Unrealistic to assume Arc will match AMD's performance on Linux.
Unrealistic to assume Arc will match AMD's performance on Linux.
Last night I replaced my RX 6600 with a B580 on my Ubuntu system. I installed games from Steam, but experienced a lot of stuttering and jitter. I made sure to install the Intel Xe repository and the newest drivers, even attempted upgrading to Ubuntu 25, but it didn’t help. In the end, I swapped back the 6600 and everything worked again. I don’t need the B580 on my Ubuntu machine, so I probably won’t try it again anytime soon, but I was just checking how others are doing.
Phoronix evaluated the card again in May: https://www.phoronix.com/review/intel-ba...ux-may2025. Generally, performance varies by game—some run smoothly while others struggle. It seems to work for a few titles but not all. I tried several and noted that their drivers are open-source, meaning it isn't limited to just Intel support. However, fewer Linux developers using them likely means less ongoing assistance.
Many people criticize NVIDIA, yet Intel stands out in open-source projects. AMD seems to be the top choice overall. While Intel often performs well, it tends to focus on integrated graphics rather than advanced features or gaming. In gaming, Intel's drivers have consistently lagged behind AMD, especially in performance and usability. This transparency around ARC is understandable since few games have been played on integrated graphics, and there was limited awareness of driver optimization. The company appears to be struggling, with repeated layoffs. On the software side, ARC has seen improvements but remains heavily Windows-focused. Intel continues to release numerous kernel patches, and they maintain a separate Xe repository for ARC (and possibly older Iris Xe models). I anticipate support will gradually enhance over time. Using Arch is also advised for receiving the most recent updates.