I've never really thought about whether the game looks the same using its Windows vs Linux renderer. I installed HL2 to check out the anniversary update and decided to try the Windows renderer on Proton. Would you look at this difference... Linux is the top one, Windows is the bottom:
Is this is a thing? Have you tried other games and seen the Windows version looking better?
I haven't looked in a while, but I thought the assets and binaries are separate, and it's possible to switch binaries.
Could be. I just went the safest route. Uninstall -> switch compatibility -> install.