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What's the best Linux alternative to Windows for gaming (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago by crisisingot@beehaw.org to c/operating_systems@beehaw.org

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I use Windows for my desktop PC but I'm also a fan of Linux for work and programming.

I'm not really liking the direction windows is taking so it would be nice to explore some other alternatives. I mostly use my desktop for gaming, so I'm interested in how people are gaming on Linux

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[–] tango_octogono@beehaw.org 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It kind of doesn’t matter which distro you use. They should all work similarly with gaming, there’s no distro with some magic formula that makes it more compatible or with better performance than the alternatives. So pick one that strikes your fancy.

If you’re new, it’s probably better to stick with well known distros. I recommend Mint and Pop OS. Both are based on Ubuntu, so every time you run into an issue or have a questions, you can google solutions for Ubuntu which will also work on Mint/Pop OS. But both also have big communities, so you’ll always have help.

Word of advice that Nvidia and Linux don’t really work that well together. Some games will have issues. AMD GPUs work just fine though.

[–] flakusha@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I want to share though. AMD RX 7xxx do not have overclocking options along with fan controls. I track news since January and they probably won't have this stuff implemented till the end of the year or even later. Other generations are pretty flawless.

Overclocking on Linux for this generation is "deprecated" and no new mechanisms are introduced yet, so better avoid this generation at least for now. You will be able to only control power limit for now.

Edit: Regarding CPUs - all the required patches are merged and there is only work on further optimization at the moment.

[–] crisisingot@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah I have a lot of experience with Ubuntu but I was wondering if there were any more optimal distros for gaming.

But I'm glad you mentioned Nvidia cause I have an Nvidia graphics card so that might be an issue for me

[–] tango_octogono@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, if you're up for it then try anyway. I tried to use Pop OS in my gaming machine for some months, then Endeavour OS, despite also having an Nvidia GPU. It was a cool experience, but the small issues I faced started to pile up. The last straw was when I was going to play in a lan party and Company of Heroes just wouldn't start.

I came back to Windows and honestly... It's better for gaming. Things just work. Doesn't matter if it's niche or AAA or has some anti cheat software, it will work. Regardless of your GPU, or updates, etc. No need to check protondb, troubleshoot, waste hours to make a niche game work (Dragon Commander from GOG... I just gave up and bought it again on Steam to be able to play for example), etc etc

But I'm really happy to see how far Linux has come, and hopefully someday it will be as seamless as Windows. My Steam Deck works really well and it's only going to get better, but we're not there yet.

[–] Sinfaen@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

I think I'll keep at least one windows boot available for me to run specific games or software as not everything runs well on Linux yet. I'm excited to see how much better support on the steam deck gets soon