radeontop as a Linux alternative to NVIDIA FrameView
Updated
Our verdict
radeontop is not a good replacement for NVIDIA FrameView for most gamers or performance analysts. It only shows GPU utilization percentages for AMD Radeon cards and lacks frame rate, frame time, or latency measurement. There's no in-game overlay, no Vulkan/OpenGL monitoring, and no logging of system performance over time. It’s useful only for someone needing basic, terminal-based GPU load monitoring on older AMD hardware. If you're tracking gaming performance or comparing frame latency, radeontop doesn't provide the data you need.
- License
- GPL-2.0
- Price
- Free
- Latest version
- 1.4
- Rating
- —
What works the same
- Both provide real-time GPU monitoring during application use
- Designed for performance tracking, especially under load
- Can be used without a full desktop environment
- Low overhead during operation
- Show GPU activity while games or graphics apps are running
What is different
- radeontop shows only GPU utilization, not FPS or frame times
- No in-game overlay or graphical interface
- Does not support NVIDIA GPUs or any proprietary drivers
- Lacks support for Vulkan and OpenGL performance breakdowns
- No logging or export of performance data over time
Opening your NVIDIA FrameView files
radeontop does not generate or export performance logs in any format, so it cannot open or convert NVIDIA FrameView files. FrameView saves detailed timing and system data, while radeontop only displays live terminal output with no built-in saving. Any data collection would require manual scripting. There is no compatibility between the two tools in terms of file handling or data interchange.
Switching from NVIDIA FrameView to radeontop, step by step
- Install radeontop from your distro's repository (e.g., 'sudo apt install radeontop')
- Ensure debugfs is mounted and you have read access to /sys/kernel/debug/dri
- Run 'sudo radeontop' to see real-time GPU unit utilization
- Use 'radeontop -c' to capture a single refresh of stats non-interactively
- For continuous monitoring, script output parsing from radeontop -l
Key features of radeontop
- Real-time GPU utilization percentage
- Terminal-based, top-like interface
- No X11 or desktop environment dependency
- Supports older AMD Radeon chips with radeon driver
- Minimal resource overhead
- Displays busy percentages for different GPU units
- Runs with root or appropriate debugfs permissions
How to install radeontop on Linux
sudo apt install radeontopsudo apt install radeontopsudo dnf install radeontopsudo pacman -S radeontopsudo zypper install radeontopFrequently asked questions
Can radeontop measure FPS like FrameView?
No, radeontop does not measure frames per second or frame latency. It only reports GPU hardware unit utilization percentages.
Does radeontop work with modern AMD GPUs?
Limited support; it relies on the older radeon kernel driver, not amdgpu. Most newer AMD GPUs use amdgpu, which radeontop does not support.
Is there a modern alternative to radeontop?
radeontop is discontinued. Consider using 'rocm-smi' or 'gpuvis' for AMD GPU monitoring, or 'MangoHud' for in-game FPS and latency overlay.