diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/btc_dpm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/btc_dpm.c
index 084e69414fd15405d03417b0e73ab8e8f1488c58..05ff315e8e9e03f4d2ba242b4680894cea8632cd 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/btc_dpm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/btc_dpm.c
@@ -2340,12 +2340,6 @@ int btc_dpm_set_power_state(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 		return ret;
 	}
 
-	ret = rv770_dpm_force_performance_level(rdev, RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO);
-	if (ret) {
-		DRM_ERROR("rv770_dpm_force_performance_level failed\n");
-		return ret;
-	}
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/ci_dpm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/ci_dpm.c
index 3cce533397c6583e345bd27cc79bd6b725926097..8996274430303ab3c2137b080381df612f3f181b 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/ci_dpm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/ci_dpm.c
@@ -4748,12 +4748,6 @@ int ci_dpm_set_power_state(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 	if (pi->pcie_performance_request)
 		ci_notify_link_speed_change_after_state_change(rdev, new_ps, old_ps);
 
-	ret = ci_dpm_force_performance_level(rdev, RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO);
-	if (ret) {
-		DRM_ERROR("ci_dpm_force_performance_level failed\n");
-		return ret;
-	}
-
 	cik_update_cg(rdev, (RADEON_CG_BLOCK_GFX |
 			     RADEON_CG_BLOCK_MC |
 			     RADEON_CG_BLOCK_SDMA |
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/cypress_dpm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/cypress_dpm.c
index 95a66db08d9bedabe1b9564fe53939acc7ecca43..91bb470de0a39e4db9713cb58b356a9b6ccbac86 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/cypress_dpm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/cypress_dpm.c
@@ -2014,12 +2014,6 @@ int cypress_dpm_set_power_state(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 	if (eg_pi->pcie_performance_request)
 		cypress_notify_link_speed_change_after_state_change(rdev, new_ps, old_ps);
 
-	ret = rv770_dpm_force_performance_level(rdev, RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO);
-	if (ret) {
-		DRM_ERROR("rv770_dpm_force_performance_level failed\n");
-		return ret;
-	}
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/kv_dpm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/kv_dpm.c
index b98b9c97b73276236ef0016f25b30594a115b0f4..71399065db04d309104b98ede05b69226ad3b271 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/kv_dpm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/kv_dpm.c
@@ -1854,7 +1854,6 @@ int kv_dpm_set_power_state(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 			     RADEON_CG_BLOCK_BIF |
 			     RADEON_CG_BLOCK_HDP), true);
 
-	rdev->pm.dpm.forced_level = RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO;
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/ni_dpm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/ni_dpm.c
index f7b625c9e0e9cfa355ad27b0f1f2952bc9de8427..6c398a456d78b53668a73dbc82f369157c918647 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/ni_dpm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/ni_dpm.c
@@ -3865,12 +3865,6 @@ int ni_dpm_set_power_state(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 		return ret;
 	}
 
-	ret = ni_dpm_force_performance_level(rdev, RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO);
-	if (ret) {
-		DRM_ERROR("ni_dpm_force_performance_level failed\n");
-		return ret;
-	}
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/radeon_pm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/radeon_pm.c
index d41ac8a4224da3461d946e8533a3a6f27d8b2dbe..87e1d69e8fdb3b859af4ed3d809ea93db40f2c07 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/radeon_pm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/radeon_pm.c
@@ -917,10 +917,13 @@ static void radeon_dpm_change_power_state_locked(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 
 	radeon_dpm_post_set_power_state(rdev);
 
-	/* force low perf level for thermal */
-	if (rdev->pm.dpm.thermal_active &&
-	    rdev->asic->dpm.force_performance_level) {
-		radeon_dpm_force_performance_level(rdev, RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_LOW);
+	if (rdev->asic->dpm.force_performance_level) {
+		if (rdev->pm.dpm.thermal_active)
+			/* force low perf level for thermal */
+			radeon_dpm_force_performance_level(rdev, RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_LOW);
+		else
+			/* otherwise, enable auto */
+			radeon_dpm_force_performance_level(rdev, RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO);
 	}
 
 done:
@@ -1149,9 +1152,10 @@ static int radeon_pm_init_dpm(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 {
 	int ret;
 
-	/* default to performance state */
+	/* default to balanced state */
 	rdev->pm.dpm.state = POWER_STATE_TYPE_BALANCED;
 	rdev->pm.dpm.user_state = POWER_STATE_TYPE_BALANCED;
+	rdev->pm.dpm.forced_level = RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO;
 	rdev->pm.default_sclk = rdev->clock.default_sclk;
 	rdev->pm.default_mclk = rdev->clock.default_mclk;
 	rdev->pm.current_sclk = rdev->clock.default_sclk;
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/rv6xx_dpm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/rv6xx_dpm.c
index ab1f2016f21e44461e42892440df17b695b17f09..5811d277a36a60ec845cbcadf9588326a01a488b 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/rv6xx_dpm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/rv6xx_dpm.c
@@ -1758,8 +1758,6 @@ int rv6xx_dpm_set_power_state(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 
 	rv6xx_set_uvd_clock_after_set_eng_clock(rdev, new_ps, old_ps);
 
-	rdev->pm.dpm.forced_level = RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO;
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/rv770_dpm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/rv770_dpm.c
index 7282ce7dab7693addbec923465d4473e79aab2a0..913b025ae9b399695bed47af97cccf08fe68caf7 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/rv770_dpm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/rv770_dpm.c
@@ -2064,12 +2064,6 @@ int rv770_dpm_set_power_state(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 		rv770_program_dcodt_after_state_switch(rdev, new_ps, old_ps);
 	rv770_set_uvd_clock_after_set_eng_clock(rdev, new_ps, old_ps);
 
-	ret = rv770_dpm_force_performance_level(rdev, RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO);
-	if (ret) {
-		DRM_ERROR("rv770_dpm_force_performance_level failed\n");
-		return ret;
-	}
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/si_dpm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/si_dpm.c
index 5be9b4e723507ea1992df820b96aef9fec8de5b9..cfe5d4d289159c832d71375e6eca8090adab7c3f 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/si_dpm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/si_dpm.c
@@ -6075,12 +6075,6 @@ int si_dpm_set_power_state(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 		return ret;
 	}
 
-	ret = si_dpm_force_performance_level(rdev, RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO);
-	if (ret) {
-		DRM_ERROR("si_dpm_force_performance_level failed\n");
-		return ret;
-	}
-
 	si_update_cg(rdev, (RADEON_CG_BLOCK_GFX |
 			    RADEON_CG_BLOCK_MC |
 			    RADEON_CG_BLOCK_SDMA |
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/sumo_dpm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/sumo_dpm.c
index 864761c0120ecfaa5239d31fd9b06b278ad7d76c..96ea6db8bf575e7a45f6af501e26120f7e996a9a 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/sumo_dpm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/sumo_dpm.c
@@ -1319,8 +1319,6 @@ int sumo_dpm_set_power_state(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 	if (pi->enable_dpm)
 		sumo_set_uvd_clock_after_set_eng_clock(rdev, new_ps, old_ps);
 
-	rdev->pm.dpm.forced_level = RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO;
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/trinity_dpm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/trinity_dpm.c
index 4beb9992294a0e2f80e9e7dae154bc05d14bb378..7f998bf1cc9dd796b412dae45184dc5f1c76f184 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/trinity_dpm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/radeon/trinity_dpm.c
@@ -1236,7 +1236,6 @@ int trinity_dpm_set_power_state(struct radeon_device *rdev)
 		trinity_force_level_0(rdev);
 		trinity_unforce_levels(rdev);
 		trinity_set_uvd_clock_after_set_eng_clock(rdev, new_ps, old_ps);
-		rdev->pm.dpm.forced_level = RADEON_DPM_FORCED_LEVEL_AUTO;
 	}
 	trinity_release_mutex(rdev);