Best Hardware for Linux Gaming?

[GameWalrus]

Hey, I was thinking of getting a new computer for Christmas and was wondering what the best graphics card for Linux gaming is among other hardware. I was thinking of getting a laptop. Is AMD or Nividia better for Linux? Which has better performance?

[BryBreadmin]

Is there any particular reason you want to game on Linux? Dedicated GPUs are a pain on Linux.

[GameWalrus]

[QUOTE=Dr. Evilcop;52832054]Is there any particular reason you want to game on Linux? Dedicated GPUs are a pain on Linux.[/QUOTE]

I hear Linux is used more for development, maybe game development included but I will likely be after a Bachelor's of Computer Science and I hear that's what most programmers use more. Am I better off just doing Ubuntu or whatever on a virtual machine or something and running Windows normally for gaming and such?

[BryBreadmin]

I'm also a computer science major and a software development intern. UNIX based stuff is definitely better for development, which the exception of .NET and video game stuff generally. But any CS major worth their salt should be familiar with Linux or some UNIX based system.

That said, keep gaming on Windows. Dual boot if you have to. It's too much of a hassle getting a decent gaming setup going on any other OS.

[editline].[/editline]

My current setup is a Windows desktop for gaming and a Mac/Linux laptop I use for development and school work and such. It works pretty well.

You might think "but I want to play games on my laptop at school between classes" or something but in reality it's not gonna work out that way very often. Just throw a few entertaining indie games on your laptop if you really want.

[GameWalrus]

[QUOTE=Dr. Evilcop;52832079]I'm also a computer science major and a software development intern. UNIX based stuff is definitely better for development, which the exception of .NET and video game stuff generally. But any CS major worth their salt should be familiar with Linux or some UNIX based system.

That said, keep gaming on Windows. Dual boot if you have to. It's too much of a hassle getting a decent gaming setup going on any other OS.[/QUOTE]

Alright. Thank you. Should I get Ubuntu LTS or the other version, and also what manner of hardware and graphics card should I get?

[BryBreadmin]

[QUOTE=TheNerdPest14;52832088]Alright. Thank you. Should I get Ubuntu LTS or the other version, and also what manner of hardware and graphics card should I get?[/QUOTE]

Xubuntu LTS is generally what I recommend for Linux beginners, though I personally use Manjaro.

Are you getting a laptop or building a desktop?

[GameWalrus]

Laptop.

[BryBreadmin]

Thinkpads and Latitudes generally have good Linux support. Find one you like.

Iris Pro is a good compromise between a dedicated GPU with poor Linux support or a weak integrated card. Iris Pro is more or less a super charged version of Intel HD, great for light gaming on laptops regardless of which OS you're in. Intel HD/Iris Pro has better Linux support than any dedicated card you can get when it comes to laptops. Not to say dedicated laptop GPUs aren't supported in Linux, but I just generally find them a hassle to set up and maintain.

Iris Pro is a bit rare in Windows laptops and more common in Macs, but I know some Latitudes have it. Also, try to get something with Thunderbolt 3; that'll open up some eGPU options for you if you insist on gaming on a laptop (which I don't generally recommend).

[GameWalrus]

I shouldn't get a Nvidia 1080 or something like that then? I'd be using it more for gaming most likely but I would still for development.

[BryBreadmin]

[QUOTE=TheNerdPest14;52832273]I shouldn't get a Nvidia 1080 or something like that then? I'd be using it more for gaming most likely but I would still for development.[/QUOTE]

Laptops suck for gaming. They suffer major overheating issues, poor battery life, gaming laptops with decent power are typically thick and heavy with shitty portability, they cost twice as much for weaker hardware, and they often have little to no upgradability, so once the hardware doesn't cut it anymore two or three years later, you basically just have to buy a whole new computer.

Gaming laptops are almost always a mistake. Build a nice desktop for gaming. Get a cheap laptop for school and development. Thinkpad X230s are a little older but they're cheap as dirt, have great Linux compatibility, and still pack plenty of enough power for development purposes.

What's your budget, anyway?

[GameWalrus]

I'm not sure. I'll look into getting a desktop then. I don't know much about setting up hardware. What would you recommend for a desktop then? Like I need a standard ATX but what kind of case? Do you recommend an intel or AMD Motherboard, what CPU?

[BryBreadmin]

That depends entirely on your budget. Get that decided first. A guesstimate is fine. Do you have a suitable monitor, keyboard, and mouse already? If not, you'll need to factor in the costs for that as well.

[Aide]

When it comes to Linux good luck with nvidia.

[boxama]

If you can afford it, what I'd recommend is that you buy a cheap laptop (if you really need one) and then a desktop to play games on.

For the laptop, a decent used business one will do, just make sure the resolution is > 1376x768.

For the desktop, if you're gonna be carrying it around between uni and home, get a relatively light and small case (that can also fit your components).
You don't need a screen ≥ 24" for 1080p.
A tenkeyless keyboard gives you more desk space.
For FPS gaming, get a decently large mouse pad.
AMD GPU support is much better on Linux compared to NVIDIA - they properly support an open source driver, while NVIDIA has a bad reputation with Linux developers for not suporting open standards.
For the CPU, just get one that is a about as powerful as your GPU to avoid bottlenecking. Ryzen is a nice choice (please support AMD), but keep in mind it's quite new so Linux support might not be 100% yet.

Pick whichever distro you want - Ubuntu/Debian for less hassle, or if you want to get your hands dirty and try to learn how parts of the OS works, you could try a harder distro.

(Sorry for edit, posted accidently)

[KayX291]

Tbh AMD is a much better choice, Mesa is getting loads and loads of improvements, especially it's open source Vulkan driver RadV and in upcoming 4.15 version of Linux kernel it'll have AMDGPU DC included which unlocks other features for AMD cards (Dependin on the GPU you may or not have to manually enable) such as the HDMI audio support.

As for Wine gaming you can use the Wine Staging with Gallium Nine patches. Gallium Nine is basically a native Direct3D 9 for Linux and is a part of Mesa. Activating this feature from Winecfg will provide a bigger performance improvement as it won't require any processing power to convert Direct3D calls into OpenGL.

Make sure to install the AMDGPU kernel and then a recent stable Mesa library which is 17 series (On Ubuntu you also need to install the Mesa Vulkan Driver for the RadV and don't forget to install the Vulkan ICD Loader)

[Thelurker1234]

If you really want to, you're going to want a set up that lets you do a passthrough.

Basically Linux is your main OS, but your dedicated graphics card gets passed into a virtual machine so you can play games on windows at like 98% speed.

You won't be doing this on a laptop though. You might be best getting a raven ridge laptop when those are available if you really want to use Linux and play some games. You still might want to have two drives for comfy dual booting if you want to play some intense games that aren't on Linux, but, it's a laptop so that's probably not necessary.

[Taipan]

The best way to do this is to get a Desktop for gaming and a cheap and light laptop for work/shool/light games on the road.

To get a good gaming desktop built, make a post in the "PC Building" thread featuring your: Budget, Location, Games you like to play, needed peripherals and screen resolution.

[chipsnapper]

A good rough draft of your build should be as follows:
[QUOTE][url=https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Gtzvpb]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Gtzvpb/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/fCs8TW/intel-core-i3-8350k-40ghz-quad-core-processor-bx80684i38350k]Intel - Core i3-8350K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($199.89 @ B&H)
[b]CPU Cooler:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hmtCmG/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2]Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler[/url] ($24.49 @ SuperBiiz)
[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Vys8TW/asrock-z370m-pro4-micro-atx-lga1151-motherboard-z370m-pro4]ASRock - Z370M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard[/url] ($131.98 @ Newegg)
[b]Memory:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dRBrxr/crucial-memory-ble4k4g4d26afea]Crucial - Ballistix Elite 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory[/url] ($156.77 @ OutletPC)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/smBrxr/western-digital-blue-250gb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-wds250g1b0b]Western Digital - Blue 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive[/url] ($89.88 @ OutletPC)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/MwW9TW/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex]Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($45.69 @ OutletPC)
[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tF648d/xfx-radeon-rx-570-4gb-rs-xxx-video-card-rx-570p427d6]XFX - Radeon RX 570 4GB RS XXX Video Card[/url] ($244.98 @ Newegg)
[b]Case:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vBTrxr/fractal-design-define-mini-c-microatx-mid-tower-case-fd-ca-def-mini-c-bk]Fractal Design - Define Mini C MicroATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($59.00 @ Amazon)
[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TgW9TW/seasonic-power-supply-m12ii520bronze]SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply[/url] ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz)
[b]Total:[/b] $1001.67
[i]Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available[/i]
[i]Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-01 18:33 EDT-0400[/i][/QUOTE]

Do not be deceived, the new i3 is the same as the last gen i5. It will be very good for games.

[BryBreadmin]

[QUOTE=chipsnapper2;52845575]A good rough draft of your build should be as follows:

Do not be deceived, the new i3 is the same as the last gen i5. It will be very good for games.[/QUOTE]

Or he could spend $10 more and get a Ryzen 5 1600 with 6 cores/12 threads rather than that dinky i3 with 4 cores/4 threads?

Not to mention he'd save money overall since Ryzen mobos tend to be cheaper.

[editline].[/editline]

Also if he decides to go the suggested Linux laptop + Windows desktop route he should probably switch that RX 570 out for a GTX 1060 6GB.

[chipsnapper]

[QUOTE=Dr. Evilcop;52845642]Or he could spend $10 more and get a Ryzen 5 1600 with 6 cores/12 threads rather than that dinky i3 with 4 cores/4 threads?
I
Not to mention he'd save money overall since Ryzen mobos tend to be cheaper.

[editline].[/editline]

Also if he decides to go the suggested Linux laptop + Windows desktop route he should probably switch that RX 570 out for a GTX 1060 6GB.[/QUOTE]

Are the Ryzen Linux issues fixed? If so, feel free to switch them out.

[editline]5th November 2017[/editline]

[url=https://pcpartpicker.com/list/M6bfNN]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/list/M6bfNN/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mV98TW/amd-ryzen-5-1600-32ghz-6-core-processor-yd1600bbaebox]AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor[/url] ($205.98 @ PCM)
[b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dWL7YJ/asrock-ab350m-pro4-micro-atx-am4-motherboard-ab350m-pro4]ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard[/url] ($59.99 @ Amazon)
[b]Memory:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dRBrxr/crucial-memory-ble4k4g4d26afea]Crucial - Ballistix Elite 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory[/url] ($156.88 @ Newegg)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8jH48d/sandisk-ssd-plus-240gb-25-solid-state-drive-sdssda-240g-g26]SanDisk - SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive[/url] ($74.99 @ Amazon)
[b]Storage:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/MwW9TW/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex]Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($49.99 @ Amazon)
[b]Video Card:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tJyxFT/evga-geforce-gtx-1060-6gb-sc-gaming-video-card-06g-p4-6163-kr]EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB SC GAMING Video Card[/url] ($269.99 @ Amazon)
[b]Case:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vBTrxr/fractal-design-define-mini-c-microatx-mid-tower-case-fd-ca-def-mini-c-bk]Fractal Design - Define Mini C MicroATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($89.98 @ Newegg)
[b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TgW9TW/seasonic-power-supply-m12ii520bronze]SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply[/url] ($60.89 @ Newegg)
[b]Total:[/b] $968.69
[i]Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available[/i]
[i]Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-05 15:25 EST-0500[/i]
I’ve got this 1060, while it’s a dinky lil thing it’s still really great and holds an OC well.

[postcert]

The VFIO issues are finally "fixed" with Ryzen, depends on your board and such though (I believe)

[stargate660]

[QUOTE=TheNerdPest14;52832049]Is AMD or Nividia better for Linux? [/QUOTE]

I personally prefer NVIDIA GPUs for my work and games, however take into consideration that while Pascal cards do work with Linux (I believe), NVIDIA's drivers are closed-source and proprietary.

AMD cards do not have the same performance as NVIDIA cards, but AMD has open-source drivers and a more lean price/performance compared to their competitor.

So ignoring aside the fact that GPUs are in short supply because of miners, both companies has pros and cons, and you need to ask if you want to sacrifice performance for open source drivers or can you live with closed-source drivers running your card. Personally I think it is a worthy trade-off and I would go for a GTX 1060.

[QUOTE=TheNerdPest14;52832049] I was thinking of getting a laptop.[/QUOTE]

If you're going to get a Linux laptop for gaming, be advised companies like HP or Acer will not make their machines compatible with Linux and locks it to Windows (you can thank Microsoft for that move), however select Dell models (particularly from their XPS range) has been reported that they are more friendly with the *NIX OS.

But if your after a Linux gaming notebook, I would [B]highly[/B] recommend you take at a gander at a company called "System76" as they manufacture and ship desktop and laptop machines designed to run Ubuntu Linux (or most other flavours) and the specs you can configure these machines can be downright jaw dropping!

Hope this helps! ^^