I set up Manjaro Linux on my desktop today, searching for a fresh approach to gaming.
I set up Manjaro Linux on my desktop today, searching for a fresh approach to gaming.
I faced some setup challenges because my B550 Extreme 4 needed CSM activated to unlock UEFI after I disabled it for a resizable bar. This led me to try running Manjaro alongside Windows 11. The decision came after purchasing The Outer Worlds, which caused significant performance issues on my AMD system. Many suggestions pointed to memory instability or user mistakes without lasting solutions. I chose to experiment with Linux, discovering Proton compatibility allowed me to run Windows games. Transferring files from my Windows folder to Manjaro worked smoothly, and Steam handled everything without problems. Playing for 20 minutes delivered consistent 165 FPS at 1440P, with no stutters or drops. It was a surprising improvement compared to my Windows experience.
Confirm CSM is off. Proceed with DDU to clear all amd drives and install the newest ones.
This resembles the initial step anyone takes, yet the game doesn't perform well even on Nvidia. On Manjaro it seems like FPS is absent, placing you straight inside the game—hard to describe why it feels so smooth. CSM is active, handling above 4G encoding and offering a resizable bar on the top of the extreme 4GB RAM card.
Great for all to enjoy, significant improvements over Windows 11. You'll see each game on Linux runs much more smoothly with better frame rates, making it feel almost stutter-free and easy to tell if the performance is up.
I keep dual booting but am already enjoying Tekken 7, The Outer Worlds, Quake, CSGO, Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA IV and V without any problems. All of them perform much better in frame latency compared to Windows 11. Tekken 7 feels completely different on Manjaro—there’s no input delay and the game runs smoothly capped at 60 FPS due to engine limits. It looks much smoother than on Windows. I had to add XONE to fix the 8BitDO Ultimate Wireless, but after that everything worked perfectly. https://github.com/medusalix/xone I haven’t installed any AMD drivers; the GPU works flawlessly right away on Manjaro so far. I’m sure I might run into an issue with another game eventually, but for now it’s amazing.
In my tests, Clear Linux and NixOS (using unstable channels) tend to perform better for gaming than Manjaro and Arch. Setting up and running Clear Linux is straightforward. NixOS might be challenging for someone who prefers random installations, but with a decent IQ and effort, it can work well. Clear Linux offers good performance for gaming without issues related to Nvidia hardware, though it isn't ideal for that specific use. Void Linux could also provide faster results compared to Manjaro/Arch, but no gaming benchmarks compare the two.
This discussion offers a positive outlook for humanity. Linux and open-source solutions seem promising. We once had UNIX with expensive machines, just like Windows today. It’s clear what happened. Freedom for consumers is the direction we should follow; we shouldn’t be restricted on what devices or programs we can use unless it’s a game. Video games present an intriguing situation. I haven’t noticed strong calls for open-source in the gaming world. There are discussions about proper attribution in game art, but releasing the full code would be rare. Most people probably wouldn’t mind. Since this thread focuses on games, I’m curious—does anyone here value a closed-source game? Steam remains closed-source yet they boost Linux support significantly. Will their Steam client ever become open-source? Is that even important? DirectX from Microsoft is proprietary and may follow a similar path to UNIX due to vendor restrictions. Microsoft has struggled in this arena, and vendor lock-in could eventually harm their business. They likely have several more years before people become concerned about e-waste, excessive hardware needs, and computers lasting only a few years. Windows 10 actually runs quite well, even on a system clocked just over half a gigahertz.