Hi! I’m getting a new laptop any day now and I plan on going back to Linux after maybe a decade on Windows. What works best for gaming nowadays? Is manjaro good for that? I prefer a distro with a nice name but of course that’s not the central thing. I’ll also do some book keeping, writing et cetera but I don’t think it’s much to worry about. I also hope to use my Valve Index on it.
- SpicySquid ( @SpicySquid@lemmy.ml ) English15•1 month ago
I think any distro will do really. I’d go for something that is friendly to new users, if you’re not very familiar with Linux in general. For example: Linux Mint. Here is an example on how you can get your installation setup easily: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyT4wfz5ZMg
Regarding your Valve Index. It will likely work, but don’t expect it to be very easy to get it running well. I’m currently on Arch Linux with red team hardware and a Valve Index. For example, you will need to ensure the udev rules are set properly: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-devices. New issues occasionally arise, see: https://github.com/ValveSoftware/SteamVR-for-Linux/issues. Currently, it’s not switching audio devices automatically, so I use pavucontrol (with PipeWire) to switch that manually.
- gh0stcassette ( @gh0stcassette@lemmy.blahaj.zone ) 1•1 month ago
Doesn’t Mint hold back kernel updates to major version upgrades like Ubuntu though? That could be problematic if they have newer hardware that’s better supported (or only supported at all) in newer kernel releases.
- imecth ( @imecth@fedia.io ) 0•1 month ago
They do. Linux mint is great for office work and opening firefox. If you want a gaming distro i’d use something closer to the edge like fedora / endeavour os.
- syaochan ( @syaochan@mastodon.online ) 0•1 month ago
@gh0stcassette you can install HWE kernels like in Ubuntu, from Update Manager
- gh0stcassette ( @gh0stcassette@lemmy.blahaj.zone ) 1•1 month ago
Fair, haven’t use Ubuntu or any of it’s derivatives in years
- boredsquirrel ( @boredsquirrel@slrpnk.net ) 7•1 month ago
Ublue Bazzite.
- Chris Titus showcase video
- Chris Titus, usage on main PC
- Chris Titus Livestream
- Interview with Jorge Castro
- Review specific for SteamDeck
- a ton more videos but I dont know the quality
Bazzite is fundamentally different as it is based on Fedora Atomic Desktops. This is huge.
The OS is worlds more stable and reliable.
They use Fedoras base and add all the gaming stuff to it, to work out of the box.
I use Aurora, coming from Fedora Kinoite (KDE Atomic) and then uBlue Kinoite.
Thank you!
- Tyoda ( @Tyoda@lemm.ee ) 6•1 month ago
I prefer a distro with a nice name
That’s honestly a really good distro picking strategy for someone just moving to Linux.
- potpie ( @potpie@beehaw.org ) 5•1 month ago
Unless you think “from scratch” sounds nice.
Credit where credit is due. I was taught the strategy by Amelia Andersdotter, back then running for the European Parliament (then member of parliament).
- swab148 ( @swab148@startrek.website ) 5•1 month ago
Bazzite, it’s an immutable Fedora-based distro, so in the unlikely event that it breaks, you can just revert back to whatever you had before.
Nobara is similar, Fedora-based but not immutable, which means you can tinker with it, but possibly also break it. Made by Glorious Eggroll, the guy behind the GE versions of proton and wine.
Mint is a more general-purpose distro, based on Ubuntu (which itself is based on Debian), but it’s very user-friendly and does just fine with games.
Manjaro is fine, it’s the one I put on my mom’s computer because she needed a Windows program that I found in the AUR. It was pretty decent for the four games that she plays lol (The Sims 4, AoE2, Neverwinter Nights, and Prince of Qin). It’s Arch-based, but not bleeding-edge like Arch, so it’s ostensibly more stable.
As far as the Index goes, idk about that, as I don’t own one. However, I just DDG’d “valve index on linux”, and quite a few guides came up, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get it going. Plus Valve is a pretty Linux-friendly company,
Thank you!
- gh0stcassette ( @gh0stcassette@lemmy.blahaj.zone ) 5•1 month ago
Anything with a recent kernel is fine. If you’re not very experienced, I’d recommend something like Fedora or OpenSUSE (both semi-rolling releases so you’ll get new kernels, graphics drivers, etc. but less likely to break for no reason than arch/gentoo derivatives).
Manjaro is fine if you don’t use the AUR, but arch/manjaro repositories on their own will be inadequate, and it will be so easy to get what’s missing from the AUR, which will eventually break something. This is because Manjaro holds back arch Linux updates for a week or two for “testing” purposes, but the AUR expects precisely the latest arch packages. If you’re thinking about Manjaro, do EndeavorOS instead. It’s the same thing (arch Linux with a more user friendly installer and relatively sane default apps/configs) with infinitely less hassle. Plus there’s really no point to using an arch-based distro without the AUR imo.
Garuda is also cool, I haven’t used it myself, but it’s supposed to be another preconfigured version of Arch more targeted towards gamers. YMMV, I’d probably just stick with EndeavorOS.
If you want an Ubuntu or Debian derivative, I’d go with Pop!OS. It’s basically Ubuntu without all the Ubuntu bullshit (snaps ludicrously out of date packages, etc), and they keep the kernel and video drivers pretty recent, unlike stock Ubuntu. Plus they have a cool desktop environment. Currently it’s a fork of GNOME, but they’re working on rewriting it from scratch and are making great progress, which will be interesting once it’s more developed.
- LeFantome ( @LeFantome@programming.dev ) 2•1 month ago
I feel like I wrote this ( although while I did find Garuda “cool”, it was not really for me ). I agree with everything else.
Thank you!
- narc0tic_bird ( @narc0tic_bird@lemm.ee ) 3•1 month ago
Something with (close to) up-to-date kernels, like Fedora or openSUSE Tumbleweed.
Thank you!
- Kory ( @Kory@lemmy.ml ) 3•1 month ago
The usual suspects are Bazzite, Garuda, Nobara. But you can game on every distro. To give proper advice, some info on your hardware would be needed.
Thank you! It’s this one, I have a good local sale on it https://www.acer.com/se-sv/predator/laptops/helios/helios-neo-16/pdp/NH.QLVED.009
- Kory ( @Kory@lemmy.ml ) 1•1 month ago
One important part for gaming is the graphics card - I cannot comment on that particular one, but I would recommend searching it like “nvidia rtx 4070 + linux” so you can find advice and recommendations. You could also hop over to https://www.protondb.com/, select that card and see what most people are running. Or there is this https://linux-hardware.org/ page, where you find lots of info about whats being recommended.
Nvidia used to be problematic with Linux, but I also have an older Nvidia card and haven’t run into any problems (yet). Also there’s lots of new development in that area, I’m sure it’s gonna be ok. Also some distros offer preinstalled Nvidia drivers that you simply select in a driver manager - that for example is the case for Linux Mint.
Keep at it, you got this and there’s so many people and resources online to help. Best of luck!
Thank you so much to everyone for answering. Appreciated!
- yala ( @yala@discuss.online ) 0•1 month ago
So…, what will it be 😜?
I’m kinda leaning towards Bazzite. I’ve downloaded it, but I realized I don’t have any USD drives at home :-/
- yala ( @yala@discuss.online ) 0•1 month ago
Excellent choice! I’m sure you’ll manage 😉 (right after you’ve found yourself a USB drive).
Installing now. Surprised by the amount of work needed to make my BIOS accept that Linux isn’t a security risk, but also surprised that Wifi worked just out of the box, even during the installer. A sign I’ve been away from Linux for a while.
- yala ( @yala@discuss.online ) 1•1 month ago
Consider making another post after everything has been done in which you note down your expectations, experiences etc.