Valve's new Linux VRAM fix almost triples framerates in some games on the 4GB Radeon RX 6500 XT

A Valve contractor named Natalie Vock developed a Linux kernel fix that gives the OS context about which app is actively using the GPU, preventing it from evicting the foreground game's VRAM in favor of background processes. Benchmarks on a 4GB Radeon RX 6500 XT show mixed results: most games see minimal gains (0–3 FPS), but VRAM-constrained titles like Alan Wake II jumped from ~14 to ~41 FPS. The fix is not a universal performance booster but can make previously unplayable games reach acceptable framerates on low-VRAM GPUs.