A similar question was raised some day’s ago from a other person, but with different background. In this case, I would like to buy a nice gaming laptop. Of course I would use it for office and coding to, but primary I’m searching recommendations for gaming. I would like to play Wine/Proton game’s and also native Linux games. As OS, I like to use Manjaro Gnome.

Should I better buy all of AMD (if yes, which CPI, GPU) or Intel/Nvidia? Or Intel CPU and AMD GPU? Which combination is the right one with best performance for a casual gamer? I prefer FPS games, if that’s important…

  • throwawayish ( throwawayish@lemmy.ml ) 
    23·
    3 years ago

    As others have already (somewhat) alluded to; it’s best to buy a laptop from a company that offers devices on which Linux users are first-class citizens. Therefore, any device that specifically fits your needs (hardware-wise) from either NovaCustom, Star Labs, System76, Tuxedo etc should fit the bill. Furthermore, it’s worth noting that Nvidia GPUs have a known bad track record on Linux. The possibility exists that you won’t even notice it on any of the devices sold by any of the aforementioned vendors. However, I’d argue it’s still mindful to be cautious.

    Should I better buy all of AMD (if yes, which CPI, GPU) or Intel/Nvidia? Or Intel CPU and AMD GPU? Which combination is the right one with best performance for a casual gamer? I prefer FPS games, if that’s important…

    AMD has been doing very good for some time and the fact that the Steam Deck is powered by AMD is very telling of what the current status quo is. However, I don’t think it’s a hard requirement. Sure, going full-AMD has it’s merits, but you should be fine regardless.

      • d3Xt3r ( d3Xt3r@lemmy.nz ) 
        12·
        3 years ago

        You probably don’t play garbage games then, like Fortnite, PUBG, Valorant, Destiny 2 etc. These, while garbage, are unfortunately very popular, which is why you keep hearing about why popular FPS games may not work in Linux.

    • sudo_su ( laskobar@feddit.de ) OP
      2·
      3 years ago

      Please don’t laugh, this probably doesn’t really fall into that category, but I wanted to keep it simple: Ark - Survival Evolved, Counter Strike but also games like Space Engineers. Ark causes relatively few problems. Space Engineers, on the other hand, does. Unlike Ark, it currently runs with very few FPS and often crashes or doesn’t start at all. In general, I play more when I have time in the evening for 1 or 2 hours, comfortably on the sofa. So the laptop is more suitable.

  • ILikeBoobies ( ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca ) 
    3·
    3 years ago

    I had no problems with Tuxedo but I would recommend a work laptop and a gaming desktop

    Laptops age incredibly fast due to heat

    AMD has the better graphics cards, CPU wise Intel has caught up so look for the cheaper equivalent

    List the games you want and we can tell you compatibility, if you just want FPS games then I get my fix from Plutonium (older COD games)

  • funkajunk ( funkajunk@lemm.ee ) English
    3·
    3 years ago

    A few more details would go a long way in offering actually helpful recommendations.

    • What is your budget?
      • Without that, I’m just going to recommend the highest end possible machine, which may be unaffordable to you.
    • What country are you in?
      • There could be an amazing deal on right now, but only for US residents; this won’t help you if you don’t live there.
  • mat ( mat@linux.community ) English
    3·
    3 years ago

    I’m seeing others recommend the G14 2022 all-AMD one. I have owned this model since it released and use it nearly every day. Despite the performance being pretty okay, it does have its share of deal-breakers which, if I knew them at the time, I would not have bought it:

    • random freezing, this affects some units most zen3 amd laptops and it seems I got unlucky. ASUS has been ignoring the issue for a year despite the crashes being reproducible on Windows (Windows recovers from it while Linux just freezes)
    • short stutters due to fTPM. Hopefully once Arch updates the kernel to include the recent patch that blacklists all AMD fTPMs fixes this, for now you have to email ASUS to get a secret BIOS that allows disabling it
    • nonfunctional vfio (code 43) without patching BIOS variables with a sketchy script (have to disable rebar), rebinding after shutting down the vm still does not work at all for me
    • overheating while gaming, even with fans forced to max
    • wifi constantly disconnects. I mostly fixed it by buying a AX210 card from Intel
    • bottom shell is super brittle and cracked when unscrewing it

    The laptop itself would be the best Linux experience I’ve had if not for these issues. The trackpad is excellent and great for Wayland 1:1 gestures, the display and speakers are great, and the battery lasts a good 2-3h with light web browsing.

    • shapis ( shapis@lemmy.ml ) 
      3·
      3 years ago

      Indeed. The laptop is great exception for QA issues. I have some of those issues but not some others.

      An extremely annoying thing that happens to me you didn’t mention is when I’m using the integrated GPU sometimes the screen flickers.

      And if it matters my unit at least doesn’t overheat at all. It’s actually quite impressive.

  • blackbrook ( blackbrook@mander.xyz ) 
    3·
    3 years ago

    I just want to comment on the Nvidia thing, since they are so common on gaming machines. And I have no opinion / data on the performance of nvidia vs other to gpus with linux.

    With nvidia on linux you will be fine if you just do a couple of things: hang back a little on applying updates (specifically kernel and Nvidia driver updates) and watch the relevant forums / lists for problems from nvidia users. Only update after a few days have gone by without such reports or, if reports have surfaced, after they get fixed.

    openSUSE Tumbleweed user here, and I’ve actually had very few problems, and they were specifically caused by prime. I may have dodged a problem or two with the above strategy though.

  • Electrical Hub ( electricalhub@discuss.tchncs.de ) 
    1·
    3 years ago

    Looking for the ultimate gaming laptop that’s also Linux-friendly? Consider this tailored advice for enthusiasts seeking top-notch gaming performance on a Linux platform. When exploring options, keep an eye out for configurations that boast excellent compatibility with Linux distributions like Manjaro Gnome.

    For a seamless gaming experience, ponder over an all-AMD setup - a Ryzen CPU (Ryzen 5 or Ryzen 7) coupled with a Radeon RX GPU offers a harmonious blend of performance and compatibility for gaming on Linux. Alternatively, an Intel CPU paired with an AMD GPU could also serve well for gaming enthusiasts.

    For those diving into FPS games, prioritize a robust GPU. Models housing Nvidia’s GTX or RTX series or AMD’s Radeon RX series promise smoother gameplay.

    When scouting the best gaming laptops, prioritize models with reliable driver support and compatibility with Linux gaming. Brands such as ASUS, Lenovo Legion, and select MSI models often cater well to Linux users.

    In summary, a strong GPU-CPU combination alongside Linux compatibility is key for an immersive gaming experience. Cheers to finding the perfect gaming companion that suits your Linux adventure! Here is guide to chose a best gaming laptop under 500$