How to set up Bazzite on your Asus laptop
How to set up Bazzite on your Asus laptop
Do that in BIOS, KDE will include basic power plans (power saver, balanced, performance) that change how aggressively the CPU boosts and stuff like that. Other things are best done in BIOS. If you had an AMD GPU, then LACT would work for overclocking the GPU side of things. I have not tried to figure out Nvidia overclocking on Linux so I don't know much about that. If memory serves Bazzite ships with btop (enter command "btop" in the terminal) and that has some logging levels, you can probably set it up to log temps over time in a text file, if you need a longer range than it has visually in the terminal. There's probably a utility for that, there is for macbooks so I don't see why more standard hardware wouldn't have fan control available. I haven't run Linux on a non-Mac laptop so I haven't looked into what's available. OpenRGB. It's available as a flatpak (easy install with the "bazaar" software store bazzite ships with) and there's a massive list of ASUS devices supported. From screenshots it looks like it does per-key if the device supports it. I use a corsair RGB which is just 1 (or 3? I forget) zones, so I just have the whole thing set to red. It isn't like Windows, it's like Unix. Thus the name (Linus - for Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux - plus Unix equals Linux). The Unix most people will know of today is macOS, that's built on Apple's in-house Unix kernel, Darwin. Some of the DEs use a windows-like layout by default, because a lot of people like that and it's familiar to newcomers. KDE Plasma, Cinnamon, LXQT, etc, there's a bunch. That is the point of it being open source, anyone can modify it however they choose. If you want a more rigid OS backed by a big company like Windows (Microsoft) or macOS (Apple), you can have that: Ubuntu, by Canonical. Fedora, technically it's own thing but heavily sponsored by Red Hat. If you want an OS by a million different people that you can assemble piece by piece so only exactly what you asked for runs on your machine, that's also available. Arch Linux, Gentoo, Debian too honestly, it's quite modular. And anything in-between, and really super niche distros besides.
Review your BIOS settings to discover what options are available for YOUR laptop. OEM typically limits performance compared to enthusiast builds you might use on a DIY desktop. In laptops, cooling is usually insufficient for meaningful overclocking, even with high settings. With Windows installed, try running tests under heavy workloads to understand the true potential. You’ll notice that sustained performance gains are limited, and long-term OC isn’t reliable. The variety of Linux distributions often stems from individuals addressing specific problems; it can be confusing for those unfamiliar with the issues. Finding the right distro depends heavily on your personal requirements. For me, MX Linux KDE works well for my needs. Ultimately, only one distro truly stands out. If you enjoy gaming, your ideal setup will vary. I could make an ISO of my current configuration and treat it as a fresh distribution—just a personal experiment. This helps me understand my own setup but doesn’t benefit others. It’s clear that many distros diverge significantly from the core ones like Debian. But who should stop creating alternatives?
They use this Asus "suit" because it works well and keeps improving with updates. I've tried it and found it handles demanding games smoothly—rendering videos doesn't slow things down much. The CPU can hit around 105°C occasionally, but it never throttles, which is good. The GPU stays near 70°C max, usually a bit lower. Overall, it seems like a solid pick, though I'm still deciding if it's genuine or just marketing fluff. The distro I got mentions Asus ROG laptops, so I expect full support, but it's definitely not an easy feat.
I just discovered this video—it seems to install almost anything you might need. Unfortunately, he used a VM installer, but I’m sure it will have what you require if you pick "ASUS laptop." Before starting, my main worry is my second hard drive. Is there a way to safeguard it so Linux can’t alter it or make Windows unusable without removing it? I really want to keep the data (mainly videos, music, some apps, and games) and use it in Linux.
Avoid asking the installer to erase the drive. Skip installation if you're unsure. Linux should handle NTFS, but writing there is uncertain. Running applications from it might be risky. These file systems are designed for USB sticks, not internal storage.
for everyday needs, bazzite remains stable but not ideal; consider caching os, pika, or mint which all support asus laptops
That's the unusual aspect of Linux... I checked out Mint, and even though most people on Reddit criticize it for being outdated ("old kernel"), they often praise its customization options. There aren’t many complaints about performance either. So I’m still unsure, but I think I should give Bazzite a shot too—maybe a more user-friendly OS would be better... Customization is nice, but reliability and smooth operation matter most. *No crashes on Windows 11, by the way.*
It's a solid choice, CachyOS offers great stability and performance, consistently scoring top marks. The wiki is user-friendly and covers all the necessary details. Give it a shot!