intel_gpu_top

intel_gpu_top [options]

-h, --help
    Display help message and exit.

-s , --sleep=
    Set delay in seconds between updates (default: 1).

-l, --log
    Enable logging output to stdout; non-interactive mode.

-o , --output=
    Write output to specified FILE (implies -l).

-J, --json
    Output metrics in JSON format (implies -l).

-d, --dump
    Dump metrics once and exit immediately.

-r, --ring
    Show legacy per-ring utilization.

-e, --engine
    Show per-engine (Render, Blitter, Video, etc.) utilization.

-m, --memory
    Show GT (Graphics Technology) memory statistics.

-n, --frequency
    Show GT frequency information.

-c, --power
    Show GT power consumption information.

-p, --process
    Show per-process GPU usage statistics.

-v, --verbose
    Enable verbose output (useful with -p).

-V, --version
    Print version information and exit.

-t, --timestamp
    Add timestamp to log/JSON output.

-b, --bandwidth
    Show PCI bandwidth information.

-P, --pmu-events
    Show PMU (Performance Monitoring Unit) events.

-R, --raw-pmu
    Show raw PMU event data.

-f, --full-pmu
    Show full PMU event names.

-x, --exit-on-error
    Exit immediately if an error occurs.

-A, --all
    Show all available metrics (implies -e, -m, -n, -c, -p, -b).

intel_gpu_top is a powerful command-line utility for real-time monitoring of Intel integrated graphics processing units (GPUs) on Linux systems. It provides a "top"-like interface displaying various GPU metrics, including overall GPU busy percentage, per-engine utilization (Render/3D, Blitter, Video Decode, Video Encode, Media Engine), GPU frequency, memory statistics, and even per-process GPU usage. This tool is invaluable for diagnosing performance bottlenecks, understanding GPU workload distribution, and debugging graphics-intensive applications. It leverages the i915 kernel driver to expose low-level hardware counters, offering deep insights into the GPU's operational state.

Requires the i915 kernel module.
Full functionality, especially PMU event monitoring, may require root privileges or specific capabilities (e.g., CAP_PERFMON) and enabling kernel parameters like i915.enable_pmu=1.
The available metrics and their interpretation can vary slightly depending on the specific Intel GPU generation.

Typically installed via the intel-gpu-tools package available in most Linux distribution repositories (e.g., sudo apt install intel-gpu-tools on Debian/Ubuntu or sudo dnf install intel-gpu-tools on Fedora).

Running intel_gpu_top generally requires root privileges or being part of a group with sufficient access to performance counters (e.g., 'render' or 'video' group, or having the CAP_PERFMON capability). Without proper permissions, some metrics might not be displayed or the tool might fail to run.

• GPU Busy: Overall GPU utilization.
• Render/3D: Activity on the 3D rendering engine.
• Blitter: Activity on the blitter engine (for 2D graphics operations like copying/filling).
• Video Decode/Encode: Utilization of dedicated media decode/encode engines.
• GT Freq: Current GPU core frequency and maximum/minimum allowed frequencies.
• GT Power: Estimated power consumption of the GPU.

intel_gpu_top is part of the intel-gpu-tools suite, a collection of utilities developed by Intel for testing, debugging, and monitoring their integrated graphics hardware on Linux. It emerged as a crucial tool to provide visibility into the complex operations of the i915 kernel driver and the underlying GPU hardware, evolving over time to support new generations of Intel GPUs and their expanded feature sets, such as dedicated media engines and advanced power management.

top(1), htop(1), nvidia-smi(1), radeontop(1), perf(1), sensors(1)