GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=“quiet splash amdgpu.ppfeaturemask=0xffffffff”

🧩 1. What is GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT?

  • It’s a GRUB config variable found in /etc/default/grub.

  • It defines default kernel command-line parameters passed on normal boots (not recovery mode).

  • These parameters affect the Linux kernel’s behavior during and after boot.


🧩 2. quiet splash – What are these?

ParameterMeaning
quietSuppresses most boot messages from the kernel. You won’t see things like “Started XYZ”, “Mounted ABC”, etc.
splashTells the init system (and display manager) to show a splash screen (like a logo or animation).

Used together, quiet splash gives a clean boot screen (e.g., Ubuntu logo instead of kernel logs).

🧠 You can remove these if you want to see verbose boot messages, e.g. for troubleshooting.

🧩 3. amdgpu.ppfeaturemask=0xffffffff – What is this?

  • This is a kernel parameter for AMD GPU driver (amdgpu).

  • ppfeaturemask controls PowerPlay features — like overclocking, fan curve control, power states, etc.

  • By default, many of these are locked down by the driver.

By setting:

amdgpu.ppfeaturemask=0xffffffff

You enable all PowerPlay features, even undocumented or unsupported ones.

🛠️ Why use this?

  • To control GPU fan curve, power limits, or clock speeds from userspace using tools like:

    • rocm-smi

    • pp_od_clk_voltage

    • Custom fan/OC scripts

⚠️ Be careful: Enabling unsupported features can cause instability or damage if you’re careless.

🧪 How to Apply Changes

  1. Edit the file: sudo nano /etc/default/grub

  2. Modify the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT line.

  3. Save and run: sudo update-grub

  4. Reboot.

🧠 How to Learn About Them

🔹 1. Official Linux Kernel Docs


🔹 2. modinfo for Module-Specific Parameters

For driver/module-specific options (like amdgpu.ppfeaturemask):

bash

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modinfo amdgpu

Gives info about parameters, description, and default values (if documented).


🔹 3. Read Current Boot Parameters

bash

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cat /proc/cmdline

Shows what parameters were passed at boot time.