Package: i8kgui
I8KGUIIntroductionA Dell thermal management GUI to control fan speeds and monitor temperatures.
Information is taken fromdell-smm-hwmon,i8kutils, Sysfs and(SM)BIOS- created as a quick hack for my
own needs (screenshots may be of an older version).i8kgui usesdell-smm-hwmon,i8kutilsand Sysfs to gather information such as
CPU temperature and fan speeds. It also supports thermal management using
(SM)BIOS modes.FeaturesDisplays CPU temperature, fan speed(s) and fan mode(s)Displays the current CPU frequencyDisplays CPU loadDisplays individual CPU core frequencies and temperaturesDisplays CPU Turbo informationGathers metrics from thedell_smm_hwmonkernel module via Sysfs, instead of
using/proc/i8kShows the currently active i8kutils configuration being usedSupports (SM)BIOS thermal management modes via libsmbiosLoadscpupower-gui(if installed)
whenCPU Governoris clickedOption to display CPU frequency as either the highest (default) or the average
value for all CPU coresAdds polkit action configurations to allow users to change fan modes without a
passwordInstallationAutomated Installation (Recommended)This version has only been tested on Ubuntu 20.04/23.04 (it should also work on 22.04)
and with a Dell laptop (XPS 7590). The installation script undertakes a
system-wide installation with all optional components (i.e.cpupower-guiandundervolt). i8kgui itself is installed within a users$HOMEdirectory. Please see below for other install options.git clone https://github.com/razman786/i8kgui
cd i8kgui
./install_i8kgui_ubuntu.shAutomated Installation OptionsInstall optioni8kutilsDell BIOS fan controllibsmbioscpupower-guiundervolt-all:heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark:-norm:heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark:-min:heavy_check_mark:-fix:heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark:-smbios:heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark:-power:heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark::heavy_check_mark:See./install_i8kgui_ubuntu.sh -hfor usage information.Manual InstallationPrerequisitesThis guide has only been tested on Ubuntu 20.04/23.04 and with a Dell XPS laptop.Thedell-smm-hwmonkernel module is required for basic functionality.i8kutilsPlease install and configure i8kutils fromhttps://github.com/vitorafsr/i8kutils. On Ubuntu the following can be run:sudo apt install i8kutilsDell BIOS Fan Control (optional)Some systems require this step, while others do not. For example, a Dell XPS
7590 needs the BIOS fan control installed, but a Dell Inspiron 5575 does not.Please install Dell BIOS Fan Control fromhttps://github.com/TomFreudenberg/dell-bios-fan-controland install it into/usr/bin/.If you are not sure that you have GCC installed, please run this firstsudo apt install build-essentials, then:git clone https://github.com/TomFreudenberg/dell-bios-fan-control.git
cd dell-bios-fan-control
make
sudo cp dell-bios-fan-control /usr/binPlease install this service file
fromhttps://github.com/gilbsgilbs/dell-bios-fan-control-git/blob/master/dell-bios-fan-control.serviceinto/etc/systemd/system/curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gilbsgilbs/dell-bios-fan-control-git/master/dell-bios-fan-control.service
sudo cp dell-bios-fan-control.service /etc/systemd/system/
sudo systemctl enable dell-bios-fan-control.servicelibsmbios (optional)If supported by your system, libsmbios will allow BIOS thermal modes to be changed, amongst other
features. On Ubuntu, please install the following package to interface with (SM)BIOS
information:sudo apt install python3-libsmbioscpupower-gui (optional)On Ubuntu, install the following optional package to change the CPU
Governor:sudo apt install cpupower-guipolkit actions (optional)The polkit action files will allow thermal controls to be changed without
requiring a user password. If your installation ofi8kguiis frequently asking
for a password, please do the following:Using a text editor, change theI8KGUI_THERMAL_PATHplaceholder in thei8kgui/polkit_actions/ubuntu/com.ubuntu.pkexec.i8kgui_thermal_control.policyfile to the correct location, i.e./home/someuserTo manually install the polkit action files, do the following:sudo cp i8kgui/polkit_actions/ubuntu/* /usr/share/polkit-1/actionsPlease note that, the installation script by default will use the polkit action files for
Ubuntu. Polkit action files for Manjaro Linux (tested with version 22.1.3) are
located ini8kgui/polkit_actions/manjaro.i8kgui InstallationUsing PyPIOn Ubuntu 20.04 and 22.04 use the following:pip3 install i8kgui --userFor Ubuntu 23.04 the command needs to be altered:pip3 install i8kgui --user --break-system-packagesUsing Gitgit clone https://github.com/razman786/i8kguiOn Ubuntu 20.04 and 22.04 use the following:pip3 install . --userFor Ubuntu 23.04 the command is as follows:pip3 install . --user --break-system-packagesDevelopment versiongit clone https://github.com/razman786/i8kgui
git checkout development && git pull
pip3 install . --userUninstall i8kguiFor Ubuntu 20.04 and 22.04 use the following:pip3 uninstall i8kguiFor Ubuntu 23.04 use the following:pip3 uninstall i8kgui --break-system-packagesUsagePlease ensure that you have configured i8kutilsbeforestarting!Once i8kutils is correctly configured using the/etc/i8kmon.conffile, please
run the following to enable the services if they are not already running.sudo systemctl enable dell-bios-fan-control.service; sudo systemctl enable i8kmon.servicei8kgui can be loaded by searching in Ubuntu'sShow Applicationsicon in the
application dock. Optionally, i8kgui can be loaded from a terminal by executingi8kgui.By default, i8kgui displays i8kutils information, however it does facilitate
thermal management using the (SM)BIOS. If you enable this feature typically four
fan modes will be available. Please note that, using 'Quiet', or 'Cool Bottom'
modes will reduce performance due to CPU power capping. Changing (SM)BIOS
thermal modes may require entering a user password, if polkit actions have not
been configured.Disabling (SM)BIOS thermal management in the settings will re-enable i8kutils's
management and configuration.Personal configurationThei8kmon_sample_confdirectory contains my personali8kmon.confconfiguration file, used on a Dell XPS 7590 (Intel i7, BIOS version 1.14.1).Undervoltis installed using the
following settings to avoid thermal throttling:undervolt -v --gpu -0 --core -121 --cache -121 --uncore -121 --analogio 0 --temp 100Known Working SystemsSystems that have been reported to be working:Dell XPS 7590, Intel i7Dell Inspiron 5575, AMD Ryzen 5 - thank you@yochananmarqosDisclaimerPlease note the author takesno responsibility for any damagethat occurs from
using this software and/or configurations.Issues and requestsPlease open an issuehere.CreditsDelapouitefor the Computer Fan
Icon (CC BY 3.0)