Lenovo Legion 5 15ACH6H — CachyOS Device Reference

⊞ WINDOWS REFERENCE GUIDE · LENOVO LEGION 5 15ACH6H

WINDOWS 10 / 11

COMPLETE HARDWARE & SOFTWARE REFERENCE

⊞ Windows 10 / 11 DirectX 12 Ultimate Dolby Vision ✓ Nahimic 3D ✓ Advanced Optimus ✓ DLSS 2.x · G-Sync

Model 82JU · BIOS GKCN58WW · Ryzen 7 5800H · RTX 3060 130W · 165Hz Dolby Vision

Machine Overview — Windows

Same hardware as your CachyOS setup, but with full Windows driver support and exclusive features like Dolby Vision, Advanced Optimus, and Nahimic 3D.

Key Specs

CPUAMD Ryzen 7 5800H · 8C/16T · 4.4GHz · Zen 3

GPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop · 130W TGP

RAM16 GB DDR4-3200 · 2× SO-DIMM · max 32 GB

Display15.6″ FHD 165Hz IPS · Dolby Vision · DC Dimmer

StorageM.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 3.0×4 (1 slot)

Wi-FiIntel AX200 · Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax · BT 5.1

Battery80 Wh · 4-cell · 300W barrel charger

BIOSGKCN58WW / GKCN57WW · Press F2 to enter

Windows-Exclusive Features on This Machine

Dolby Vision✓ FULL True DV HDR pipeline — Netflix, Apple TV+

Dolby Atmos✓ FULL Headphone & speaker spatial audio

Nahimic 3D✓ FULL System-wide speaker DSP + mic enhancement

Advanced Optimus✓ FULL MUX GPU switch — no reboot needed

Lenovo Vantage✓ FULL Fan curves · RGB · battery · power modes

DLSS 2.x✓ NATIVE Better than Proton implementation

Auto HDR (Win 11)Win 11 Converts SDR games to HDR automatically

Xbox Game Bar✓ Win+G overlay · FPS · capture · audio mixer

Driver Setup — Install Order Matters

Wrong install order can cause AMD/NVIDIA conflicts. Follow this exact sequence after a fresh Windows install.

1️⃣

AMD Chipset Drivers — First

Download from amd.com/en/support → Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile. Installs PCH, USB 3.x, NVMe, and power management. Must be done before NVIDIA. Reboot after.

2️⃣

NVIDIA Game Ready Driver — Second

nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx → RTX 3060 Laptop GPU. Run as Custom Install → Clean Installation. Game Ready Driver for gaming, Studio Driver for content creation + stability. Do NOT let Windows Update install this automatically.

3️⃣

Lenovo Driver Pack — Vantage + Hotkeys + Nahimic

support.lenovo.com → search "Legion 5 15ACH6H" → Drivers & Software. Download and install: Lenovo Vantage, Lenovo Hotkeys, Nahimic Audio driver. These enable Fn+Q, RGB control, battery conservation, and Dolby Atmos.

4️⃣

Intel AX200 Wi-Fi Driver

Download Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 driver from intel.com/content/www/us/en/download-center/home.html. Intel's own package provides better Wi-Fi 6 performance and BT 5.1 audio quality than the generic Windows driver.

5️⃣

Windows Update — Run Last

Run Windows Update only after manually installing all drivers above. Check "Optional Updates" for remaining hardware updates. Running Windows Update first risks overwriting your manually installed NVIDIA/AMD drivers with older generic versions.

💡 Resizable BAR: Same as Linux — BIOS F2 → Configuration → enable "Above 4G Decoding" + "Re-Size BAR Support". Verify in NVIDIA Control Panel → System Information → "Resizable BAR: Enabled". Gives 5–12% FPS in supported titles.

Lenovo Vantage — Hardware Control Center

The Windows equivalent of LenovoLegionLinux — controls fan curves, power modes, RGB, battery, and GPU modes with a polished GUI.

Vantage Features

Power Modes✓ Quiet · Balanced · Performance via Fn+Q or GUI

Fan Curves✓ Custom curve editor per power mode

Battery Limit✓ Conservation mode (60% cap) or custom threshold

4-Zone RGB✓ Full per-zone color + effect (breath, wave, etc.)

GPU Mode Switch✓ Discrete / Hybrid / iGPU — Advanced Optimus

BIOS/Driver Updates✓ One-click updates via Vantage

Thermal Sensors✓ Real-time CPU + GPU temp + fan RPM

Advanced Optimus — Windows Exclusive

What it doesSwitch GPU mode without rebooting

On CachyOS/Linux✗ Requires BIOS switch + reboot

Battery workflowSwitch to iGPU mode for browsing — instantly

Gaming workflowSwitch to Discrete mode before game launch

How to useVantage → Power tab → GPU Mode

Battery saving+1–2 hrs by switching to Hybrid/iGPU instantly

Windows vs CachyOS Linux — Feature Comparison

Head-to-head comparison of what works on each OS for your specific Legion 5 15ACH6H hardware.

Feature	⚡ CachyOS Linux	🪟 Windows 10/11
Dolby Vision HDR	✗ Not supported No DV driver on Linux	✓ Full Native DV on Netflix, Apple TV+, files
Nahimic / Dolby Atmos	✗ Windows only	✓ Full System tray app, spatial audio headphones
Advanced Optimus	✗ BIOS switch + reboot	✓ No reboot needed
Fan Curve Control	✓ LenovoLegionLinux 10-point EC curve, GUI	✓ Lenovo Vantage Smooth GUI, presets
4-Zone RGB	✓ lenovolegionlinux AUR	✓ Lenovo Vantage
165Hz Display	✓ Auto-detected KDE	Manual — set in Display Settings
DLSS 2.x	⚠ Via Proton — slightly lower perf	✓ Native — best performance
FPS (Gaming)	⚠ 5–20% lower (API overhead)	✓ Native DX12 / max GPU perf
Anti-Cheat Games	✗ Valorant, R6 don't work	✓ All games work
G-Sync / VRR	⚠ KWin Wayland VRR toggle	✓ NVIDIA Control Panel, native
Battery Life	✓ Better — amd-pstate + TLP	Good — Advanced Optimus helps
Boot Speed	✓ Faster — ~8s cold boot	Slower — ~15–25s
Gaming Compatibility	⚠ Most Steam games via Proton	✓ All games, all launchers
Kernel Customization	✓ BORE, sched-ext, patches	✗ Fixed Windows kernel

💡 Summary: CachyOS wins on battery life, boot speed, customization, and privacy. Windows wins on gaming FPS, Dolby Vision, advanced audio, anti-cheat game support, and no-reboot GPU switching. Most users with this machine dual-boot — CachyOS for daily use and Linux gaming, Windows for competitive games or Dolby Vision content.

Windows-Exclusive Features on This Machine

Features that either don't exist or are severely limited on Linux. Primary reasons to keep a Windows partition.

🎨

Dolby Vision — True HDR on Your Panel

Your 15ACH6H panel is Dolby Vision certified. On Windows, streaming services (Netflix via Edge, Apple TV+, Disney+) and supported video players render true Dolby Vision with the full certified brightness curve. Enable in Settings → Display → Use HDR → On. On Linux, this is impossible — no DV driver stack exists.

🔊

Nahimic 3D Audio + Dolby Atmos Headphones

Nahimic installs with Lenovo's audio driver pack — open from system tray. Adds real-time EQ, bass boost, 3D surround, and mic noise cancellation system-wide including in games. For Dolby Atmos headphone spatial audio: install Dolby Access from Microsoft Store. Works with any 3.5mm headphone or Bluetooth device.

🔄

Advanced Optimus — Reboot-Free GPU Switching

Open Lenovo Vantage → Power tab → GPU Mode. Switch between Discrete (RTX 3060 drives panel, max FPS), Hybrid (iGPU drives panel, better battery), and iGPU Only (RTX off, max battery) — without rebooting. This is a hardware MUX feature enabled by the NVIDIA driver on Windows only.

🎮

Xbox Game Bar — Built-In Overlay

Press Win+G in any game. FPS counter, CPU/GPU performance graphs, screenshot and clip capture via NVENC (ShadowPlay-like "last N minutes" recording), audio mixer per-app, achievement tracker. No install needed — built into Windows 10 and 11. The equivalent of MangoHud + OBS on Linux, but out of the box.

⚡

Auto HDR (Windows 11)

Settings → System → Display → HDR → Auto HDR → On. Windows 11 automatically converts SDR games to HDR in real-time using AI upscaling. Works in hundreds of DX11/DX12 games with your 165Hz Dolby Vision panel. Zero config needed per-game — it just works. Not available on Linux.

Gaming on Windows — RTX 3060 Optimization

Key tweaks to get maximum performance from your RTX 3060 130W on Windows. Do these after driver install.

⚙️

Enable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS)

Settings → System → Display → Graphics Settings → "Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling" → On → Restart. Reduces CPU-to-GPU latency for more consistent frametimes. Recommended for all RTX 30-series systems.

🎯

NVIDIA Control Panel — Key Settings

Right-click desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings: Power Management Mode → Prefer Maximum Performance. Low Latency Mode → Ultra (for competitive games). Texture Filtering → High Performance. Set up G-SYNC: Display tab → Enable G-SYNC for fullscreen + windowed.

🔥

Switch to Performance Mode Before Gaming

Fn+Q to cycle to Performance mode (LED changes color). In Vantage: switch to Discrete GPU mode. This unlocks the full RTX 3060 130W TGP + CPU 54W TDP. For competitive play: also set Windows power plan to "Ultimate Performance" (enable via powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61).

📊

MSI Afterburner + RivaTuner for Monitoring

MSI Afterburner (free) + RivaTuner Statistics Server: the Windows equivalent of MangoHud. Detailed in-game overlay showing FPS, GPU core/memory clock, GPU temp, power draw, VRAM usage, frametime graph. Essential for tuning your RTX 3060 settings per-game.

🚀

NVIDIA Reflex — Low Latency in Competitive Games

Enable NVIDIA Reflex in supported games (CS2, Valorant, Apex, Fortnite, Overwatch 2). In-game setting → NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency: "Enabled + Boost". Measurably reduces click-to-pixel latency — especially noticeable on your 165Hz display. Works on RTX 3060.

🎯 Windows vs Linux FPS on Your RTX 3060: Expect 5–20% higher FPS on Windows for most titles. Vulkan-native games are closest to parity. DX12 games show the biggest Windows advantage (~15%) due to native NVIDIA DX12 implementation vs VKD3D-Proton translation. Competitive games (Valorant, CS2, Apex) also benefit from Windows' tighter NVIDIA driver integration and lower system overhead.

Display — 165Hz + Dolby Vision + G-Sync

Your 165Hz panel is fully unlocked on Windows. Here's how to configure every display feature.

Windows Display Feature Support

165Hz refreshManual Settings → Advanced display → 165Hz

Dolby Vision HDR✓ FULL Settings → Display → Use HDR → On

G-Sync Compatible✓ NVIDIA Control Panel → G-SYNC → Enable

VRR (Variable Rate)✓ Win 11 Advanced Display → VRR On

Auto HDRWin 11 Settings → Display → HDR → Auto HDR

Night Light✓ Settings → Display → Night Light

ICC Color Profile✓ Control Panel → Color Management

165Hz + G-Sync Setup Checklist

Step 1Settings → Advanced display → Refresh rate: 165Hz

Step 2NVIDIA Control Panel → Set up G-SYNC → Enable

Step 3Manage 3D Settings → Vertical sync → Off (G-SYNC handles it)

Step 4Cap in-game FPS to ~160 (prevents hitting 165 limit)

Step 5Settings → Display → Use HDR → On (if using HDR content)

Netflix Dolby VisionUse Microsoft Edge browser (only browser with DV on Windows)

Post-Install Setup Guide — Windows

Everything to do after a fresh Windows install on this machine. Follow this order — especially the driver sequence.

Disable Automatic Driver Updates Before Anything

Required

Stop Windows from overwriting your NVIDIA driver with a generic version. Do this before first Windows Update run.

Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Optional updates → OFF Control Panel → System → Advanced → Hardware → Device Installation Settings → "No (your device might not work as expected)" → Save

AMD Chipset → NVIDIA GPU → Lenovo Vantage

Required

Install in this exact order. Reboot between each step.

amd.com/en/support → Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile → Chipset Driver → install + reboot

nvidia.com/Download → RTX 3060 Laptop GPU → Custom Install → Clean Installation → reboot

support.lenovo.com → Legion 5 15ACH6H → install Vantage + Hotkeys + Nahimic Audio → reboot

intel.com → AX200 Wi-Fi driver → install

Run Windows Update last → check Optional Updates too

Set 165Hz Refresh Rate (Windows Defaults to 60Hz)

Required

Settings → System → Display → Advanced display settings → Refresh rate: 165 Hz → Apply Also: Settings → System → Display → Use HDR → On → Adjust "SDR content brightness" slider to ~60-70%

Configure NVIDIA Control Panel + G-Sync

Recommended

Display → Set up G-SYNC → Enable for fullscreen + windowed modes

Manage 3D Settings → Power Management: Prefer Maximum Performance

Low Latency Mode → Ultra (competitive games) or Off (DLSS games)

Vertical Sync → Off (G-SYNC manages this)

Enable Resizable BAR: BIOS F2 → Above 4G Decoding ON + Re-Size BAR ON

Enable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling + HAGS

Recommended

Settings → System → Display → Graphics Settings → Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling → ON → Restart

Configure Lenovo Vantage — Battery + Fan + RGB

Recommended

Power tab → Battery → Conservation Mode ON (60% cap) or set 80% custom limit

Power tab → Thermal Mode → default to Balanced for daily use

Fan Curve → customize curve for your preferred noise/temp tradeoff

Lighting → set 4-zone RGB colors to your preference

Install Nahimic + Dolby Atmos (Optional but Worth It)

Optional

Nahimic is already installed with the Lenovo audio driver. Open from system tray. For Dolby Atmos headphone spatial audio: install Dolby Access from Microsoft Store (free trial → purchase for permanent access).

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LENOVO LEGION

Lenovo Legion 5

15ACH6H · Complete Hardware Reference

Ryzen 7 5800H · Zen 3 RTX 3060 · 130W · 6GB 165Hz FHD · Dolby Vision ⚡ CachyOS KDE 2021 · AMD Advantage

Model: 82JU · BIOS: GKCN58WW / GKCN57WW

Machine Overview

Your full machine at a glance — official model, chassis, and key specifications confirmed from Lenovo PSREF.

Identity

Product LineLenovo Legion 5

Full Model NameLegion 5 15ACH6H

Machine Type82JU

GenerationGen 6 (2021)

Chassis Size15.6" — Plastic chassis

Dimensions363 × 260 × 22.5–24.6 mm

Weight~2.4 kg (5.29 lbs)

BIOS VersionsGKCN58WW · GKCN57WW

Operating SystemCachyOS KDE

Key Components at a Glance

CPUAMD Ryzen 7 5800H — 8C/16T · 4.4 GHz

dGPUNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop 130W

iGPUAMD Radeon Vega 8 (integrated)

RAM16 GB DDR4-3200 · 2× SO-DIMM · max 32 GB

StorageM.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 3.0×4 (1 slot)

Display15.6" FHD 165Hz IPS · Dolby Vision · DC Dimm

Battery80 Wh · 300W charger (RTX 3060 model)

Wi-FiWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) · 2×2 · BT 5.1

CPU — AMD Ryzen 7 5800H

Zen 3 architecture — one of AMD's strongest mobile processors. On CachyOS, this CPU is served by x86-64-v3 optimized binaries and the BORE scheduler, both of which directly benefit this chip's 8-core design.

Core Specifications

ArchitectureZen 3 · 7nm TSMC

Cores / Threads8 Cores · 16 Threads

Base Clock3.2 GHz

Boost Clock4.4 GHz (all-core ~3.8 GHz)

L1 Cache32 KB/core (I) + 32 KB/core (D)

L2 Cache4 MB (512 KB per core)

L3 Cache16 MB (shared)

Memory SupportDDR4-3200 · Dual-channel

PCIe LanesPCIe 3.0 (CPU) + PCIe 3.0 (SoC)

Power & Thermal

TDP (base)45W

cTDP Range35W – 54W (configurable)

Package PowerUp to 54W sustained with Dynamic Boost

Junction Temp (Tjmax)105 °C

Typical Gaming Temp75–90 °C (depends on fan mode)

Idle Temp (CachyOS)35–50 °C (amd-pstate active)

TDP Control on Linuxryzenadj · auto-cpufreq · CoreCtrl

Linux Driveramd-pstate — mainline, zero setup

Integrated GPU (Vega 8)

ArchitectureGCN 5 (Vega)

Compute Units8 CU · 512 Shaders

Max Clock~2000 MHz (boost)

VRAMShared DDR4 (up to 512 MB reserved)

API SupportVulkan 1.3 · OpenGL 4.6 · OpenCL 2.0

Linux Driveramdgpu — open source, mainline kernel

Role on CachyOSDrives internal display in Hybrid GPU mode · saves battery

CPU on CachyOS — What's Special

Binary Optimizationx86-64-v3 — AVX2, FMA, BMI2 enabled

CompilationLTO + PGO + BOLT on key packages

SchedulerBORE (Burst-Oriented Response Enhancer)

Sched Extensionsched-ext framework available

BORE BenefitLower frame-time variance under mixed game+background loads

amd-pstate driverActive by default — smarter P-state control

CPU Governorperformance / schedutil — switch via cpupower

🔵 x86-64-v3 on Your CPU: The Ryzen 7 5800H fully supports the x86-64-v3 microarchitecture level, meaning it has AVX2, FMA, BMI2, MOVBE, and related extensions. CachyOS ships the entire package repo compiled against this target — so every binary from Proton to mesa to the browser is faster than what a generic x86_64 distro would give you on the same hardware. This is a real, measurable performance advantage exclusive to CachyOS on your machine.

GPU — NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop

Ampere architecture with 6 GB GDDR6. The 15ACH6H variant runs at 130W TGP with Dynamic Boost 2.0, making it one of the higher-power RTX 3060 Laptop implementations.

GPU Core Specifications

GPU DieGA106M — Ampere

Process Node8nm Samsung

CUDA Cores3840

RT Cores30 (2nd generation)

Tensor Cores120 (3rd generation)

Base Clock1425 MHz

Boost Clock1702 MHz (max w/ Dynamic Boost)

Transistors12 billion

Memory & Bandwidth

VRAM6 GB GDDR6

Memory Bus192-bit

Memory Speed14 Gbps

Bandwidth336 GB/s

L2 Cache3 MB

TGP130W (with Dynamic Boost 2.0)

VRAM Note6 GB is sufficient for 1080p; watch VRAM usage in modded games

Features & APIs

DirectX12 Ultimate (via Windows)

Vulkan1.3 (primary API on Linux)

OpenGL4.6

DLSSDLSS 2.x (AI upscaling via Tensor cores)

NVENC7th gen — AV1 hardware encode

NVDECAV1 hardware decode

Ray TracingSupported (performance cost on Linux via Proton)

Resizable BARSupported — enable in BIOS → Above 4G Decoding

RTX 3060 on CachyOS

DriverNVIDIA Proprietary (auto-installed at setup)

Open Kernel Module✓ RTX 3060 (Ampere) is eligible for nvidia-open

Vulkan LayerVKD3D-Proton (DX12→Vulkan) — fastest path

DLSS on Linux✓ Works via Proton — enabled per-game in Steam

NVENC on Linux✓ Works in OBS, Kdenlive, FFmpeg

CUDA on Linux✓ Full CUDA support via proprietary driver

nvidia-settingsAvailable — install from extra/nvidia-settings

Wayland statusImproving — Desktop stable, Gamescope beta

⚠ Linux vs Windows FPS on Your RTX 3060: Real-world benchmarks on this GPU show roughly 5–20% lower FPS on Linux vs Windows depending on the game and API. Vulkan-native games (DOOM Eternal, Quake) are closest to parity. DX12 games via VKD3D-Proton are typically 5–10% behind. DX11 via DXVK is usually within 3–8%. Ray tracing titles lose more. CachyOS's x86-64-v3 packages and BORE kernel recover some of this gap — but this is a driver ecosystem characteristic, not something any distro can fully fix.

✓ Resizable BAR: Enable "Above 4G Decoding" and "Re-Size BAR Support" in your BIOS (F2 at boot → Configuration). CachyOS supports ReBAR natively. On your RTX 3060 + Ryzen 7 5800H combo, this can provide 0–12% FPS gains in supported games (F1 22, Cyberpunk 2077, etc.) with zero downside. Confirm it's active in Linux: dmesg | grep -i rebar

Display — 165Hz FHD · Dolby Vision

Your panel is a 15.6" IPS with a strong feature set for gaming. Here's what each feature actually means on CachyOS.

Panel Specifications

TypeIPS · Anti-glare coating

Size15.6 inch diagonal

Resolution1920 × 1080 (Full HD)

Refresh Rate165 Hz

Response Time< 3 ms (MPRT)

Brightness300 nits

Color Coverage100% sRGB

Dimming TechnologyDC Dimmer (no PWM — no flicker at any brightness)

Panel connected toiGPU (Hybrid mode) · dGPU (Discrete mode)

HDR CertificationDolby Vision

Sync TechAMD FreeSync · NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible

Linux / CachyOS Display Feature Support

165Hz on CachyOS✓ Full — auto-detected in KDE Display Settings

100% sRGB✓ Hardware feature — works on all OS

DC Dimmer (no flicker)✓ Hardware feature — works on all OS

FreeSync / VRR⚠ Partial — works via KWin Wayland VRR toggle

G-Sync Compatible⚠ Discrete GPU mode + nvidia-settings required

Dolby Vision (true)✗ Not supported on Linux — no DV driver exists

Generic HDR⚠ Experimental — KDE Plasma 6 + Wayland HDR toggle

ICC Profile support✓ KDE color management — apply custom profiles

Night Color / Blue Light✓ Built into KDE Display Settings

🔴 Dolby Vision — The Honest Answer: Your panel is Dolby Vision certified and can physically display it, but no Linux distribution (including CachyOS) can activate true Dolby Vision. It requires a Dolby-licensed software decoder pipeline and OS driver integration that doesn't exist in the Linux stack. This is a Linux-wide gap — not specific to CachyOS. For streaming Dolby Vision content (Netflix, Apple TV+) or playing DV-encoded video files, you need Windows. What CachyOS can do: experimental HDR via KDE Plasma 6 Wayland, and per-game HDR via Gamescope launch flags — see the Gaming section.

💡 Setting 165Hz on CachyOS: KDE should detect it automatically. If it doesn't: open System Settings → Display and Monitor → Display Configuration → set refresh rate to 165 Hz. Alternatively via terminal: xrandr --output eDP-1 --mode 1920x1080 --rate 165 (X11) or verify via kscreen-doctor output.eDP-1.mode.1920x1080@165 (Wayland).

Platform — Connectivity & I/O

Full connectivity breakdown for the 15ACH6H chassis. Important: HDMI 2.1 is hardwired directly to the RTX 3060 — it does NOT work in iGPU-only mode.

Ports & I/O

USB-C (×2)USB 3.2 Gen 2 · DP 1.4 · one supports PD charging

USB-A (×4)USB 3.2 Gen 1 · one is Always-On (charges when off)

HDMIHDMI 2.1 — hardwired to RTX 3060 dGPU

EthernetRJ-45 · 1 Gbps

Audio3.5mm combo jack (headphone + mic)

SD CardNone on this model

Wireless & Audio

Wi-FiWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) · 2×2 MU-MIMO

Bluetooth5.1

Wi-Fi CardIntel AX200 (confirmed)

Linux Wi-Fi Driveriwlwifi — mainline, zero setup

SpeakersHarman Kardon · 2× 2W stereo

Audio StackNahimic 3D · Dolby Atmos (headphone)

Linux AudioPipeWire (default on CachyOS) · full support

Input & Other

KeyboardTrueStrike · 1.5mm travel · 100% anti-ghost

RGB4-zone RGB backlight

RGB on Linuxlenovolegionlinux AUR — full per-key control

Webcam720p · no Windows Hello IR

TouchpadPrecision touchpad — libinput on CachyOS

Battery80 Wh · 4-cell

Charger300W barrel · also charges via USB-C PD (slower)

💡 HDMI External Display on CachyOS: HDMI 2.1 is wired directly to your RTX 3060. In Discrete GPU mode (BIOS setting), it works out of the box. In Hybrid mode, you need to configure PRIME offload — add the env vars __NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia before launching, or use prime-run yourapp. Known Wayland bug: HDMI may not work in Hybrid+Wayland on some Legion units — switching BIOS to Discrete mode resolves it permanently.

CachyOS — Your Operating System

Everything about CachyOS and how it's configured on your machine.

⚡

CachyOS KDE Plasma 6

Arch-based rolling release · linux-cachyos kernel (BORE/sched-ext) · x86-64-v3 optimized packages · Pacman + AUR + Chaotic-AUR · NVIDIA auto-configured · Your primary OS

OS Profile

BaseArch Linux

Release ModelRolling Release (always latest)

DesktopKDE Plasma 6

Display ServerWayland (default) · X11 available

Kernellinux-cachyos (BORE + sched-ext)

Package ManagerPacman + AUR helpers (yay / paru)

Extra ReposChaotic-AUR · CachyOS repo

Init Systemsystemd

FilesystemBtrfs (default — supports snapshots)

Pre-installed Gaming Stack

SteamNative package via steam

ProtonProton-CachyOS available (Anti-Lag 2 + FSR4 ML)

Winewine / wine-staging via pacman

MangoHudAUR — overlay FPS/temps/GPU in any game

GameModeAvailable — auto CPU/GPU governor boost during games

LutrisAUR / pacman — GOG, Epic, Battle.net, etc.

Heroic LauncherEpic + GOG native launcher for Linux

DXVKBundled with Proton — DX9/10/11 → Vulkan

VKD3D-ProtonBundled with Proton — DX12 → Vulkan

✓ What Works Great on CachyOS with Your Hardware

▲NVIDIA RTX 3060 auto-configured at install — proprietary driver pulled automatically
▲Ryzen 7 5800H runs on amd-pstate (EPP) — better power efficiency than old acpi-cpufreq
▲165Hz display detected and applied automatically in KDE — no config needed
▲Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 on iwlwifi — works perfectly out of the box
▲PipeWire audio stack — Harman Kardon speakers and headphone jack fully functional
▲TrueStrike keyboard + touchpad work perfectly via standard HID / libinput
▲Fn+Q power mode switching captured by legion-linux module
▲4-zone RGB keyboard controllable via lenovolegionlinux AUR package
▲NVENC hardware encoding works in OBS, FFmpeg, Kdenlive — great for streaming
▲Steam + Proton compatibility — thousands of games playable

⚠ Known Limitations / Things to Watch

▼Dolby Vision: NOT supported on Linux. Panel runs SDR or basic HDR only
◆HDMI in Hybrid GPU mode requires PRIME offload config or prime-run
◆Wayland + HDMI bug on some Legion units — Discrete GPU BIOS mode fixes it
◆Generic HDR (KDE Plasma 6 Wayland) is experimental — may cause stutter in some Vulkan titles
▼Rolling release: NVIDIA driver updates with pacman occasionally need attention (rare breakage)
▼No automatic rollback — set up Timeshift or btrfs snapshots manually
◆Nahimic / Dolby Atmos spatial audio apps — Windows only, no Linux equivalent
◆Anti-cheat games (Valorant, Rainbow Six) — do not work on Linux
◆Fan curve persistence: Fn+Q mode change resets EC — systemd service needed to re-apply

Gaming on CachyOS — RTX 3060 + Proton

How gaming works on your machine, what to enable, and what to expect.

Feature	Status	Details for Your Setup
Proton / Steam Play	✓ Full	Most Steam games work via Proton. Check ProtonDB for per-game compatibility. Enable Proton for all games: Steam → Settings → Compatibility → Enable Steam Play for all titles.
Proton-CachyOS	CachyOS Exclusive	A CachyOS-patched Proton build with Anti-Lag 2 and FSR4 Machine Learning upscaling baked in. Available from the CachyOS repo. Set as your default Proton version in Steam settings for extra headroom on the RTX 3060.
DLSS 2.x	✓ Works	DLSS works via Proton on your RTX 3060 (Tensor cores are accessible). Enable DLSS in-game as you normally would. No extra setup needed. Quality mode is recommended at 1080p on your panel.
FSR 1/2/3	✓ Full	AMD FSR works on any GPU including NVIDIA. FSR 1 is in Proton as a shader mod. FSR 2/3 is available via NIS-Scaler and per-game support. Good for pushing FPS when the RTX 3060 VRAM is the bottleneck.
MangoHud	✓ Full	Install: `sudo pacman -S mangohud`. Add `MANGOHUD=1` to Steam launch options: `MANGOHUD=1 %command%`. Shows FPS, GPU/CPU temp, VRAM, RAM, frametime graph — essential for tuning.
GameMode	✓ Full	Install: `sudo pacman -S gamemode`. Steam launch: `gamemoderun %command%`. Temporarily sets CPU governor to performance, disables power saving, and optionally applies GPU optimizations. Small but real FPS gain.
Ray Tracing	⚠ Partial	RT works via VKD3D-Proton's implementation but performance is lower than Windows. Your RTX 3060 has 2nd gen RT cores — at 1080p with RT at medium, it's playable. DXR Tier 1 supported. Expect 15–30% lower RT FPS vs Windows.
Anti-Cheat (EAC/BE)	⚠ Depends	BattlEye and Easy Anti-Cheat work on Linux for titles where the developer has enabled Linux support (e.g. Deep Rock Galactic, Rust, Elden Ring). Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, and some others do NOT work on Linux.
HDR Gaming	⚠ Experimental	Best path: add `gamescope -W 1920 -H 1080 --adaptive-sync --hdr-enabled -f -- %command%` to Steam launch options. Or enable KDE Plasma 6's HDR toggle (Wayland session). Not as polished as Windows HDR but functional in supported games.
Shader Pre-compilation	✓ Fast	Proton/Steam pre-compiles shaders on first launch. Subsequent launches are smooth. Your 8-core 5800H compiles shaders fast. Shader stutter on first play is nearly eliminated with DXVK async.

🎮 Recommended Steam Launch Options for Your RTX 3060:
For most games: MANGOHUD=1 gamemoderun %command%
With HDR: MANGOHUD=1 gamemoderun gamescope --hdr-enabled --adaptive-sync -f -W 1920 -H 1080 -- %command%
With PRIME offload (Hybrid GPU mode): __NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia gamemoderun %command%

GPU Modes — BIOS MUX Switch

Your 15ACH6H has a physical MUX switch controlled via BIOS (F2 → Configuration → "Graphics Mode"). Each mode changes which GPU drives the internal panel. HDMI is always wired to the RTX 3060 regardless of mode.

RECOMMENDED FOR GAMING

Discrete GPU Mode

Internal display driven byRTX 3060 direct

FPSMaximum — full 130W TGP

HDMI external✓ Works natively

Wayland HDMI bugResolved in this mode

Battery lifeLower — dGPU always on

Reboot needed?Yes — BIOS switch

Best forGaming sessions · Desk use

BEST BATTERY

Hybrid Mode

Internal display driven byiGPU (Vega 8)

RTX 3060 roleRenders via PRIME offload

FPS vs Discrete~5–15% lower

HDMI externalNeeds prime-run setup

Battery lifeBest — iGPU handles display

Reboot needed?Yes — BIOS switch

Best forBrowsing · Travel · Battery

POWER SAVING

iGPU Only Mode

RTX 3060Completely off — no power draw

GamingVega 8 only — light games only

HDMI external✗ Does not work (dGPU off)

Battery lifeMaximum — dGPU completely off

Reboot needed?Yes — BIOS switch

Best forAll-day travel · Docs / Web

💡 Advanced Optimus on Linux: Windows users get "Advanced Optimus" — automatic GPU mode switching without reboots. On Linux, this firmware feature is not available (NVIDIA has not released Linux support for it). The same result (choosing which GPU drives the panel) is achievable via the BIOS Graphics Mode setting, but requires a reboot each time. For gaming: use Discrete Mode. For battery/travel: use Hybrid or iGPU-only.

Fan Curve & Power Profiles

Your Legion 5 15ACH6H (BIOS GKCN58WW / GKCN57WW) is explicitly listed in the LenovoLegionLinux compatibility table. Full EC control is supported: 10-point fan curve, 3 power modes, dual fan (CPU fan + GPU fan), temperature sensors for CPU, GPU, and IC.

EC Fan Curve Capabilities

Curve Points

10 points

Power Modes

Quiet · Balanced · Performance

Temp Sensors

CPU · GPU · IC

Accel / Decel

✓ Supported

Dual Fan

Fan 1 (CPU) + Fan 2 (GPU)

CachyOS Setup

Kernel Module

Built into linux-cachyos

Setup Effort

Minimal

GUI App

lenovolegionlinux AUR

Persistence

systemd service on boot

Quick TDP

ryzenadj or CoreCtrl

Fn Key Shortcuts on CachyOS

Fn + Q

Cycles: Quiet → Balanced → Perf

Fn + Q reset

Resets custom curve

Fn + Space

Fan Boost toggle (max RPM)

Fix after Fn+Q

systemd service re-applies

LED Indicator

✓ Mode light changes

🔧 Fan Curve Setup on CachyOS: The legion-linux module is already inside your linux-cachyos kernel — no additional kernel work needed. To get the full GUI: yay -S lenovolegionlinux-git from AUR. This gives you a graphical fan curve editor with real-time RPM graph, per-mode presets, and EC temperature readouts. To make fan curves persist across reboots, enable the included systemd service: sudo systemctl enable --now legion-linux-save.service. Custom curves are saved to the EC on boot automatically after that.

Battery & Power Management

Your 60 Wh battery with the RTX 3060 model. CachyOS gives you the best Linux power tuning tools available for this hardware.

Battery Hardware

Capacity80 Wh

Cells4-cell Li-Ion

Charger300W barrel plug (included)

USB-C ChargingSupported (slower — 65W max on PD)

Charge LimitConfigurable via LLL GUI (e.g. 80% for longevity)

Battery Saver ModeKDE Power Profiles — built in

Expected Battery Life (CachyOS)

Light (iGPU-only BIOS)~5–7 hours (web, docs, video)

Mixed use (Hybrid BIOS)~3–5 hours (some GPU activity)

Gaming (Discrete BIOS)~1–1.5 hours (RTX 3060 always active)

Idle, screen off~8–12 hours (well-tuned with TLP)

Best battery tipSet BIOS to iGPU-only + install TLP for max runtime

amd-pstate efficiency (vs acpi-cpufreq)+20–30%

TLP idle power reduction−15–25%

iGPU-only mode vs Hybrid (runtime gain)+30–60 min

Charge limit set to 80% (battery longevity)Recommended

✓ Battery Conservation — Recommended Setup: Install TLP: sudo pacman -S tlp tlp-rdw && sudo systemctl enable --now tlp. Set battery charge limit via LLL GUI (recommended: 60–80% if mostly plugged in). Enable Power Saving profile in KDE System Tray when on battery. Set BIOS to Hybrid or iGPU-only when away from desk. These combined steps can get you an extra 1–2 hours of runtime over stock behavior.

Useful Commands & Tips for CachyOS

Quick-reference commands and tips specifically useful for your hardware on CachyOS.

⚡

Install LenovoLegionLinux (fan GUI, RGB, power modes) yay -S lenovolegionlinux-git — Gives you the full GUI for fan curves, 4-zone RGB keyboard control, power mode switching, battery charge limit. Enable the service: sudo systemctl enable --now legion-linux-save.service

🖥

Check which GPU is driving the display glxinfo | grep "OpenGL renderer" (X11) or cat /sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/name. In Discrete mode you should see "NVIDIA". In Hybrid mode you should see your Vega 8 iGPU on the internal display.

🎮

Best Steam launch flags for your RTX 3060 General gaming: MANGOHUD=1 gamemoderun %command%
With Gamescope HDR: gamescope --hdr-enabled --adaptive-sync -W 1920 -H 1080 -f -- %command%
In Hybrid mode (PRIME): __NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia gamemoderun %command%

📊

Monitor CPU + GPU temps and fan speeds in terminal sudo pacman -S lm_sensors && sudo sensors-detect then watch -n 1 sensors. For NVIDIA GPU: nvidia-smi dmon -s pucvem (power, usage, clock, VRAM, encoder, memory). For real-time graph: sudo pacman -S btop — shows everything.

🔒

Set up btrfs snapshots (your safety net) sudo pacman -S timeshift — since CachyOS defaults to Btrfs, Timeshift can take instant snapshots before pacman updates. Run before every sudo pacman -Syu to have a rollback point if the NVIDIA driver update causes issues.

⚙

Enable Resizable BAR for FPS boost In BIOS (F2 at boot): Enable "Above 4G Decoding" and "Re-Size BAR Support". Verify on Linux: dmesg | grep -i rebar. Should show "BAR resize" info. Gives 0–12% FPS in supported games on your RTX 3060.

🔋

Set battery charge limit (extend battery longevity) Via LLL GUI (easiest) or via terminal: echo 80 | sudo tee /sys/bus/platform/drivers/ideapad_acpi/VPC2004:00/conservation_mode. Or use LLL's battery conservation mode toggle which sets 60% charge cap. Recommended if you're mostly plugged in.

🎨

Control 4-zone RGB keyboard After installing lenovolegionlinux: open the LLL app → Lighting tab. You can set color, effect (static, breath, wave, etc.), and brightness per zone. Command line: legion-linux-color set --zone 0 --color ff0000 (zone 0–3). The keyboard LED memory is in EC — survives reboots.

📡

NVIDIA driver management on CachyOS Update: sudo pacman -Syu updates the driver with everything else. Check current driver: nvidia-smi. If Wayland session breaks after update: switch to X11 session at login screen as temporary fix, then check CachyOS forum. Hold driver if needed: add IgnorePkg = nvidia nvidia-utils to /etc/pacman.conf.

🌐

Useful resources for your setup • Arch Wiki — best Linux documentation, covers everything CachyOS inherits
• LenovoLegionLinux GitHub — your hardware's compatibility table, bug reports
• CachyOS Forum / Discord — community for CachyOS-specific issues
• ProtonDB — check game compatibility before buying
• IsMyHDMISecure.net — check HDMI output compatibility

⚡ Post-Install Setup Guide

Everything you need to do after a fresh CachyOS install on the Legion 5 15ACH6H — from first-boot essentials to full gaming setup, Vantage tool, audio enhancement, and getting games running.

PHASE 01

First Boot — What to Do Right After Install

Run these before anything else

Full System Update

Required

The very first thing after login. CachyOS ships with a rolling-release snapshot — pull everything current before doing anything else.

$ sudo pacman -Syu
# If the kernel updated, reboot before continuing
$ sudo reboot

Install yay (AUR Helper)

Required

Almost everything you'll need for this device lives in the AUR. yay handles AUR + pacman in one command. If CachyOS didn't pre-install it:

$ sudo pacman -S --needed git base-devel
$ git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
$ cd yay && makepkg -si

# Verify it works
$ yay --version

Enable Multilib Repo (32-bit support for games)

Required

Steam and many games require 32-bit libraries. Enable the [multilib] repository in pacman.conf:

$ sudo nano /etc/pacman.conf
# Find and uncomment these two lines (remove the # at the start):
[multilib]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

$ sudo pacman -Syu

Verify NVIDIA Driver is Working

Required

CachyOS should have installed NVIDIA drivers during setup. Confirm they loaded correctly:

# Should show your RTX 3060 and driver version
$ nvidia-smi

# If nvidia-smi is not found, install drivers manually
$ sudo pacman -S nvidia-dkms nvidia-utils lib32-nvidia-utils nvidia-settings
$ sudo reboot

Always use nvidia-dkms — it rebuilds automatically for any kernel update. The plain nvidia package is kernel-version locked and will break on updates.

Enable Early KMS + Wayland Modesetting for NVIDIA

Required

Required for stable Wayland sessions, HDR, and VRR on the Legion's 165Hz display.

# 1. Add NVIDIA modules to initramfs
$ sudo nano /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
# Set: MODULES=(nvidia nvidia_modeset nvidia_uvm nvidia_drm)
$ sudo mkinitcpio -P

# 2. Add nvidia_drm.modeset=1 to GRUB
$ sudo nano /etc/default/grub
# Edit: GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nvidia_drm.modeset=1 amd_pstate=active"
$ sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
$ sudo reboot

Install Essential Tools + lm-sensors + btop

Required

# Monitoring, hardware sensors, terminal utils
$ sudo pacman -S lm_sensors btop htop wget curl unzip p7zip
$ sudo sensors-detect --auto

# Live temperature watch (CPU + GPU zones)
$ watch -n 1 sensors

# Full system dashboard
$ btop

Set Up Btrfs Snapshots — Your Safety Net

Recommended

CachyOS defaults to Btrfs. Set up Timeshift snapshots now, before installing anything else. If a driver update bricks your session, you can roll back instantly from GRUB.

$ sudo pacman -S timeshift
$ sudo timeshift-gtk
# In the GUI: select BTRFS mode → pick your root subvolume → Save

# Take a baseline snapshot right now
$ sudo timeshift --create --comments "fresh install + NVIDIA ready"

Tip: Run sudo timeshift --create before every sudo pacman -Syu. Rolling back takes 30 seconds from GRUB → Advanced Options.

PHASE 02

Legion Vantage Tool — LenovoLegionLinux

Fan curves, Fn+Q power modes, RGB, battery

This is the Linux equivalent of Lenovo Vantage. LenovoLegionLinux (LLL) is an open-source kernel module + GUI app that exposes every hardware control on your Legion: power modes, fan curves, 4-zone RGB, battery charge limit, and the Fn+Q thermal mode switch.

Install LenovoLegionLinux (LLL)

Required

# Install from AUR
$ yay -S lenovolegionlinux-git

# Enable the save/restore service (persists settings across reboots)
$ sudo systemctl enable --now legion-linux-save.service

# Also enable the acpid service (required for Fn+Q to work)
$ sudo systemctl enable --now acpid

# Verify the kernel module loaded
$ lsmod | grep legion

After install, open LenovoLegion from your app launcher

If the app doesn't open, run legion-linux-gui in terminal to see errors

Reboot once after install for the kernel module to load cleanly

Fn+Q Power Mode Switching — Setup Guide

Required

On your Legion 5 15ACH6H, Fn+Q cycles through three thermal/power modes. After installing LLL and enabling acpid, this key combo works natively on Linux. Here's what each mode does:

🔇

Quiet

Low fan noise
CPU ~35W TDP
Good for browsing, office work

⚖️

Balanced

Default mode
CPU ~45W TDP
Daily driver — good all-rounder

🔥

Performance

Full power + fans
CPU ~54W TDP
Use for gaming sessions

If Fn+Q isn't cycling modes after LLL install, verify with:

# Check if acpid is running
$ systemctl status acpid

# Manually read current power mode
$ cat /sys/bus/platform/drivers/ideapad_acpi/VPC2004:00/fn_lock

# Set power mode via command (0=Quiet, 1=Balanced, 2=Performance)
$ echo 2 | sudo tee /sys/bus/platform/drivers/ideapad_acpi/VPC2004:00/platform_profile

# Or use the LLL GUI — Power tab → select mode

Best practice: Set Performance mode before gaming and switch back to Balanced or Quiet when done. LLL's GUI shows a notification when you press Fn+Q so you always know which mode you're in.

Set Custom Fan Curves via LLL

Recommended

The LLL GUI's Fan Curve tab gives you full control of the CPU and GPU fan ramp curves — something Windows Vantage can't match in granularity.

Open LLL app → Fan Curve tab

Select a profile (Quiet / Balanced / Performance)

Drag the curve points — X axis = temperature (°C), Y axis = fan speed (%)

Click Apply — takes effect immediately

Recommended gaming curve: fans kick in at 55°C, ramp hard above 75°C

# Monitor fan speed in real-time to see the effect
$ watch -n 1 'cat /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon*/fan*_input'

Set Battery Charge Limit (Extend Cell Life)

Recommended

If you're mostly plugged in, limiting charge to 80% significantly reduces long-term battery degradation on the 80Wh cell.

# Via LLL GUI: Battery tab → Conservation Mode toggle (caps at ~60%)
# OR set a custom limit via terminal

# Set 80% limit (recommended for desk use)
$ echo 80 | sudo tee /sys/bus/platform/drivers/ideapad_acpi/VPC2004:00/conservation_mode

# Make it persistent — add to /etc/rc.local or create a systemd service

Configure 4-Zone RGB Keyboard

Optional

The Legion's keyboard has 4 independently controlled RGB zones. LLL exposes full color and effect control.

Open LLL → Lighting tab → pick color per zone

Effects: Static · Breath · Wave · Color Shift · Spectrum Cycle

Settings are saved in EC memory — survive reboots without the service

# Command-line control (zone 0–3, hex color)
$ legion-linux-color set --zone 0 --color 00e5ff
$ legion-linux-color set --zone 1 --color 7c3aed
$ legion-linux-color set --zone 2 --color 00ff88
$ legion-linux-color set --zone 3 --color ff4466

PHASE 03

Audio Enhancement — PipeWire + EasyEffects

Better sound through speaker DSP and EQ

Verify PipeWire is Running (CachyOS default)

Required

CachyOS uses PipeWire as the audio server (replacing PulseAudio). It handles speakers, headphones, Bluetooth, and game audio. Confirm it's running before touching anything:

# Check PipeWire status
$ systemctl --user status pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber

# Should show: active (running) for all three
# If any are missing, install them:
$ sudo pacman -S pipewire pipewire-pulse pipewire-alsa wireplumber
$ systemctl --user enable --now pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber

Install EasyEffects — System-Wide Audio DSP

Recommended

EasyEffects is a powerful real-time audio processor for PipeWire. It adds EQ, compression, bass boost, loudness equalization, reverb, and more to your speakers and headphones — all non-destructive and toggleable per-output.

$ sudo pacman -S easyeffects

# Launch it
$ easyeffects

# Enable auto-start on login (KDE: add to Autostart in System Settings)
$ easyeffects --gapplication-service &

EasyEffects runs as a PipeWire plugin — zero latency penalty for gaming

Separate effect chains for speakers and headphones

Effects toggle on/off with one click — no need to restart audio

Load a Preset — Speakers (Legion Built-in)

Recommended

The Legion 5's built-in speakers are decent but benefit enormously from a good EQ profile. Install the community preset package or configure manually:

# Install community presets for EasyEffects
$ yay -S easyeffects-presets

# Presets install to ~/.config/easyeffects/output/
# In the EasyEffects UI: Presets tab → Load a preset

Manual setup for Legion speakers (recommended chain):

Loudness Equalizer — compensates for how human ears perceive low/high frequencies at different volumes. Add first.

Parametric EQ — boost 80–120Hz (+3dB) for bass, cut 1–4kHz (−2dB) to reduce harshness, boost 8–12kHz (+2dB) for air. Apply to taste.

Compressor — keeps loud and quiet passages balanced. Threshold: −18dB, Ratio: 3:1, Attack: 10ms.

Bass Enhancer — adds harmonic content to low frequencies. Useful for the small Legion speaker drivers.

Save your config once dialed in: Presets tab → type a name → Save. It persists across reboots when EasyEffects runs at startup.

Load a Preset — Headphones (Gaming / Music)

Recommended

EasyEffects can also apply a separate chain to headphone output. When you plug in headphones, PipeWire switches output automatically — EasyEffects follows.

Convolver (Room Correction) — load an impulse response (IR) file from AutoEq for your specific headphone model. Best sound quality improvement possible.

Stereo Widener — for gaming, adds a sense of soundstage width for better positional audio.

AutoEq presets — download your headphone's correction EQ from github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq and import into the Parametric EQ.

# Download AutoEq preset for your headphones (example: Sony WH-1000XM4)
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq.git
# Browse results/harman_over-ear_2018/ for your headphone model
# Import the GraphicEQ.txt into EasyEffects Parametric EQ

Install Helvum — PipeWire Patchbay (Advanced)

Optional

Helvum is a graphical patchbay for PipeWire — it lets you route any audio source to any output, route game audio to a virtual sink for streaming, or combine outputs. Useful for streamers and multi-source setups.

$ sudo pacman -S helvum
$ helvum

PHASE 04

Gaming Setup — Steam, Proton, MangoHud, Gamescope

Get your RTX 3060 gaming-ready on Linux

Install Steam + Enable Proton

Gaming

$ sudo pacman -S steam

# Also install Vulkan + 32-bit layers (required for DXVK/VKD3D)
$ sudo pacman -S vulkan-icd-loader lib32-vulkan-icd-loader vulkan-tools

Once Steam opens: Steam → Settings → Compatibility → Enable Steam Play for all titles → select Proton Experimental.

# Install Proton-GE (community build — better compatibility for many titles)
$ yay -S protonup-qt
# Open ProtonUp-Qt → Add Version → GE-Proton → Install latest
# Then select it per-game: right-click game → Properties → Compatibility → Force GE-Proton

Install MangoHud + Gamemode

Gaming

MangoHud overlays real-time FPS, CPU/GPU temps, VRAM, frametime and more on top of any game. Gamemode automatically applies CPU performance governor and scheduler tweaks when a game launches.

$ sudo pacman -S mangohud lib32-mangohud gamemode lib32-gamemode
$ systemctl --user enable --now gamemoded

# Steam launch options — apply to ALL games (per-game in Properties → Launch Options)
MANGOHUD=1 gamemoderun %command%

MangoHud config: ~/.config/MangoHud/MangoHud.conf — customize position, colors, what metrics to show, FPS thresholds, and more. Run mangohud --help for all options.

Switch GPU to Discrete Mode for Gaming

Gaming

For best gaming performance, switch to Discrete mode via LLL so the RTX 3060 drives the display directly (no iGPU bridge overhead). In Hybrid mode, use PRIME offload per-game.

Discrete Mode (Best FPS)

How to setLLL app → GPU tab → Discrete

RequiresLogout + reboot to take effect

FPS impact+5–15% vs Hybrid on same GPU

BatteryHigher drain — keep plugged in

Hybrid Mode (PRIME Offload)

How to setLLL app → GPU tab → Hybrid

Steam launch optsAdd PRIME flags below

BatteryBetter — iGPU drives display

Use caseGaming on battery / portability

# Hybrid mode — PRIME offload per-game Steam launch option
__NV_PRIME_RENDER_OFFLOAD=1 __GLX_VENDOR_LIBRARY_NAME=nvidia MANGOHUD=1 gamemoderun %command%

Install Gamescope — VRR, HDR, Resolution Scaling

Optional

Gamescope is a Valve micro-compositor that can run games in a sandbox with VRR, HDR, and FSR upscaling — fully supports the Legion's 165Hz Dolby Vision display on KDE Wayland.

$ sudo pacman -S gamescope

# Steam launch option — full 1080p with VRR + HDR
gamescope -W 1920 -H 1080 --hdr-enabled --adaptive-sync -f -- %command%

# Performance mode — render at 720p, upscale to 1080p via FSR
gamescope -w 1280 -h 720 -W 1920 -H 1080 --fsr-sharpness 5 --adaptive-sync -f -- %command%

Verify ReBAR is Active (Free FPS Boost)

Recommended

If you enabled Resizable BAR in BIOS, verify it's working from inside Linux. ReBAR gives 5–12% FPS boost in supported games on your RTX 3060 at zero cost.

$ dmesg | grep -i rebar
# Should show: "BAR resize" or "resizable BAR" entries

# Also check via nvidia-smi
$ nvidia-smi --query-gpu=name,resizable_bar --format=csv,noheader
# Should show: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, Enabled

PHASE 05

Game Stores — Heroic Launcher + SteamTinkerLaunch

Epic, GOG, Amazon Games + advanced Steam tweaks

Heroic Games Launcher is the Linux answer for Epic Games Store, GOG, and Amazon Prime Gaming. SteamTinkerLaunch (STL) is an advanced wrapper for Steam that unlocks per-game Proton config, MangoHud, Gamescope, and tool chaining from a GUI — without editing launch options manually.

Install Heroic Games Launcher (Epic / GOG / Amazon)

Gaming

Heroic is a fully featured, open-source GUI launcher for Epic Games Store, GOG Galaxy, and Amazon Prime Gaming. It uses Proton/Wine under the hood and supports cloud saves, achievements, and auto-updates.

# Install Heroic from AUR
$ yay -S heroic-games-launcher-bin

# Or install the Flatpak version (easier, sandboxed)
$ sudo pacman -S flatpak
$ flatpak install flathub com.heroicgameslauncher.hgl
$ flatpak run com.heroicgameslauncher.hgl

First-time setup in Heroic:

Log in — click Epic Games or GOG tile and authenticate via browser

Default install path — Settings → Games Installation → set to your games drive/folder

Default Proton version — Settings → Wine/Proton → select Proton-GE (from ProtonUp-Qt)

Enable MangoHud — Settings → Environment Variables → add MANGOHUD=1

Per-game config — right-click any game → Settings → override Wine version, launch options, env vars per-game

Amazon Prime Gaming: In Heroic, click the Amazon Games logo in the sidebar → log in with your Amazon account → claim and install Prime Gaming titles directly. All run through Proton just like Epic games.

Install SteamTinkerLaunch (STL) — Advanced Steam Tool

Gaming

SteamTinkerLaunch intercepts Steam game launches and presents a GUI to configure Proton version, Gamescope, MangoHud, ReShade, vkBasalt, mod tools, and more — all from a single interface without touching launch options manually.

# Install STL from AUR
$ yay -S steamtinkerlaunch

# Add STL as a compatibility tool in Steam
$ steamtinkerlaunch compat add

# Restart Steam completely after this step
$ steam -shutdown && steam

How to use STL per game:

Right-click game in Steam → Properties → Compatibility → Force use: SteamTinkerLaunch

Next time you launch that game, the STL GUI pops up (holds for ~3 seconds before auto-launching)

In the STL GUI: toggle Gamescope, MangoHud, custom Proton version, vkBasalt, ReShade, and more per-game

Click Play in STL to launch with your config — it saves it for next time

What STL Can Do

Proton overrideGE-Proton, Experimental, custom

GamescopePer-game resolution + VRR + HDR

MangoHudToggle on/off without editing launch opts

vkBasaltCAS sharpening, SMAA anti-aliasing

ReShadePost-processing shaders in any game

Recommended STL Config for Legion

ProtonGE-Proton (latest) as default

MangoHudAlways on — shows FPS + temps

GamemodeEnabled — CPU perf governor on launch

GamescopePer-game — enable for titles needing VRR

vkBasalt CASOptional — sharpens upscaled output

Install Bottles — Windows App / Game Compatibility

Optional

Bottles creates isolated Wine environments ("bottles") for running Windows games and apps that aren't on Steam/Epic. Great for Battle.net (Diablo, WoW), Ubisoft Connect, Rockstar Launcher, or any .exe installer.

# Install via Flatpak (recommended — better sandbox isolation)
$ flatpak install flathub com.usebottles.bottles
$ flatpak run com.usebottles.bottles

# Create a new bottle: New → Gaming preset → name it → Create
# Gaming preset auto-configures DXVK + VKD3D + Sync (esync/fsync)

Use the Gaming preset for any game launcher (Battle.net, Ubisoft, Rockstar, EA App)

Install the launcher's .exe into the bottle, then install games inside it normally

Enable DXVK + VKD3D in bottle settings for DX11/DX12 game translation to Vulkan

Anticheat (EasyAntiCheat / BattlEye) only works if the game officially supports Linux — check areweanticheatyet.com

Check Game Compatibility Before Downloading

Recommended

Before spending time installing a game, check these resources to know what works out-of-the-box and what needs tweaks:

ProtonDB — protondb.com — community reports for every Steam game. Filter by "Gold" or "Platinum" for guaranteed working titles. Shows exact launch options that fix issues.

Are We Anti-Cheat Yet? — areweanticheatyet.com — shows which games with EAC/BattlEye work on Linux (official support) and which are blocked.

Heroic Compatibility — right-click any Epic/GOG game in Heroic → check the compatibility icon. Stars = community-reported Wine compatibility.

Games with kernel-level anticheat (Valorant/FACEIT) do not work on Linux — no workaround exists.

PHASE 06

System Optimization & Maintenance

Kernel tweaks, power, and long-term upkeep

AMD P-State Driver — Better CPU Efficiency

Recommended

The Ryzen 7 5800H supports AMD's native P-State driver for finer-grained frequency + voltage control. It's more efficient than the generic ACPI driver and works perfectly with the BORE scheduler in linux-cachyos.

# Already set if you followed step 5 — verify with:
$ cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/scaling_driver
# Should output: amd_pstate_epp

# If not, add to GRUB kernel parameters (/etc/default/grub):
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nvidia_drm.modeset=1 amd_pstate=active"
$ sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg && sudo reboot

Enable Zram — Faster Compressed RAM Swap

Recommended

Zram creates a compressed RAM disk used as swap — orders of magnitude faster than disk swap. Reduces memory pressure when multitasking + gaming. CachyOS may already have this enabled.

# Check if already active
$ zramctl

# If not, install and configure
$ sudo pacman -S zram-generator
$ echo -e "[zram0]\nzram-size = ram / 2\ncompression-algorithm = zstd" | sudo tee /etc/systemd/zram-generator.conf
$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload
$ sudo systemctl start systemd-zram-setup@zram0.service

Fix Suspend / Wake (NVIDIA sleep preservation)

Recommended

NVIDIA drivers can cause black screens on wake from suspend. Apply the NVIDIA power management preserve-memory patch to fix it.

$ echo "options nvidia NVreg_PreserveVideoMemoryAllocations=1" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-pm.conf
$ sudo systemctl enable nvidia-suspend nvidia-hibernate nvidia-resume
$ sudo mkinitcpio -P

# Force S3 deep sleep (better battery during suspend) via GRUB:
# Add mem_sleep_default=deep to GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT, then:
$ sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Enable SSD TRIM + Pacman Cache Cleanup

Recommended

# Enable weekly TRIM for NVMe SSD health
$ sudo systemctl enable --now fstrim.timer

# Auto-clean pacman cache — keep last 3 versions of each package
$ sudo pacman -S pacman-contrib
$ sudo systemctl enable --now paccache.timer

# Check for failed systemd services (run periodically)
$ systemctl --failed

Auto-Update Everything — yay Weekly

Recommended

CachyOS is rolling-release. Run yay -Syu weekly to keep the kernel, NVIDIA driver, Proton, and all tools current. Always snapshot first.

# The full weekly update routine
$ sudo timeshift --create --comments "pre-update $(date +%Y-%m-%d)"
$ yay -Syu
# Reboot if kernel or NVIDIA driver updated
$ sudo reboot

If NVIDIA breaks after an update: Boot GRUB → Advanced Options → pick a Timeshift snapshot from the previous session. The system will be exactly as it was before the update, instantly.

Final Checklist — You're Done

Required

System updated: yay -Syu clean

NVIDIA working: nvidia-smi shows RTX 3060

LLL running: Fn+Q cycles power modes

EasyEffects: Running at startup, presets loaded

Steam + Proton-GE: At least one game tested

MangoHud: Shows overlay in-game

Heroic: Logged into Epic/GOG/Amazon

SteamTinkerLaunch: Added as compat tool

Timeshift: Baseline snapshot exists

ReBAR active: nvidia-smi --query-gpu=resizable_bar

TRIM enabled: systemctl status fstrim.timer

Zram active: zramctl shows zram0

165Hz display: Set in KDE Display Settings

Battery limit: Set to 80% via LLL

🎉 Legion 5 fully set up on CachyOS. Head to the Gaming on Linux section for per-game configs, GPU mode deep-dive, and fan curve tuning. Check Tips & Commands for useful one-liners to keep things running fast.

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LEGION 5 · NETRUNNER CERTIFIED · 2077

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