Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Just chipping in to say I have a 3060 and I’m scared of every update breaking my drivers again - just don’t get a Nvidia, don’t do it to yourself
I have a 3080 ti and haven't had any issues yet, worst that happens is I would just load the previous driver from the cache in recovery mode. That said, I want to get back to amd, I just don't have the money for it
Short answer: AMD
Long answer: AMD used to be very bad, NVIDIA has always been the same, i.e. if you're willing to use proprietary drivers it works, but it has some hiccups. A while back AMD open source their drivers so the game turned around, nowadays they're very easy and compatible from what I've heard. I've used NVIDIA for over a decade, but my next card Winn be AMD for sure.
PS: if you're still in doubt, the latest Linux kernel purposefully broke the NVIDIA proprietary driver because NVIDIA has been copyright infringing the Linux kernel by using functions that are considered so integral to the kernel that if you have to use them you work should be considered derivative and be bounded by GPL licence.
A while back AMD open source their drivers
No, they abandoned their proprietary driver and joined development of existing mesa driver. Basically as if Nvidia joined nouveau.
if you're willing to use proprietary drivers it works, but it has some hiccups.
Pre-Pascal GPUs aren't supported by closed source driver, so your only option there is nouveau.
He's asking to buy a new one, so old cards not working is not really an issue. But are you sure about the Turing line (i.e. 20 series)? I thought the Maxwell (i.e. 7 series) was the oldest you can use on the proprietary drivers. In fact up until recently I had a 1080 that I used with the proprietary drivers.
if you’re willing to use proprietary drivers it works, but it has some hiccups
Do you know if nvidia still has issues with Wayland or are nvidia and MAD on par nowadays in that area?
The only way nVidia works well with Wayland is with nouveau
Their proprietary drivers still don’t work. They announced plans to make them work better, but they haven’t put in the work to merge them yet
Sounds like currently AMD is a safer bet if one was in the market for a new card.
Thanks for your answer.
Last I tried it didn't worked, however last I told Reddit/Lemmy that NVIDIA didn't worked on Wayland I was downvoted to hell and told it obviously worked and had worked for a long time. So in theory it works, but I was never able to get it to work and I have given up trying until I get an AMD card.
AMD, easily. Its literally plug and play. You can even pick some second hand options for cheap that are still solid for gaming such as the vega 56/64 and the RX 5700XT (which is I use). Intel isn't bad so long as you're not playing the newest stuff, my Arc a750 is solid in games like Fallout 4 and Elden Ring. Starfield is complete mess on it. Another thing with Intel is you'll need a distro with a 6+ kernel to get the most out of it.
well...
"Better" is relative to your own use case. If you're a casual user, who maybe play some games on Linux, and don't really care about getting those games to work with Nvidia's version of ray tracing upscaling stuff, getting an AMD card is no brainer because it's cheaper and works out of the box too, and many games are starting to support ray tracing and upscaling on AMD card as well.
But, if you absolutely need to have access to CUDA, RTX and DLSS, then you'll have to get an Nvidia card and deal with consequences of using their drivers (buggy on Wayland, etc).
This sums up my feelings on Nvidia.
This better be angry Torvalds
Edit: It was
It's a very heartfelt, genuine, and relatable moment.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/i2lhwb_OckQ
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I'm open-source, check me out at GitHub.
AMD is better on Linux most of the time. Running a AMD card day one is not hassle free.
That being said if you pick a up to date distro all 7000 and 6000 series should work fine now. They are already in the kernel and mesa for a while. You may want to update you kernel and mesa sometimes to get better performance and stability.
But in my experience nvidia is fine on Linux. (I only used older cards gtx 970 and a rtx 2060) especially when you have just one monitor or all monitors on the same refresh rate. It's not on par with windows but will work with the Nvidia drivers.
So I would say if you a simple setup Nvidia is fine and AMD is better. It all depends on the best deal you can get. If ray tracing is not that important AMD is new the best value. If you more on a budget second AMD Rx 5700 XT are pretty cheap here and there are some good deals on Nvidia 30 series cards.
As far I have read intel cards can be a pain on Linux. So I would not recommend it for now.
AMD is generally better
If I were buying a card right now I'd get either the 6700XT or the 6800XT because they're both at crazy good value for the money right now, especially if you can get one used or refurbished from a reputable seller with a return policy.
I have never had issues with AMD for my graphics cards, been running team red with Linux for almost a decade now. Even switching distros no issues. But, I don’t buy new hardware, I always grab last gen, so bugs are usually worked out by the time I get my hands on it.
I'm mostly a newbie to Linux, I've been using it as a main gaming rig for several months and only Nobara. I hear often that AMD is hassle free, but I'm using Nvidia and honestly I've had no roadblocks. I started with a 2080ti and have since moved to a 4080, no hassles. There is a built in updater and it automatically downloads the newest driver packages. They are always a version or so behind the latest Windows set but meh. Switching on gSync was as simple as toggling VRR for my 144hz monitor.
The one thing that I needed to look up was getting ray tracing running. There was additional stuff I needed to add in Steam (copy paste from the post I found), and then RTX was up and running.
Like I say, I definitely don't know better than the people saying AMD is a smart choice, but I don't think people necessarily need to worry that their Nvidia system is a roadblock to switching to Linux.
AMD used to be a hassle, but now the Mesa support is very good. It's probably better than Nvidia.
AMD. I’d get the rx 6800 xt
STOP recommending Intel Arc for Linux, people. Do any of you saying that even own one?
I had a gtx1060 when I started using linux, then upgraded to 2060 then again to 2080, they all worked fine without any major problem (except that file system checking at boot sometimes and wayland). Last year I upgraded to RX6800 and man everything just works, no more filesystem checks at boot, Wayland is mu way to go now.
If I have a nvidia card now I would just use, but if I'm buying a new/used gpu it will definitely be AMD.
I bought a Rx 5700xt for 190€ in Germany this was 4 month's ago
For gaming and desktop use, I've had a flawless experience using AMD cards and a decent time with NVIDIA. The only reason I'm with NVIDIA now is for the AI capabilities (don't bother trying to run stuff using AMD's ROCm - it's near impossible to install).
PyTorch actually works pretty well on Arch with opencl-amd and opencl-amd-dev (the official packages didn't work for me). I'm extremely happy with my new Radeon.
I know which NOT to buy
There is also Intel Arc now, which does offer some relatively good value for money.
Otherwise, yeah AMD is more hassle free on Linux. Any model works, so just look at your budget.
Intel Arc still has driver issues, like the new Starfield is just not working on Linux with Arc graphics. There's more focus on AMD's drivers especially with the Steam Deck using them too.
german source: https://www.computerbase.de/2023-09/starfield-linux-benchmarks/
Literally Intel or AMD. You may pick Intel dGPU as well.
Intel dGPU
That's not the best idea. Performances are not even close of what they are on Windows
Also there's an idle power draw issue which can sometimes be fixed on windows but not on linux
I just built my first every dedicated Linux machine. With gaming and 3d design for printing as focus. I chose RX 6700 XT and it's been plug and play. Of course I've only been playing Starfield so far on it. I did have a bug with Steam but got that sorted.
What do you use your PC for? Just games? Or AI as well?
If it's just games, I'd go AMD. More VRAM = more better and AMD has more VRAM for the same price.
If you want to do AI on your PC as well, I'd go Nvidia. The software support from AMD is just not there yet.
I had no issues with Nvidia on pop os and Ubuntu, and rarely any issues on arch. That's the bleeding of "bleeding edge" for ya, lol. But it's a single command to roll back to a previous version of the driver, so no big deal anyway.
I can't play starfield right now because of issues with the Nvidia 535 driver causing the game to crash on starting a new game.
Downgrading to the older 525 driver lets the game play but with severe performance issues and a level of input lag and freezing that is toxic. My playtime says 4.5 hours but 4 hours of that was restarting the game with different drivers and toggling off different settings in the game for the absolute lowest performance. I'll just have to wait a month or so until the bugs are worked on and new driver versions are released.
- Valve Github Issue Tracker for Starfield
- Proton DB Reports on Starfield playability issues on Linux and steamdeck
Summary: If you are ok with playing games a month or two after release with a potential for some driver issues, Nvidia will probably be fine. I can play every older game in my steam library using Proton (which is built in to steam, you just need to turn it on in the game properties).
Otherwise it is a risk and you will always run into issues with Nvidia's proprietary drivers and new games.
I'll be getting AMD processor and GPU for my next desktop gaming computer.