Optimizing Steam Deck performance ultimately depends on which settings work best for different games. For example, in our guide to playing Palworld on Steam Deck, we discuss the fine-tuning settings that really help the game shine on a handheld device. However, there are things you can do yourself to improve your board's performance, and that's what we'll discuss today.
Before we get started, I want to point out that the main tool we'll be talking about today uses CryoUtilities, a set of third-party scripts and commands that provide a more convenient way to manage Steam Deck memory. This requires some knowledge of navigating the Steam Deck outside of the Steam app, so you may want to familiarize yourself with that before continuing. If you don't know this but are confident you can fit it, I've included detailed instructions for everything you need.
Set sudo password
Before we start installing and configuring CryoUtilities, we need to prepare the Steam Deck for this process. This means you need a sudo password to protect your Steam Deck from OS-level changes you don't want.
By default, you do not have a sudo password. This is something you will have to do manually, so if you haven't done it before, you can simply follow the steps below.
Press the STEAM button on your Steam surface to display the menu. Choose Power > Switch to desktop. This will take Steam Deck out of game mode and allow you to change everything in the operating system.
Once the desktop loads, go to System Preferences > Users . From there, provide your user account email address and click Change Password .
Enter the sudo password you want to use. You can select a text field with R2 , then press X in Steam to open the keyboard. Elsewhere, you'll be asked to press STEAM + X to open the virtual keyboard. You can also connect a wireless mouse and keyboard to your device to make it easier to use.
Once you've set your sudo password, you're ready to move on to the next steps.
How to reset your Sudo password if you forget it
If you set a sudo password and don't remember it, you'll need to reset it. The easiest way to do this is to fully restore your Steam Deck to factory settings by pressing the STEAM button , then going to Settings > System and scrolling down to Factory Reset . However, this will remove everything from your Steam Deck. If you want to reset your Sudo password but don't want to lose your data, there are more detailed instructions on how to do so, although they are a bit more than I can cover in this particular guide.
How to install CryoUtilities
The easiest way to install CryoUtilities will require you to use desktop mode on your Steam console, so be sure to spend some time controlling your mouse with the touchpad or pairing a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard for a smoother experience.
Before installation, let's first change the amount of VRAM (video memory) that Steam Deck can use. This will make CryoUtilities' work much easier. First, turn off your Steam Deck. This can be done by pressing the STEAM button and then selecting POWER and SHUTDOWN in Game mode, or you can select the Start menu and then Shut Down in Desktop mode.
After closing the Steam Deck, press and hold the Volume Up button and then press the Power button. Keep pressing the Volume Up button until the boot menu loads. Now go to Setup Utility > Advanced , then change the UMA frame buffer size from 1GB to 4GB to accommodate the maximum video memory in the Steam Deck. Restart Steam Deck now and return to desktop mode.
To install CryoUtilities, go to the official Steam Deck Github page. You may have to enter the address manually or you can use Google CryoUtilities and try to find it that way. The manual address is https://github.com/CryoByte33/steam-deck-utilities .
Here find once the section called “Simple” and click “Download from this link” . This will allow you to download the CryoUtilities installer in one click. The easiest way to store it is on your Steam Deck. So you can find it easily.
Now double click on Install CryoUtilities and select Continue . This will load some data and then open the dashboard. In a few minutes the installation will be completed.
How to use Creo tools
Now that it's installed, find the CryoUtilities icon on your Steam desktop and double-click it to open the program. You'll be prompted for your sudo password and a disclaimer will appear stating that the developer, CryoUtilities, is not responsible for any damage to your Steam platform. Make sure to read this disclaimer and do not click on random items in the program, as some of these settings may cause problems with your system if you do not know what you are doing.
Please be sure to read the disclaimer before using this software to understand the risks associated with its use. Credit: Joshua Hawkins
Once logged in, most people simply click the Recommended button. This will make changes to the Steam Deck backend provided by the CryoUtilities developers, and you won't need to do anything else from there. If you want to learn more about the capabilities of CryoUtilities, you can always watch a detailed video created by the program's creator, Cryobyte33. However, I only recommend it for advanced users who are comfortable making deeper changes.
Ultimately, the settings recommended by CryoUtilities should make a big difference in your Steam Deck's performance. Please note that this will not allow the set to play high quality AAA games at the highest settings. But it will eliminate many of the lag issues that have plagued games on these mobile devices for a long time. If you plan to play your Steam collection frequently, I recommend following this process to gain an extra dimension.
If you find it easier to watch a video, YouTuber GameTechPlanet has a really great tutorial.
Can you track Steam Deck's performance?
Another thing I recommend on the Steam Deck if you care about performance is to use the Steam Deck's built-in performance monitor. This can be enabled by clicking the... button in the Steam panel (located on the right below the touchpad), then going to the Performance section and changing the Performance priority level to a level higher than Off. .
Level 1 shows you the basic settings like FPS. However, I think Level 2 can be really useful without breaking the immersion in different games because it provides information about FPS, GPU performance, CPU usage, and even VRAM usage, as well as displaying more detailed information about battery usage. . Of course, if you want to see more information, you can also go to level 3 or 4, where more detailed information is provided in the drop-down box. But as I mentioned above, this might crash the games you're playing, so I don't recommend doing that.
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