Linus's Linux setup takes 30 minutes and is already broken.
Linus's Linux setup takes 30 minutes and is already broken.
It really varies depending on the distribution. For most Linux distros that rely on source code, like Gentoo, NVIDIA drivers are just as straightforward, if not a bit simpler, than AMD or Intel options. However, once you hit the full system setup stage, things can get more complicated. I've been using proprietary NVIDIA drivers for a while now and haven't encountered any issues.
That well-known "Nvidia, f*** you!" line from Linus Torvalds highlighted the same issues. Ten years have gone by, yet the core problem remains unchanged.
I purchased my RTX 3090 right when it launched, at Micro Center, and immediately had a driver that fully supported the GPU. On the very first day. Believing Nvidia drivers are harder than AMD ones on current Linux setups is just not true. I faced *much* more problems with RDNA 1 compared to the RTX 3000.
The RTX 3090 performed flawlessly from the start, with no problems reported even after the first day.
It seems like the gaming PC is positioned far away, connected via a thick Thunderbolt cable that runs across the room to power all its peripherals.
Linus’s configuration isn’t extreme; most of his problems stem from Nvidia-related challenges. It seems the situation is mainly tied to hardware specifics. The main hurdle comes from using proprietary APIs and the lack of support for Linux as a platform, which explains why their drivers often perform poorly.
The key feature that stands out is the thunderbolt configuration. Linus connects everything through a single thunderbolt cable, covering audio interfaces, peripherals, and his display via the motherboard's displayport in port. The situation gets more complicated because his CPU is AMD, which doesn’t support thunderbolt 3 but does work with USB 4. Since USB 4 isn’t fully ready, he’s relying on some untested thunderbolt 3 drivers that somehow function with the USB 4 controller on his board.