What’s actually slowing this PC down?
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Use the monitoring tool that matches your GPU vendor and kernel driver: NVIDIA users should start with nvidia-smi, AMD users should follow the current AMD SMI/ROCm guidance, and Intel users can try intel_gpu_top. These utilities expose different metrics and may require specific permissions. For driver faults, combine them with kernel logs and vendor-specific debug interfaces rather than treating one command as universal.
Identify the GPU and active driver first
Before running a monitor, determine which device and kernel driver are actually in use:
lspci -k | grep -EA3 'VGA|3D|Display'Record the GPU model, kernel driver, distribution, and monitoring-tool version. NVIDIA, AMD and Intel commands are not interchangeable, and a metric missing from one system may simply be unsupported by that device or driver.
NVIDIA: nvidia-smi, dmon and pmon
Take a one-time snapshot
nvidia-smi displays management and monitoring information for supported NVIDIA devices, including utilization, memory, temperature, power and processes when those fields are available. NVIDIA documents the interface at its NVIDIA System Management Interface reference.
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nvidia-smiFor scripts, query specific fields instead of parsing the default screen:
nvidia-smi --query-gpu=name,driver_version,temperature.gpu,utilization.gpu,memory.used,memory.total --format=csvNVSMI can emit standard output, CSV or XML. NVIDIA warns that output is not guaranteed to remain backwards compatible, so pin and test the tool version when automation depends on field names or layout.
Watch device-wide activity continuously
nvidia-smi dmondmon samples device-level metrics repeatedly. Select a sampling interval with the command’s interval options and consult nvidia-smi dmon --help for metrics supported by your driver and GPU. Unsupported values can appear as dashes, which means “not supported” rather than zero.
See which processes use the GPU
nvidia-smi pmonpmon reports GPU process activity. Use it alongside dmon: the first tells you which processes are consuming resources, while the second shows aggregate device behavior. Visibility depends on driver capabilities, permissions and the device mode.
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Save comparable NVIDIA samples
When redirecting output, note the model, driver version, sampling interval, workload and format:
nvidia-smi dmon -o DT -f gpu-monitor.logCheck the installed command’s help because available options and fields vary across releases.
AMD: ROCm SMI today, AMD SMI going forward
AMD’s ROCm SMI documentation describes a Linux user-space interface for monitoring and controlling GPU applications. AMD identifies AMD SMI as its successor and recommends transitioning to it over time. For a new deployment, consult the current documentation rather than assuming ROCm SMI is the long-term interface: ROCm System Management Interface documentation.
The exact command and metric set depend on the installed ROCm/AMD SMI package, GPU generation and driver stack. Verify the utility’s own help and package documentation before putting a command into a script. A blank or unavailable field is not proof that the GPU is idle.
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Intel: intel_gpu_top and intel-gpu-tools
Install and run the monitor on Ubuntu
Intel’s support guidance recommends intel_gpu_top, supplied by the intel-gpu-tools package, for observing Intel graphics:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install intel-gpu-tools
sudo intel_gpu_topIntel cautions that intel-gpu-tools is intended for DRM driver development and testing and that intel_gpu_top “may or may not suit your needs.” Treat it as a useful diagnostic utility, not a promise of identical support on every Intel platform. See Intel’s guidance (reviewed 2025-08-25) at Intel’s GPU performance-monitoring article.
Select a device and export data
The intel_gpu_top manual documents text, CSV and JSON output, device selection and platform-dependent metrics. Check the installed version’s options:
intel_gpu_top --help
intel_gpu_top -o -Use the output mode documented by your version when collecting data for later analysis. Not every metric exists on every platform.
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Resolve performance-counter permission errors
Non-root access to Intel performance counters is controlled by the kernel’s perf_event_paranoid policy. If the command reports a permissions failure, either run it with the required privilege or ask the system administrator to review that policy; do not weaken it blindly on a multi-user machine. The command reference is available at the Debian intel_gpu_top(1) manual.
Kernel logs and low-level AMDGPU diagnostics
Check for driver and GPU errors
Start with the kernel log when the symptom is a hang, reset, fault or failed device initialization:
dmesg -T | grep -iE 'gpu|drm|amdgpu|nvidia|i915|error|fault|reset'On systems using the journal, this is often more useful:
journalctl -k -b | grep -iE 'gpu|drm|amdgpu|nvidia|i915|error|fault|reset'These filters are broad; inspect surrounding lines and the boot in which the failure occurred.
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AMDGPU debugfs
Linux kernel documentation describes AMDGPU debugfs files, generally below /sys/kernel/debug/dri/<num>, as driver-debugging interfaces. They can expose facilities for examining GPU state, benchmarking or recovery, but the available files depend on the kernel, device and topology. Read the AMDGPU DebugFS documentation and the kernel GPU Debugging guide for the specific fault.
Do not write to reset, recovery or other debugfs controls casually. A shared GPU, display session or compute workload can be disrupted, and the behavior is not a cross-vendor standard.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose the right command for the question
| Tool | Vendor/stack | Best use | Output and limits |
|---|---|---|---|
nvidia-smi |
NVIDIA supported devices | Snapshot, field queries and management information | stdout, CSV and XML; output compatibility is not guaranteed |
nvidia-smi dmon |
NVIDIA | Repeated device-level sampling | Metrics vary by device and driver; unsupported values may be “-” |
nvidia-smi pmon |
NVIDIA | GPU process activity | Visibility depends on mode, driver and permissions |
| ROCm SMI / AMD SMI | AMD ROCm stack | Monitoring and control of AMD GPU applications | AMD SMI is the successor; consult current documentation for new workflows |
intel_gpu_top |
Intel DRM devices | Interactive Intel GPU activity monitoring | Text, CSV and JSON; platform metrics vary; performance-counter policy may restrict access |
| AMDGPU debugfs | Linux AMDGPU driver | Low-level fault and driver diagnosis | Driver-specific files under debugfs; not routine cross-vendor monitoring |
A repeatable troubleshooting workflow
- Identify the stack. Confirm the GPU, active kernel driver and tool version.
- Capture a baseline. Run the vendor snapshot command before reproducing the problem.
- Observe during the workload. Use NVIDIA
dmon/pmon, the applicable AMD SMI utility or Intelintel_gpu_top. - Interpret missing fields correctly. A dash, blank or absent counter can indicate unsupported hardware, firmware, driver or permissions—not zero utilization.
- Correlate with kernel events. Review
dmesgorjournalctl -kfor resets, hangs, faults and initialization errors. - Escalate carefully. For AMDGPU faults, consult the kernel debugfs and debugging documentation; avoid recovery writes unless you understand their device-specific effect.
- Preserve context. Save the GPU model, driver and tool versions, workload, sampling interval, timestamp and output format with every capture.
Common failure modes
“Command not found”
Install the vendor’s package or SDK, then verify that the executable is on PATH. An installed open-source driver does not automatically provide every vendor monitoring utility.
No process appears
Check that the workload is using the device you queried, that the process is still running, and that driver permissions allow process visibility. A short-lived job may finish between samples.
Utilization stays at zero
Confirm the workload is GPU-bound and that you are reading the correct engine or device. Also check for unsupported counters, which NVIDIA and Intel document as platform-dependent.
Permission denied
Use the least privilege required. Intel performance counters are governed by perf_event_paranoid; other vendors can impose their own device-node or container policies.
Metrics changed after an upgrade
Recheck the command reference and update parsers. NVIDIA explicitly does not guarantee backwards-compatible output, and metric availability changes with hardware and driver versions.
Quick Recap
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