Symptoms & Diagnosis
Ubuntu 24.04 users running AMD Ryzen processors may notice unexpected thermal spikes. This often occurs because the “amd_pstate” driver, while efficient, can sometimes default to aggressive “performance” modes that keep clock speeds unnecessarily high.
Common symptoms include loud fan noise during idle, high CPU temperatures (above 60°C) during basic web browsing, and thermal throttling under load. To diagnose the issue, you should first identify which scaling driver your system is currently utilizing.
| Tool | Command | Expected Output |
|---|---|---|
| Driver Check | cpupower frequency-info |
amd-pstate-epp or acpi-cpufreq |
| Temperature | sensors |
Tctl or Tdie values in Celsius |
Run the following command in your terminal to check your current scaling governor and driver status. If it shows “performance” while on battery or idle, it is likely the cause of your overheating.
cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_driver
cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor
Troubleshooting Guide
The most effective fix for AMD overheating on Ubuntu 24.04 is switching the P-State mode to “active” or “guided” via the GRUB bootloader. This allows the kernel to manage power states more granularly.
Step 1: Modify GRUB Configuration
Open the GRUB configuration file using a text editor with root privileges. This file controls the kernel parameters passed during boot.
sudo nano /etc/default/grubStep 2: Update Kernel Parameters
Find the line starting with GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT. You need to add the amd_pstate=active parameter. It should look like this:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash amd_pstate=active"Alternatively, if you want the system to handle the balance automatically, you can use amd_pstate=guided.
Step 3: Update GRUB and Reboot
After saving the file (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X), you must update the bootloader for the changes to take effect. Restart your machine immediately after.
sudo update-grub
sudo rebootStep 4: Verify the Fix
Once the system reboots, check the driver status again. You should see “amd-pstate-epp” or “amd-pstate”. Use the following command to set the energy preference to “balance_power” if temperatures remain high:
echo balance_power | sudo tee /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/energy_performance_preferencePrevention
To prevent future overheating issues on Ubuntu 24.04, it is recommended to manage your power profiles using built-in or third-party tools. The “Power Profiles Daemon” in GNOME settings is often sufficient for most users.
For more advanced control, consider installing TLP (Linux Advanced Power Management). It provides automated background tasks that optimize CPU frequency based on whether the laptop is plugged in or on battery.
sudo apt install tlp tlp-rdw
sudo tlp startAdditionally, keep your kernel updated. Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble Numbat) receives regular hardware enablement (HWE) updates that often include improvements to the AMD P-State driver logic and thermal management.