Linux vs Windows, my experience
Linux vs Windows, my experience
Hi all, I bought a gaming PC with the intention of installing Linux to play recent games. I chose AMD for the GPU because I know the drivers are more optimized on Linux.
After receiving and assembling my machine, I installed Fedora without any problem. I found a lot of software on Github to replace the proprietary software for my AIO and headphones. Everything worked the first time except.... Steam! Unable to launch it, black window which restarted in a loop.
After searching on the internet, I found that it was enough to modify PrefersNonDefaultGPU on steam to solve my problem (but I understand that ordinary people do not want to bother with this kind of hack and prefer the windows experience that works out of the box).
Then I installed Cyberpunk and.... well the game runs at 120fps in ultra, what more can I say... Oh yes, the keyboard preset is in Qwerty even though I have an azerty keyboard (sorry Baguette) and in the first hour of play, I was able to notice a bug in a rather disturbing shadow/light and in the drops of water on a windshield which appeared and disappeared in a strange way.
So with my €1500 machine I got a little upset... and I wanted to install Windows out of curiosity.
Installation is...complicated! No driver for my network card, a ton of software that I don't need, in short, Windows...
I installed steam, launched Cyberpunk and... my keyboard is recognized, 120 fps too (I am offered raytracing which does not interest me and makes me lose fps but it is available) and in the first hour of play NONE bug.
So here I am, I hate Windows, but it runs my games better than Linux and I'm really lost. I've just discovered Nobara, I would have loved to try it but I'm tired of starting the first 3 hours of cyberpunk again and I'm convinced that I'll have some graphical bugs with it.
(also another problem, there are too many Linux distributions, too much choice kills choice)
TDLD: I bought an expensive computer to play under Linux, but a few bugs made me reluctantly install Windows.
The Windows experience was worse, but at least your raindrops were rendered correctly.
It feels like you used a detail that you could not resolve to go back to the cozy arms of what you are familiar with.
And that's OK. I also went back to Windows a few times until I felt at home in Linux.
Try it again sometime in the future and see if it fells more comfortable.
35Sounds like his Linux experience was worse?
-3OP only has to force the dGPU to be used, and that's it for Linux. For the azerty issue, the solution is usually to install qwerty as keyboard 1 and azerty as keyboard 2 and always use keyboard 2. I do that with Dvorak and most games work without needing remaps (though I'll occasionally need to fiddle).
On Windows, OP needed to install drivers, which can be a massive pain, esp for Wi-Fi drivers. Also, most software needs to be installed individually, which can take a while vs Linux's package manager. For me, a typical install of Linux takes about 30-45 min from installation media to having all my software installed, whereas on Windows it's like 1-2 hours because I have to go track down every installer I need, find drivers, disable a bunch of privacy-violating stuff, etc.
So the net result was:
- azerty issue - easy fix
- rendering issue - imo, sounds minor, and it's probably just that game; maybe fixable by tweaking in game settings
Not bad for running a Windows game on a completely different platform.
8
Linux isn't for everyone, but jumping in on fedora might not have been the best choice. Give Pop! OS a shot. It's a more balanced experience.
30Fedora is pretty straight forward as an os for newbies, main benefit that popos has is installing Nvidia drivers
21Yup. The only issues I had going from Ubuntu to Fedora was finding drivers, and that was solved with a few minutes of searching online.
I don't use either anymore and getting NVIDIA setup hasn't been an issue. I used Arch for a few years (just install a couple packages and reboot), and I use OpenSUSE now (just install a couple packages and reboot). It's not a difficult problem to solve.
Maybe Pop!_OS would've solved the graphics switching issue and azerty keyboard thing (probably not), but the rendering thing would very likely be the same as on Fedora since it's likely related to GPU drivers and Proton, which the distro has no control over.
4
Any KDE environment is much easier to get into for Windows users than those Gnome / Apple type of desktop environments.
9Yes, do as I say! :P
5
Windows also doesn’t work out of the box like you demonstrated in your post, people are just familiar with how to get it working. Like, Linux isn’t more complicated than Windows, it’s just both complicated and unfamiliar to a lot of people.
28Yup. Imo, Linux has a better OOTB experience than Windows since most drivers are already part of the kernel (esp if you buy an AMD GPU). If you only need basic software (web browser, office suite, etc), you'll be good with any major Linux distro after a default install.
The complexity of Linux only really comes into play if you run into issues, like some hardware isn't properly recognized/supported (frequent on cheap laptops, esp WiFi and sound), or you need specific Windows software.
That said, if you know both systems well, I think Linux is easier. It's usually just tweaking a config file or setting up a third party repo and installing a propriety driver. And that can be nearly completely avoided by being careful when buying hardware, and knowing what to avoid takes some experience.
12
Dunno bro everything works for me on mint. I also have higher frame rates and better stability. Getting Stable Diffusion working on my AMD card is probably the hardest thing i have had to do. Even that is three lines in the terminal now. You may need to dick around with proton settings and read the forums to find what Cyberpunk runs on best if you want to deal with the bug.
20There's also Ameliorated which helps debloat hour Windows and 9/10 times get a better experience using it. There's different playbooks which help optimise to the experience you like (eg. gaming). Could give it a try :)
13Is this a good route to improve privacy in Windows
2It's not 100% private because Windows, but it certainly improves it a LOT. But do mind that it comes with a security vulnerability as Windows defender is also removed and you're left on your own. So no shady downloads, unknown pdfs, or whatever harmful there may be. 3rd party 'anti-virus' software is also explained on their FAQ page, which you should check out before continuing :)
1
You can always dual boot, Linux for working is amazing. And your can also install a VM but I haven't tried it for gaming
12I don't work with this computer, my company provides us one. But thanks for the idea!
4
software for my AIO and headphones
wtf kind of headphones require extra software?
Everything worked the first time except… Steam! Unable to launch it, black window which restarted in a loop.
What package exactly did you install and from which source?
the keyboard preset is in Qwerty even though I have an azerty keyboard
If you set the layout correctly during installation of the system / in your system settings then that's not really Linux fault.
I was able to notice a bug in a rather disturbing shadow/light and in the drops of water on a windshield which appeared and disappeared in a strange way.
Very well explained.
So here I am, I hate Windows, but it runs my games better than Linux and I’m really lost. I’ve just discovered Nobara, I would have loved to try it but I’m tired of starting the first 3 hours of cyberpunk again and I’m convinced that I’ll have some graphical bugs with it.
Why restart? Back up your home folder to a different drive, install the OS and copypasta the home folder back into the new system. This is literally easier than under Windows because everything non system related is in the home folder. Games, save & config files, everything.
9it runs my games better than Linux and I’m really lost.
You already answered your own question/experience -- do some "duckduckgoing" (even if it means falling back to the basics once again, "How to run a windows game on linux") and then come back here. Because yes, GNU/Linux is 100% viable for gaming and can even run games better than on Winblows -- if you know how to setup things properly.
A word of advice however, Linux tend to be a bit "sensitive" regarding some system elements/packages -- you've got to provide all possible info to everything -- theres no "ready out of the box" in these lands.
6"duckduckgoing"
I prefer "quacking". ;)
can even run games better than on Winblows
Some games, others run worse. It's usually within 10% either way, which isn't something I'd personally pick an OS over. You can probably tune things to eek out an extra percent or two, but imo that's not worth it unless you're really into that kind of thing.
theres no "ready out of the box" in these lands
That's just not true. Most of the time, Linux works great out of the box, but there are some common areas where that's not the case:
- laptops with dGPUs - Linux just doesn't handle graphics switching as well as Windows, but the solution is easy as OP found out
- crappy WiFi cards - just buy Intel NICs
- crappy sound cards - less of a problem these days, but sound can still be a massive pain
And that's pretty much it. If you buy quality hardware, your OOTB experience is probably going to be great! If you buy an AMD GPU, it'll be even better since you don't even need to install graphics drivers! I had zero issues on my desktop switching between distros (everything just works), and my only issue with my laptop was using very recent hardware, which was fixed with kernel updates (there was a known bug with sound over HDMI on my AMD laptop).
Imo, Linux is much more likely to "just work" than Windows, assuming you're installing the OS yourself. Every time I've installed Windows, I've had to track down a bunch of drivers, downloading Wi-Fi drivers on my Linux computer and installing them with a USB stick. That sucks.
5I prefer "quacking". ;)
I like that, I'll have to remember to use it sometime!
2
I ran arch for years then Manjaro. I had zero issues running doom eternal except if I switched workspaces then back. I'd have to kill -9 the app and relaunch. Was enough to make me dual boot to beat that game. I've been running Manjaro since, because I don't have the time like I used to to fuck around with settings. I still prefer Linux overall as my daily drive though. It's not a slow, buggy, ad ridden pile of shit. Imo windows is so buggy and slow since like 8 or 10
5Do you use workspaces on Windows?
Tbh I didn't know that's a thing
1
I do doubt Windows didn't work out of the box, as with the thousands of installations I've done, I have had ZERO issues since Win7. Very few to none in Vista. The issues were prevalent in XP and before but that was the before times when the similar Linux issues were 10000x worse.
The only gripe I have is moving people to online accounts. Just run the oobe command from the installer to limit network requirements and voila, local accounts created.
All that extra bloat can be removed but who cares. The stuff that sits there barely affects anything, like you saw the frame rate is the same.
If Windows works for you, as it does for 90% of consumers, then use it. If you want to tinker forever with Linux, then do so. Some find that fun. I've moved into the "my OS is an appliance" phase of life.
4If you need any help in french even through vocal, PM me
4Merci beaucoup !
2Avec plaisir :)
1
Maybe try another distro:
2Permanently Deleted
2Could you explain why?
2Permanently Deleted
3
I chose a distro with Steam preinstalled, it was ualinux (not maintained any more so i'm not recommending it). If your primary use case is games I recommend a gaming specific distro, everything works out of the box.
Also, how do the French people walk in games? ZSAD?
1French keyboard is called "azerty"
So they would move with
Z Q S DNot to be confused with the Belgium azerty which is 90% similar. But different enough to be annoying if you're used to one or the other.
3
I decided to install LM Cinnamon as the main OS on my new PC, and I can't get GOG Cyberpunk to work for the life of me - tried Lutris where it doesn't launch at all, and Heroic where it launches but has no sound. I'm ready to give up and go back to Windows at this point.
1Use proton and/or a distro actually meant for gaming (Linux mint is simplified, more for beginners imo and not one I'd personally recommend). Try Pop!, Manjaro or Garuda.
2As someone contemplating a move, posts like this and many others make me nervous. I have used mint a few weeks for just documents and browsing and had planned it for my main PC. Now you say it isn't meant for gaming?
Sometimes reading about Linux is a mix of you can do anything with anything but shouldn't do anything with somethings.
2
Affinity Photo and Capture One are the only things keeping me from migrating. Yes, I tried your GIMP and RAWTherapy. They’re horrendous.
-1The closest Ive come is DarkTable for C1 alternative but its still not as quick for my own workflow. It is way better than RAWTherapy though in my opinion and I can achieve equally good output with it, just much more slowly than C1 or Lightroom Classic. Worth a shot if you haven’t tried it yet.
2If affinity launched Linux versions of their software I don't think I'd ever need to log into windows again.
Publisher is brilliant and there's an absolute lack of good typesetting software on Linux. I can't do my job on it.
1I have a windows VM for when I need affinity products. It works well. I barely use it but it is there if I need to.
1
This is what you get for using fedora in 2023. I have no issues with garuda, lutris and proton: it's been at least a month since I've tried to play a game and failed. Which is alright imo- I don't wanna play any given game if it doesn't support Linux EAC in the first place
-1Reading your post I'd say you should've installed Ubuntu. Don't know why you chose Fedora over anything else if you don't know what you were doing. The problems you faced were all likely already fixed in Ubuntu long ago.
-5I don't see how anything here depends on the distro, could you be more specific? Here's what I see:
- azerty issue - I have the same with Dvorak, and having qwerty as the first keyboard in my DE and as my system keyboard and using Dvorak as my active keyboard usually works well; but this issue isn't unique to Linux, non-qwerty keyboard users are second class citizens most of the time
- rendering issue in game - related to drivers and Proton version, neither of which differ by distro
It's possible the azerty issue works better in Ubuntu (not sure how), but the second is due to property software that Ubuntu does not have control over (NVIDIA drivers most likely), as well as the Proton version which is shipped by Valve (again, Ubuntu has no control here).
So unless you know something I don't, I don't see how choice of distro is relevant here. I've had the keyboard issue on every distro I've used: Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Debian, and OpenSUSE (both Leap and Tumbleweed). It's just a quirk of how Linux DEs handle keyboards.
3