Alright your questions came flooding in after the last Linux and Gaming article. So lets get started.
Q: Difference between Linux distributions and Windows in performance, graphics quality, and stability.
A: The issue with answering this question is it isn’t totally straight forward. I have my PC dual-booted with both Arch and Windows 8 and different factors come in to play that affect performance. For starters it varies on a game to game basis. Some games perform better on Linux than they do on Windows and vise versa, but your drivers also contribute to that performance. If you are on Linux and are using novereau drivers you are going to get worse performance because they lack 3D acceleration, but those drivers often play nicer with newer kernel updates. Valve games usually perform better on Linux, in games like CS:GO and L4D2 I have seen FPS boosts ranging from +4 to +12 FPS, and this usually comes from the fact that Linux requires much less system resources to run. Dying Light however ran like crap right out of the gate on Linux, but the most recent updates have improved that greatly and I can say now the performance is comparable to Windows.
Q: The very first thing I would like to know is how long you actually using Linux?
A: For general desktop use I have been using Linux for going on 8 years now, but for gaming its as little as 2 years. My dad always had a strong interest in Linux, so I was always around it growing up. Linux has changed a lot since the 90’s.
Q: What are the best distributives for work and gaming? I’m interested in common opinion and your personal too.
A: If you are tech savvy and want to take the extra time to configure it, Arch Linux is hands down the best distro for work in my opinion and that seems to be the general consensus as well among my colleges in the IT world. The beauty of Linux is that because it is so customizable you can make any distro fit your individual needs. Some distros are designed to be feature rich and some a designed to be lite. As far as gaming is concerned Valve officially supports Ubuntu, and I have used Ubuntu a lot and it works great, but I can’t say it works any better than arch does although there are more things you have to do to get steam running on Arch.
Q: Have you tried SteamOS? What do you think about it? Can you compare it with some other (and best) distributions?
A: Yes I have used Steam OS, and right now since it is still in Beta it isn’t all that different from Debian Wheezy although I did not have to configure my graphics driver with Steam OS when I first booted. Right now it is too early to really give Steam OS a fair comparison, but it is Debian based so you will have a similar experience on Steam OS as you would with regular Debian or even a stripped Ubuntu.
Q: What kind of Windows things you wish were on Linux too? Software, for example.
A: Adobe software. I hate Adobe for a number of reasons, but honestly I haven’t found anything that compares to Photoshop. I mean Gimp is good, but Photoshop is so feature rich and solid that I wish it were available. Oh and Blizzard games, although they all run just fine in WINE.
Q: I think linux is hard. installing driver (gpu) is nightmare. I could not nvidia driver ubuntu vs… Have you try stemos? is SteamOS GUI easy? How is driver support?
A: This is one of the biggest turn offs for people coming from Windows to Linux. Linux doesn’t quite have the developer support that Windows does so you have to configure a lot yourself. If you update your graphics driver you may have to update your kernel as well, and if you reboot you may have to configure that graphics driver in the terminal. Linux (as well as OS X) is a Shell interface with a GUI built on top of it. If you install a server version of Ubuntu you will be prompted with a bash terminal as opposed to a regular gui. Windows is a GUI interface with a terminal shell built on top. Using Windows is like owning a car that has its hood locked so that you can’t mess with the engine, you won’t mess anything up, but it is harder to fix as well. Linux (and OS X) give you the ability to work directly with your system. Fortunately the Linux community is actually fairly large and is historically composed of mostly IT professionals who are more than happy to help out noobs.
Q: I’m interested in running Windows games under Linux. I’ve heard that there is a program, Wine or something. Can you talk about it?
A: Ahhhh WINE, thanks to you I can play Terraria and Starcraft 2 to my heart’s desire. WINE is essentially a Windows emulator and it works fairly well, although some games take more steps than others to get working. The easiest way to get games running in Wine is to install “Play On Linux” as it can manage multiple versions of Wine for the best compatibility. Also you can install the Windows version of Steam in Wine and most games that I have tried run great that way, although there are exceptions that take more to configure (Terraria).
Q: Seems like most games on Steam require Ubuntu Linux for OS. What if I use Fedora or Debian, for instance? And is gaming on linux today pretty much hassle free, with the coming of Steam.
A: I myself have never used Fedora for gaming so I can’t speak directly about it. Ubuntu is a derivative of Debian and takes nearly 90% of its packages from Debian so yes Debian will work fine. The only hassle you’ll have is kernel and driver updates, but once you do it a couple of times it is easy. I imagine that Valve is working with Nvidia and AMD to streamline the process for Steam OS, but nothing has been announced.
That about wraps it up for this time around. Keep those questions flowing in and I will keep answering them. As usual enter your questions in the form here.
Matt Followell is another contributing author here at DSOGaming. A long time fan of PC Gaming and a huge supporter of the open source and homebrew movement. You’ll see him interacting with the community from time to time going by the user-name of Radapples.
Contact: Email
“WINE is essentialy a Windows emulator (…)”
BRING YOUR PITCHFORKS! 😛
In my little experience with Linux, I’ve never found too much of a difference between the distros (performance wise). But then, I’ve upgraded recently, so I need to get back on testing more.
Great article Matt, keep’em coming! 😉
Thank you for the answers. Seems like Linux has its benefits, but also some drawbacks (like driver support). Not sure if I want to jump on it yet, but I’ll probably try Ubuntu anyway somewhere in the near future.
Despite that there are nearly 1000 games on Steam for Linux, people still aren’t willing to move away from Windows. 95% of Steam users are still using Microsoft products, and 3% – OSX. I guess we have to wait for SteamOS and Vulcan.
Linux has the best driver support out of the box, pretty rare you have to look for any drivers since they’re all in the kernel. Distros have extra kernel packages for extra hardware and propriety hardware like NVIDIA drivers, though Ubuntu gives you the option to install the proprietary stuff during install.
If I do a fresh install of Windows I have to install chipset drivers, LAN driver and sound driver, plus download latest NVIDIA driver, I don’t need to do that with Linux.
Intel, AMD and NVIDIA contribute every new released kernel to get it out of box
It isn’t that there isn’t driver support, because it has the support, its that whenever you update your Kernel you often have to recompile your drivers which is a daunting task to Windows users.
Even I don’t use Linux 100%. There are just some games that don’t run in WINE and I want to play them, so that’s why I keep my Windows partition. Although I do everything else from video editing to gaming on Linux. So why not give dual-booting a shot?
The only way for Linux to get developer support is for people to use it. Blizzard already supports OpenGL and they will support Vulcan, its only a few more steps to support Linux.
Yeah. Dual-boot seems like a reasonable solution to start exploring Linux.
4-12 fps boost for already max fps under windows (where i have my complete library),
No thanks, Windows Ftw
Wanna start a flame war?!!
FPS boosts aren’t the only reason to switch to Linux as I have addressed before. Like I said previously. Windows/Microsoft doesn’t give a damn about PC Gamers. I’ll believe what Phil Spencer is saying after they port some major Xbox titles to PC. I’ve never understood why some people so blindly hold on to Windows despite its constant abuse, but then again I’ve never understood Stockholm syndrome.
“Windows/Microsoft doesn’t give a damn about PC Gamers. ”
It’s not like the Linux Foundation or the FSF exalts PC gamers either, so what’s your point? When it comes to PC gaming, it’s still Windows all the way, at least for now.
“I’ve never understood why some people so blindly hold on to Windows
despite its constant abuse, but then again I’ve never understood
Stockholm syndrome.”
Mainly because people use software to do work, not make a political statement. They flock to whatever ecosystem currently exists because that’s where the majority is, not because one OS is better or worse than the other. The OS itself is irrelevant to the majority of computer users.
They don’t, but Valve does and Valve is pushing Linux because of Steam OS.
I’m not referring to the average PC user, but the PC gamer. On countless occasions I have seen many people in these forums and others bashing Linux and touting Windows like it is the almighty. It’s one thing to just use an operating system because that is what your device shipped with, but when you start X is better than Y for Z reasons then that is when OS becomes relevant to the user.
“I’m not referring to the average PC user, but the PC gamer.”
But Windows is indeed better for the PC gamer when it comes to gaming as thing are right now, Valve’s baby strides notwithstanding. I’m not saying it won’t be different later on though. You’re looking at the beneficial side of Linux itself; not the gaming aspect of it.
Windows has the largest library and it has the most support from hardware manufacturers, but not out of Microsoft’s own doing, but merely because it is the most popular OS.
Valve is taking massive strides, not mere baby steps, to improve gaming on Linux. I have seen it improve more in the last year than it has in the 7 before that.
My point was that Microsoft has neglected PC gamers in favor Xbox gamers ever since its release and yet people are blindly bashing Linux even though it has Valve’s backing.
“Windows has the largest library and it has the most support from
hardware manufacturers, but not out of Microsoft’s own doing, but merely
because it is the most popular OS.”
— That alone makes it the best OS for PC gaming. I’m not talking about performance or whatever, but the ability to cater to all gaming tastes. Whether that’s Microsoft’s doing or not is irrelevant.
“Valve is taking massive strides, not mere baby steps, to improve gaming on Linux.”
— Not when it’s compared to the current gaming scenario on Windows. But like I said, things might change later on. But as of now Linux is miniscule in the PC gaming space. Should people support Valve? Of course. Should people treat Linux as a complete replacement for Windows in PC gaming? Not yet.
“My point was that Microsoft has neglected PC gamers in favor Xbox gamers ever since its release and yet people are blindly bashing Linux even though it has Valve’s backing.”
— And your point is referring to the political aspect, like I said. PC gamers do not (and should not) care about the companies involved and the policies implemented. Games are the only thing that matters to them. Windows caters to that need more than Linux does right now. But of course, I do not support “bashing” of any OS; that’s silly fanboyism and nothing more.
What are you talking about?They don’t give a damn, lol! Well then Dx12 win10 CPU performance boost is just byproduct of my imagination(don’t counter me with vulcan & mantle because they will be also available on Windows)…Microsoft had changed a lot in last few years my dear friend for the benefit of Win users & Gaming(free win10 for pi hardware & other arm devices, lower prices, free upgrades, better support, etc etc..) …Did you know that one of the biggest contributors of linux & opensource community is Microsoft???For Xbox gaming i have Xbone,and i am ok with it, for the rest i have Steam,Origin & Gog on Win. And Ms is giving us ability to stream Xbone to PC with Win10. However i look on the future it is win win situation for me..All the modding tools, all the game library, everything on one place, with High performance… Linux is dead for serious gaming, until valve & ea do something magically to port it’s complete library to Linux…And we will see how the game modding will go on linux, with the lack of the tools & software…
And Why people blindly hold on windows, we (normal pc users) have everything we want on this platform , from professional software, office tools, business software to gaming, modding & fun, “all under one roof” , optimized with 100% support from MS & partners..If i have some unsolvable win problem(like that old & nasty one with HP laser jets & print spooler in Win Xp & Nt system), i will cal MS support and they will fix my problem…Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters?? I think linux users are just jealous they can’t have everything like we do… Yes you have useful free stuff on linux, but that does not mean that your free stuff is better than payed license for professional software on Windows OS (take an example gimp vs photoshop, gimp is an abomination in comparison to almighty PS) Yes it cost, but it will make job done faster & better….because you know time is money….
There’s a lot here that would take me forever to get in to.
To start, I feel as though your reaction is due to the feeling of a personal attack. That’s not my goal here. I’m just trying to help clear up a lot of the misconceptions with Linux.
I’m also getting the feeling that you think that I don’t keep up with Microsoft, because I do. I write articles here, but my day job has me working with many different OS’ (I work in IT). I am more than familiar with Windows and its caveats.
You’re right Microsoft has created DX12, but not out of desire to improve PC gaming, but because they have to. Can you imagine if all developers switched to Vulkan? That would be opening the doors wide open for Linux development and a loss of profits for Microsoft. They care about the revenue, not the consumer.
Secondly Microsoft has not contributed to Linux significantly since 2011 and even then they offered a 4% contribution. Even when their contributions were higher they pretty much only contributed to Hyber-V visualization hypervisor which allows for Windows Server virtualization, outside of that their contribution is insignificant.
Third, I said blindly holding on to the OS. If you have 99+ reasons to why you love Windows? Then by all means stick to Windows because it obviously suits your needs. These articles aren’t intended to convert the masses but to inform those interested in Linux.
Fourth, as far as support goes there are many many guides available as well as a myriad of users who are more than happy to help who like myself often work in IT. If that doesn’t suit your need if you have one of the more popular distros the creator often offers some free support and then paid support as well.
Fifth, You’re right, there is a lot more software available for Windows and that directly stems from its popularity and they average every day user isn’t willing to do the work-arounds to get them running in Linux. Linux was late to the game in comparison to Apple and Microsoft so there are those downfalls. Linux users being jealous is not true however. The beauty of software is there is no need to be jealous of another OS because you can have your cake and eat it with dualbooting. Want OS X and Windows? Bootcamp works phenomenally. Want all 3 OSes? You can have it.
Sixth, Linux holds the largest market share when it comes industrialization, it is far from the minority. If you go through a drive-tru tomorrow, more than likely your order is displaying on Linux. Linux is the industry leader for Servers and Mathematical application. Not to mention companies like Pixar use Linux supercomputers for rendering.
Seventh, there are no paid distributions, the Linux foundation won’t allow it. You can pay for support, but that’s it.
In closing, like I said, I’m not attacking anybody. I choose to use Linux because it fits my needs and I like what it stands for. My purpose for these articles is to clear up confusion, but there are also questions that ask my opinion on certain matters.
You hate adobe? what products & why?
For a number of reasons. Adobe is an incredibly anti-consumer corporation because they know that they dominate the professional market when it comes to image editing and creation. (Not video though, Lightworks is the best) So because of their domination over the market they know that they can make their product and people will just buy it regardless of whether or not they get any support on it.
This reason kind of stems from the anti-consumer practices. Did you know adobe products and its extensions ESPECIALLY the Creative Cloud products are one the biggest avenues for system infiltration? Yep, its almost like Adobe is your roommate and there is someone at your door with a gun and Adobe just opens the door wide open for them to come in and rob you.
As an AcE, That just made me lol 🙂
Most of your audience isn’t familiar with Linux(and the distos, etc), so I have some tips:
1. *novereau(the nvidia opensource driver)
2. Arch is for experienced users, so I would rather recommend manjaro as an arch based linux
3. The starter distros: linux mint(mate OR cinnamon), elementary os, opensuse(gnome), ubuntu(gnome)
pro & enthusiast: manjaro, arch, fedora, PClinuxOS(my fav), opensuse, debian, gentoo(my current OS)
4. WINE is not a simulator.
5. Fedora can be a bit faster in games but I can be unstable.
If you’re going to write an article about linux tuning and installation, I have some info on ssd tuning.
“I have been using Linux for going on 8 years now” excellent *insert evil laugh*
SteamOS doesn’t require to install anything(gpu, audio) and Ubuntu do it automatically.
Arch Distro is great tough way to difficulty to newbies. So I advice Ubuntu or OpenSUSE instead.
I laughed with the Adobe answer because it’s one of the biggest reasons of why I abandoned all hope of using Linux. Photoshop is truly irreplaceable. I neither could find an option for Sony Vegas 12.
I really tried using Ubuntu, I love its GUI and integration, but with those kinds of issues and the relative smoothness and stability of Windows 8, it’s hard to go back.
Yep Gimp is terrible compared to Photoshop.
It’s not bad once you get used to it, and if you remember that it’s completely free, then it’s even better. Not sure about professional work, but works fine for my needs. The biggest problem for me was unintuitivity, compared to Photoshop.
Photoshop doesn’t have Native Linux support, but CS5 runs just fine in WINE, although if you are a CC user, CC works just not like it would natively.
Did you try Krita?
My questions:
I heard DirectX9 games are playable on Linux, what about DirectX10/11? I know some DirectX11 games (like Dying Light) are ported to linux but what about those which aren’t? For instance can I play Battlefield 4 on Linux?
Would benchmark applications see a boost in CPU performance in Linux?
I haven’t used Linux, but I have used RT7 lite for Windows 7 to cut away useless things and compress the image to 890Mb. Do you think I need Linux in my life?
1. Wine has directx 9 support, beyond that is not supported.
2. If by applications you mean game, it depends. It’s the dev who decides whether it should be optimized for linux.
3. Give it a shot. With a proper configuration, it’s mostly headache free.
If you need to ask yourself whether you need Linux or not, you probably don’t. Stick with what you’re used to in order to get the job done. For gaming especially, I’d suggest sticking to Windows at least for the foreseeable future.
I am all about competition, it keeps companies in check. The moment we start showing loyalty to the is the moment they start getting Lazy. Historically I have always used Intel and Nvidia, but with this latest Nvidia fiasco and with AMD’s new 300 series I’m looking at getting an AMD card, because I am going to get the best product.
I say everybody needs Linux so Microsoft will finally wake up and smell the coffee and realize that they need to up their game with Windows. I myself will probable never use Windows as my primary OS because Linux has always been very good to me, but Windows finally improving will keep me holding on to my Windows partition.
Linux main problem:
Too many distro, too litle productivity software