beside its index. Use that bus ID to match a displayed entry to a physical card. The process-specific HIP_VISIBLE_DEVICES and ROCR_VISIBLE_DEVICES variables do not change amdtop’s system-wide device numbering, so an application’s GPU ordinal may not match the index shown in the monitor.
Use these documented keyboard controls:
q, Escape or Ctrl+C: quit.- Tab and Shift+Tab: move between sections.
- Space or Enter: collapse or expand a section.
tandT: cycle themes.bandB: change gauge block style.
What to expect from XDNA NPU monitoring
amdtop can detect an XDNA device through Linux’s accel class and may identify firmware information. Detection is not the same as live utilization monitoring: the loaded amdxdna kernel module must expose a cumulative drm-engine-* busy-time counter, and amdtop’s telemetry parser must recognize that driver’s engine-key naming.
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- Next‑Gen AMD RDNA 4 Architecture: Powered by the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU with 32 Compute Units featuring 3rd Gen Ray Tracing and 2nd Gen AI Accelerators, delivering exceptional 1440p gaming and AI‑enhanced performance.
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XDNA driver trees use more than one engine-key form, and released parsers do not recognize every form. The upstream libamdgpu_top documentation also describes its XDNA support as limited because its developers lack access to the hardware needed for verification. Treat NPU utilization as conditional rather than guaranteed.
Driver, runtime and firmware compatibility matter together. AMD’s XDNA driver documentation describes Linux and XRT requirements and recommends validating an installation with xrt-smi validate and inspecting the device with xrt-smi examine. Check the current requirements for your distribution and system before relying on NPU telemetry.
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- Dedicated Support: Please contact us directly through Amazon for any product questions or assistance you may require.
- AMD RDNA 4 Architecture: RX 9070 GPU with 56 CUs, 3584 stream processors, 3rd gen RT and 2nd gen AI accelerators – built for 1440p/4K gaming.
- Factory Overclocked Performance: Boost clock up to 2520 MHz, game clock 2070 MHz – delivers smooth, high-framerate gaming out of the box.
- 16GB GDDR6 on 256-Bit Bus: High-speed 20 Gbps memory provides exceptional bandwidth for 4K textures, ray tracing, and demanding workloads.
Limits of the published feature claims
The project documentation describes the metrics and device support, but the reviewed project and upstream sources do not establish an independent benchmark, controlled accuracy comparison or hardware compatibility test across systems. Which metrics appear can depend on the GPU or APU, kernel driver and available telemetry; a listed feature is not a guarantee that every machine exposes it.
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