The conversation around gaming on Linux sure has changed in the last few years. And these benchmark results prove it.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ndlug.org/post/1014937

I recently spent some time with the Framework 13 laptop, evaluating it with the new Intel Core Ultra 7 processor and the AMD Ryzen 7 7480U. It felt like the perfect opportunity to test how a handful of games ran on Windows 11 and Fedora 40. I was genuinely surprised by the results!

…

The Framework 13 is perfectly capable of gaming even with its integrated graphics, provided you’re willing to compromise by lowering the resolution and quality presets for more demanding games. (It’s also a testament to how far AMD’s APUs have come in the past decade.)

Summary of results:

  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Linux wins
  • Total War: Warhammer III: Windows wins
  • Cyberpunk 2077: Linux wins
  • Forza Horizon 5: Windows wins

These results are an interesting slice of the Linux vs Windows gaming picture, but certainly not representative of the entire landscape. A few shorts years ago, however, I never would have dreamed I’d be writing an article where even two games on Linux are outperforming their Windows counterparts.

Archived Link

  • @[email protected]
    3•3 months ago

    I tried Linux on my Framework 13, and couldn’t get audio working. I gave up after that.

    I really wish Linux wasn’t such a PITA to get simple things working.

      • @[email protected]
        1•3 months ago

        Of all the distros, I don’t think I’ve ever tried Fedora. It’s usually been Ubuntu, Mint, or some other Debian-derived distro.

      • @[email protected]
        2•3 months ago

        Ubuntu 24.x, because that’s what I’m most familiar with, and it’s one of the officially supported distros. Admittedly, this was from a Live USB, and not installed on my system.

        On my Windows desktop, I had dual-boot with Linux (Ubuntu again), and it refused to work with my wifi card. I spent endless hours trying to get it working and just gave up.

        This is almost unheard of for me with Windows. 99% of the hardware just works, and the other 1% often has a very simple driver installation process.

        • @[email protected]
          1•3 months ago

          You need a distro with up to date kernel, for recent Intel laptops, and it will work out of the box.

          • @[email protected]
            1•3 months ago

            Installed it on an external drive (Fedora 40) and everything is working, including the fingerprint scanner. Well, not everything. No adguard for linux, a steam game I play doesn’t support linux, etc. But it is smooth and seems more refined than what I remember Ubuntu being. maybe I’ll stick to Fedora when I have to use Linux :)

            • @[email protected]
              1•3 months ago

              You don’t need adguard, just register with nextdns and use it as your system’s DNS. By not supporting Linux you mean that it doesn’t run with Steam’s proton compatibility layer? Nowadays the games which don’t work, usually are the ones using some form of aggressive anti-cheat measures. Online multiplayer stuff.

              • @[email protected]
                1•3 months ago

                You don’t need adguard, just register with nextdns and use it as your system’s DNS.

                I did set up Adguard DNS blocking, but it’s so unrefined vs. the actual adguard software. Plus, I like to route everything through adguard, not just the browser stuff.

                By not supporting Linux you mean that it doesn’t run with Steam’s proton compatibility layer?

                In steam, it looks like there’s a button that shows only Linux-compatible games. And the game in question isn’t on the list. Perhaps it can be run through some emulator or alternate steam version, but I was just testing and didn’t explore it deeply.

                • @[email protected]
                  1•3 months ago

                  That’s why I said to set it up globally, as system DNS, not just in the browser. Nextdns also allows you to pick the lists of filters. When it comes to Linux always check the game’s compatibility through ProtonDB (unless it’s native).

                  • @[email protected]
                    1•3 months ago

                    That’s why I said to set it up globally, as system DNS, not just in the browser.

                    Yes, I can set Adguard DNS system wide, and even self host Adguard home (similar to pi-hole) if I wanted.

                    But DNS-based adblocking doesn’t reformat pages to make it look like an ad was never there. Having blank spaces where an ad used to be just looks bad.

                    When it comes to Linux always check the game’s compatibility through ProtonDB (unless it’s native).

                    Thanks for the tip.

    • @mx_smith
      2•3 months ago

      Did you set it to Linux audio mode in the EFI. I think they have a big thing about this on their site within the Linux install directions. I run KDE Fedora on my Framework 16, and it’s smooth as butter.

      • @[email protected]
        2•3 months ago

        I ran Fedora off a liveUSB and everything (except fingerprint) worked out of the box! It was so smooth that I may set it up on an external SSD and use it for a while. If it still works great after a few weeks/months, I may just install it as a dual boot or replace windows altogether.

        • @mx_smith
          1•3 months ago

          I haven’t got fingerprint working yet either, I originally tried Kubuntu, but it seemed to update and have weird screen glitching issues so I have a HD with Ventoy and installed KDE fedora and it was an easy install.

          • @[email protected]
            2•3 months ago

            Got it working. It was the liveUSB.

            When I actually install Fedora on an external drive, and boot it from there, the fingerprint scanner works. Everything system related seems to be working just fine.

      • @[email protected]
        1•3 months ago

        FedoraKDE on my 16 too, I didn’t set it to linux audio mode at first, still worked fine out of the proverbial box. Everything just worked as expected.