Do you use Linux?

[bug]

Thing is rust desk is open source. Problem is that pop OS is missing dependencies that the program requires so it can't install. For life of me I can't get the nightly build to install that removes the requirements of pulseaudio.

I'm still learning terminal as it's been so long, years of alcohol abuse and age creeping up that my brain doesn't quite work as well it used to.

Usually there's a PPA that provides more up-to-date versions of the official packages.
But if you're talking nightly builds. PopOs (or Ubuntu, or Debian) are not really meant for that.

 

[Wirko]

I'm still learning terminal as it's been so long, years of alcohol abuse and age creeping up that my brain doesn't quite work as well it used to.

If there ever was a way to make synapses in brain multiply, regular use of the command line sure is one!

 

[SomeOne99h]

Have you tried Flatseal for typical flatpacks? Also, yea I almost always install the DNF unless I am paranoid about security.

Just heard about it from https://www.gamingonlinux.com/
I will install it if I go flatpacks for other apps but not for gaming stuff.

 

[Easy Rhino]

Just heard about it from https://www.gamingonlinux.com/
I will install it if I go flatpacks for other apps but not for gaming stuff.

Yea, I still use the native Steam install on Fedora. I need that sweet xbox controller integration.

 

[sepheronx]

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
I'm using linux less and less only reason I still have a couple ssd's with it is I don't have anything else to put on a couple 500gb 850 & 860 evo's so wake me up if anything exciting happens on linux because it's just boring atm
Changed vote.

 

[SomeOne99h]

Yea, I still use the native Steam install on Fedora. I need that sweet xbox controller integration.

Good to know!
I use Nobara Project Linux. The modified version of Fedora.

Nobara Linux | The Nobara Project

nobaraproject.org

 

[LabRat 891]

Linux occupies 2 places in my daily life.
my DD smartphone
GrapheneOS (Android 13) on my Pixel 4a
and
my bedroomPC
SteamOS 3.4.5 on my Steamdeck 32GB (1TB WD Black, upgraded)

 

[tpa-pr]

I used to be a full time Linux user for about 4-5 years before I returned to Windows for multiple reasons. But even if it's not my daily driver I still use it a lot:
- My media server (a decommissioned HP Microserver from work) runs Arch Linux and has done so for nearly 5 years.
- I have WSL2 on all computers and use it regularly.
- I use live distros (mostly Fedora) for diagnostics and data recovery at work.

And I'm hoping to get a Steam Deck when they finally appear in my country.

My distro of choice is Fedora (used to be Arch) and my desktop environment of choice is KDE Plasma.

 

[unwind-protect]

Linux as a secondary. Primary is FreeBSD. Laptop is a Macbook.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Well since my OG post, I've moved fully into Linux on skunkworks. EAC Linux support has been widely implemented so I can play halo with the guys now.

Had to move my gaming rig to openSUSE though, mint's outdated MESA version was getting so bad even third party PPAs couldn't get me fully updated, and bugs were crawling in. I quite like plasma UI .

Only the razer blade stealth remains windows, for now.

Really? XBMC? Or something else?(No offense was intended here, only curious.)

Wow it really has been a year since this was posted.

It runs mint. But see, my idea of a "media pc" is rather arcane. It still uses a kb+m and still uses a normal desktop UI, like hooking up your PC in ye olden days. I steam stuff through a browser just like you would your desktop, accessing all local media on my NAS with the basic file manager.

I never got into the dedicated media player space. IDK why, just always preferred doing things the old fashioned way.

Linux as a secondary. Primary is FreeBSD. Laptop is a Macbook.

I really like the idea of current MacBooks, if only apple supported Vulcan.

 

[bug]

Well since my OG post, I've moved fully into Linux on skunkworks. EAC Linux support has been widely implemented so I can play halo with the guys now.

Had to move my gaming rig to openSUSE though, mint's outdated MESA version was getting so bad even third party PPAs couldn't get me fully updated, and bugs were crawling in. I quite like plasma UI .

I hope I went OpenSUSE Tumbleweed if you want the latest and greatest. That thing is rock-solid.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

I hope I went OpenSUSE Tumbleweed if you want the latest and greatest. That thing is rock-solid.

Yes I went tumbleweed. Running games on proton needs updated MESA, and mint just doesnt cut it anymore.

 

[bug]

Yes I went tumbleweed. Running games on proton needs updated MESA, and mint just doesnt cut it anymore.

Same reason I left Ubuntu (and friends), tired of juggling all those PPAs.

 

[faye]

I'm considering trying out Linux dual boot on my main PC, as apparently the overhead on the AMD Windows GPU driver is so crazy you can see 20-30% better performance from the 7900 XTX under Linux with the same settings in some titles, Cyberpunk in particular. I wouldn't believe it if someone hadn't posted videos, but part of me still thinks it's faked somehow.

 

[bug]

I'm considering trying out Linux dual boot on my main PC, as apparently the overhead on the AMD Windows GPU driver is so crazy you can see 20-30% better performance from the 7900 XTX under Linux with the same settings in some titles, Cyberpunk in particular. I wouldn't believe it if someone hadn't posted videos, but part of me still thinks it's faked somehow.

Check out phoronix.com. That website lives on Linux benchmarks, anything you see over there, you'll know it's legit.
Word of caution, though, the most friendly distros coming from Windows would be Ubuntu or Mint, but those are also the ones carrying the oldest set of drivers by default. Do a little research first, see what fits you best (easy to do, since all distros offer ISOs you can try without installing anything).

 

[unwind-protect]

I'm considering trying out Linux dual boot on my main PC, as apparently the overhead on the AMD Windows GPU driver is so crazy you can see 20-30% better performance from the 7900 XTX under Linux with the same settings in some titles, Cyberpunk in particular. I wouldn't believe it if someone hadn't posted videos, but part of me still thinks it's faked somehow.

There are two AMD graphics drivers for Linux, though. An open source one in the kernel and in mesa, and a binary distribution by AMD which should behave like the Windows driver.

I could imagine that you get better performance because of missing features, so I'd watch out for that, too.

 

[Space Lynx]

I'm considering trying out Linux dual boot on my main PC, as apparently the overhead on the AMD Windows GPU driver is so crazy you can see 20-30% better performance from the 7900 XTX under Linux with the same settings in some titles, Cyberpunk in particular. I wouldn't believe it if someone hadn't posted videos, but part of me still thinks it's faked somehow.

does it have to be a specific Linux OS vendor to get those performance gains? I watched those videos too, but I don't remember what Linux OS they were actually using, I think it was Fedora, which was strange to see, because its usually some form of Ubuntu that most gamers use (but then again Arch Linux is where SteamOS shines)... so I don't know what the heck to try out. this is what we need more reviews on, @W1zzard maybe you could hire a Linux expert to test performance of various AMD gpu's and compare the fps to other Linux OS's and Windows 10 and 11 too, that way as the end user we know if its beneficial across a certain compilation of games to use a certain OS over another OS, too much work for you since your plate is already full, but just an idea for you in the future if you find a Linux expert, I don't know

Spoiler: shrug

 

[bug]

does it have to be a specific Linux OS vendor to get those performance gains? I watched those videos too, but I don't remember what Linux OS they were actually using, I think it was Fedora, which was strange to see, because its usually some form of Ubuntu that most gamers use (but then again Arch Linux is where SteamOS shines)... so I don't know what the heck to try out. this is what we need more reviews on, @W1zzard maybe you could hire a Linux expert to test performance of various AMD gpu's and compare the fps to other Linux OS's and Windows 10 and 11 too, that way as the end user we know if its beneficial across a certain compilation of games to use a certain OS over another OS, too much work for you since your plate is already full, but just an idea for you in the future if you find a Linux expert, I don't know

Spoiler: shrug

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm advertising or anything, but phoronix.com has been doing that for years, including comparing to Windows.
You can even throw some $$$ their way if you want something specific bechmarked and Michael will make it happen.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Check out phoronix.com. That website lives on Linux benchmarks, anything you see over there, you'll know it's legit.

This!

 

[SchumannFrequency]

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm advertising or anything, but phoronix.com has been doing that for years, including comparing to Windows.
You can even throw some $$$ their way if you want something specific bechmarked and Michael will make it happen.

It is not always easy to correctly compare the performance of different operating systems.

Some systems perform better on old hardware and others perform better on new hardware. Michael often tests only on the latest hardware which does not give an accurate picture for when you are using a 7 year old desktop system (or older hardware).

There are certain popular technologies that he tests very little such as JavaScript, mongoDB, Bash versus Dash/KornShell/ash

And he also regularly makes mistakes in his tests such as in his Zstd comparisons when he compares it to non-Linux systems. Many members have reported that those were incorrect.

Furthermore, it must also be said that he never or very rarely tests many operating systems that often perform faster than Ubuntu/Arch/openSUSE/Debian.

Which all makes sense because you can't do all those things correctly and frequently with limited resources.

 

[lexluthermiester]

It is not always easy to correctly compare the performance of different operating systems.

Game framerates are very easy to compare. If one OS offers a better framerate performance and that is what is most important to the user, that is the defining metric.

 

[SchumannFrequency]

Game framerates are very easy to compare. If one OS offers a better framerate performance and that is what is most important to the user, that is the defining metric.

Even there you can easily make incorrect comparisons.

With Ubuntu, do you take the standard Mesa version or a PPA?
If you take the same desktop environment with all the operating systems, do they have the same version and xorg or Wayland?

 

[lexluthermiester]

With Ubuntu, do you take the standard Mesa version or a PPA?

I use Mint with NVidia's official drivers. Comparing framerates between systems is always very easy.

If you take the same desktop environment with all the operating systems, do they have the same version and xorg or Wayland?

That is where you're over complicating it. The best way to compare is to find the distro/config you like best and see how it performs to an optimized Windows build. If you find a config you like and it performs better, that's your platform.

Keep in mind, in-depth Linux tinkering is not for the faint of heart. General Windows users will not know the nitty-gritty of Linux. So referring them to a Linux distro that need heavy tweaking will end in frustration for many. We Linux users need to lean beginners toward easier distro's and help them ease into the learning curve.

Tumbleweed is certainly very powerful, but it is not for beginners.

That said, it does seem like Linux runs some AAA titles better than on Windows, especially for Radeon cards. Geforce is a bit of a mixed bag. For CyberPunk2077, Linux is the ticket for Radeon cards, regardless of distro. Geforce will depend on the GPU gen, the distro, whether or not one uses NVidia drivers and a few other things, but in general seems to be sixes.

This is just what I've learned recently.

 

[SchumannFrequency]

I use Mint with NVidia's official drivers. Comparing framerates between systems is always very easy.

I have come to surprising conclusions when comparing on FreeBSD and Nvidia the performance of MATE + compositing versus compton + bspwm.

bspwm was twice as fast in some synthetic benchmarks. And in real games there were often significant differences as well. This is already a problem, is Cinnamon optimized equally well on all systems, and with compositing enabled does it give as good performance as bspwm?

Performance is often not really compared by Linux users although in reality there can be fairly significant differences when comparing compositors and desktop environments.

I can't immediately find a comparison of Cinnamon + muffin with bspwm + compton/picom, and I wouldn't trust that Cinnamon is always exactly the same speed.