Custom tuned profiles for the Alienware Aurora R12, providing fan control via the kernel platform-profile sysfs interface alongside system performance tuning.

Extends the stock desktop-powersave tuned profile with the platform profile set to balanced.

• Inherits all default desktop-powersave tuning
• Sets platform profile to balanced via /sys/class/platform-profile/platform-profile-0/profile

Extends the stock balanced tuned profile with the platform profile set to balanced.

• Inherits all default balanced tuning (conservative CPU governor, moderate power usage)
• Sets platform profile to balanced via /sys/class/platform-profile/platform-profile-0/profile

Extends the stock throughput-performance profile with gaming-oriented overrides and the platform profile set to performance.

• CPU latency: force_latency=1 keeps the CPU out of deep C-states for consistent frame times
• Memory: transparent_hugepages=madvise
• NMI watchdog: disabled to reduce background CPU overhead
• Platform profile: set to performance via /sys/class/platform-profile/platform-profile-0/profile
• All other tuning inherited from throughput-performance

Fan and thermal behaviour is controlled by writing to the kernel platform-profile sysfs node:

/sys/class/platform-profile/platform-profile-0/profile

This requires no external kernel modules — the platform-profile interface is provided by the alienware-wmi driver built into the kernel.

GameMode is configured to switch to the aw-performance profile while a game is running and return to aw-balanced when it exits (/etc/gamemode.ini):

[custom]
start=/usr/bin/tuned-adm profile aw-performance
end=/usr/bin/tuned-adm profile aw-balanced

git clone <repo>
cd alienware-tuned-profiles
makepkg -si

This installs the profiles to /etc/tuned/profiles/ and the gamemode config to /etc/gamemode.ini.

Copy the profile directories to /etc/tuned/profiles/:

sudo cp -r etc/tuned/profiles/* /etc/tuned/profiles/

• tuned
• gamemode

Activate a profile:

sudo tuned-adm profile aw-performance
sudo tuned-adm profile aw-balanced
sudo tuned-adm profile aw-powersave

If using tuned-ppd as a power-profiles-daemon replacement, copy the provided example config and adjust if needed:

sudo cp /usr/share/alienware-tuned-profiles/ppd.conf.example /etc/tuned/ppd.conf

The example maps PPD presets to these profiles:

[profiles]
power-saver=aw-powersave
balanced=aw-balanced
performance=aw-performance

[battery]
balanced=balanced-battery

The KDE Performance preset will then activate the aw-performance profile. When on battery, the aw-balanced PPD preset maps to a separate balanced-battery tuned profile (if defined).