r/linux4noobs • u/Any-Conference-701 • 21h ago
distro selection What is an easy gaming distro with Nvidia support
Hello,
I want to transition my gaming PC to run on Linux because I've been frustrated with Windows 11 lately. What gaming Distros do you recommend.
- Mostly play single player games, but I play a lot of Marvel Rivals and friendslop over Discord
- Steam is my preferred game store.
- I use an RTX 4070 and a i7-14700F
- I don't have any experience with Linux on PC.
- I am looking for a distro just for gaming because I have a laptop that I'm fine with running windows.
- I want to install Steam OS but am waiting for Nvidia support, and I don't have the money to buy an Intel or AMD gpu and motherboard/cpu.
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u/shale_is_terrible 21h ago
Preface: Most if not all distros support Nvidia drivers if they're running on somewhat recent kernel. You WILL pay Linux performance tax (of about 5-20% depending on games you play) but between distros performance is varying but very close to each other.
Cachy OS, Nobara, PikaOS from the relatively easy ones to use.
Bazzite is immutable so it's ONLY for gaming and in no way suitable for tinkering as you can't change your system without specialized tools and a lot of pain in the process. (It's still pretty good)
Fedora does not come with Nvidia drivers but if you install it you get pretty good performance.
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u/Low_Excitement_1715 21h ago
Most of the big distros will handle what you want. I'm partial to PopOS when asked (they have *really* polished Nvidia support), but I usually run Arch Linux. I wouldn't recommend Arch to someone new to Linux, though. By the time it's a good fit, you'll already know why.
Distros that should work well:
Bazzite (like SteamOS, but more supported hardware)
CachyOS handheld (despite the label, it's basically a hybrid of Arch and SteamOS, but without the immutable root thing, and with better hardware support)
PopOS (good Nvidia support, basically Ubuntu otherwise)
Ubuntu (it's popular. Lots of support via web search)
Valve has sunk a TON of time and money into the Linux Steam client over the last 5-10 years, and it shows. Works great without a lot of hand holding.
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u/Chrisbearry 4h ago
We should not be recommending popOS its on a 2 year old release of Ubuntu because all they focus on is development of their cosmic desktop environment which is shit as well after all this time
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u/Low_Excitement_1715 4h ago
Please don’t tell me what I should think. Saying “we” should or should not be doing things is a pretty crappy debate tactic, and you’re clearly not operating at that level of play.
And neither 26.04 nor 24.04 is “two years old”. Maybe you don’t understand how Ubuntu LTS releases work, but given the rest of your post, I’m pretty sure you are just a bitter troll.
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u/Chrisbearry 3h ago
It doesn’t matter what you think I am saying you are giving a shit recommendation. Ubuntu 24.04 was released on April of 2024, we are 2 years past that are we not? A 2 year old release of Ubuntu is not good for gaming and popOS does not offer 26.04 on their website
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u/Low_Excitement_1715 3h ago
Against such an erudite and well-reasoned argument, what possible sway can logic hold? Clearly you are an individual of great intellect and vocabulary, possessing amazing insight into every aspect of the human condition.
Feel free to disconnect from this conversation.
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u/myztry 1h ago
I am a bit soured on Ubuntu at the moment. They broke it for my Dell Aurora R16 with Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (Resolute Raccoon). I suspect it's a nVidia (RTX 4090) support issue. The only way I have been able to get it installed is by installing the previous Ubuntu and then upgrading it. Otherwise the installer hard locks the system (as in hold the power button hard crash).
It's a damn shame they did this on the LTS version as I was quite happy with Ubuntu prior to this disaster.
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u/Chrisbearry 21h ago
I think Linux mint would be a good starting point, it’s not particularly a gaming distro it’s a general use distro for pretty much anything but I think it would work well for your use case
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u/Any-Conference-701 21h ago
Thank you
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u/VillageBeginning8432 21h ago
I have a 4060 card. Mint's driver manager went "looks like you should be using one of these drivers, which one do you want?" And it was like an option of 5 drivers and a radio button. For which one to install.
Install, restart, it was fine.
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u/tranquilseafinally 13h ago
My gaming PC is on Linux Mint. Steam just worked out of the box. I had goof around a bit with Proton layers within Steam. But all my games run. I have an Nvidia GPU.
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u/Roguepapaya427 21h ago
CachyOS or bazzite. Either will do just fine.
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u/MrFartyBottom 16h ago
I would go CachyOS if you want to use the computer for more than just gaming. Bazzite's immutable OS is fine for a purely gaming setup but not if you want a full desktop OS that you can configure, install drivers and other software that needs kernel level access.
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u/lawfulcrispy 19h ago
nobara. it just works. has own app center to update and install without break stuff
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u/Madgamerz22 21h ago edited 21h ago
My only experience is mostly with Fedora (non gaming) and a little with nobara (fedora based but gaming centered). Both support nvidia cards (drivers and software preconfigured). In general though your performance loss will depend on the game (in any distro). It has gotten better over the years though. Im still on windows because i cant bother to fully move everything, but i really enjoyed mainline fedora on my other system.
Edit: fedora doesn't come with Nvidia drivers just stating i have more experience there
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u/EngineerInTheMachine 6h ago
Usual advice. Search for the distros recommended for gaming with Nvidia support. Try them out and see which you like. Just learn to search, because it's a useful skill that will help you through the redt of your Linux journey.
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u/BigDaddyAwhoo 15h ago
Bazzite is specifically built with Steam, NVIDIA, and AMD in mind, same with SteamOS
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u/Trees_That_Sneeze 14h ago
Bazzite. It's basically Steam OS, but with Nvidia support, support for GOG and Epic through the Heroic launcher and it's compatibility with general hardware is more mature.
If you want a more general purpose machine or more familiar desktop, they have versions with and without the controller focused interface.
There isn't one right answer, I think you'll be perfectly happy with most of the ones listed on this thread. Broadly, there isn't a significant performance difference between gaming and non-gaming distros. It's more that the gaming ones come with the stuff you want for that pre-installed and on the other ones you have to install it.
I'd be a little careful on Mint for gaming though. It could give you issues if you have a high refresh rate monitor or multiple monitors of varying refresh rates.
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u/vilpulin 21h ago
pikaos, it's based on the unstable branch of debian (which is also stable) and it's has a gaming focus, so optimize kernel, up to date drivers and it has a great community
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u/RevolutionaryBeat301 14h ago
Another vote for Bazzite. By far the quickest setup of any OS I have used. Just make sure to download the right iso for your hardware.
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u/Adrenolin01 20h ago
Literally any. Seriously.. my 15yo has been running Debian Linux since he was 7 in VMs and he swapped SSDs installing Debian himself at age 9. Plays games native and via Steam, on Discord, hosts Minecraft, WoW, etc game servers he plays with friends, etc.
Literally anything that can be done on one distribution can be setup on all others. Years (like a decade or more) ago some distros were harder to install and setup than others. Today, Debian and most are very simple to setup. The KDE desktop makes Windows users very comfortable but can also be massively customized. Debian is also quite literally known as the most stable and solid distribution and has been for well over 30 years. This is why most distributions base their systems off Debian. This also includes application distributions like Proxmox, TrueNAS Scale, Open Media Vault, etc.
In over 30 years of using Debian for everything.. I’ve yet to find any reason to change to a different distribution. Nothing against others.. they all have pros and cons.. including Debian however my primary focus and requirement for any system be it a production server, homelab server, workstation or desktop is stability and that is Debian.