Windows bloat vs. proton compatibility costs
Windows bloat vs. proton compatibility costs
I had an unusual situation last night while on the road. My setup was a basic Lenovo T450 with an i5-5300u and 8GB RAM. I tried playing Barotrauma with friends, switching to Windows 10 first and then using Steam’s compatibility layer for Linux Mint. The performance improved noticeably—8 frames per second on the sub, up to 25 fps overall. However, it dropped to around 15 fps during intense moments. This experience gave me a thought: could the extra overhead of Windows be consuming more resources than the compatibility layer needed on Linux?
modern windows versions include more features and functions, which helps speed things up so users don’t notice the extra complexity. with dual-core processors, performance feels smoother, though programs still load a bit slower and internet connections lag. this design was built for minimal loading, but it can be challenging for older systems or hardware. i remember trying to boot desktops quickly in the past—w10 handled it reasonably well if updates weren’t installed. however, some old operating systems and components slowed down significantly, costing valuable time. edited August 25, 2024 by thrasher_565
I try not to sound like a typical Linux enthusiast, but Linux certainly has a reputation it doesn’t deserve. The level of difficulty really depends on the distribution you choose and your specific needs. Of course, some programs won’t work well with Linux, so it isn’t suitable for everyone. When it comes to gaming, using Steam gives a smooth experience. For a fresh install like Mint, switching from Windows to Linux feels much more straightforward than many think.
Everyone I know doesn't use Windows, so Linux seems strange to me. After setting it up, it should work just like you mentioned—just run Steam. The coding part is tricky for me, and I'm struggling to understand some concepts. My spelling is also a bit off, but I've watched a few basic tutorials on YouTube to help.
one problem with that is... drm/anti cheat... as long they don't solve that issue linux won't go mainstream...... that's aside from your example sounding great obviously, but in reality most games may be playable, but run worse on linux, not better. last point the whole "nvidia support sucks" thing... you'll get loads of influencers saying that's a none issue, but if you look up real "reviews" it becomes clear nvidia still has massive issues on linux... again yes, sure, somewhat usable, but usually performance and stability is worse than with amd. which in turn means people would need to buy amd cards, which frankly isn't happening, see current market share, amd doesn't even have the capacity to produce all the cards that would be needed for a proper transition. not putting blame on amd here btw, rather the linux "community" which just can't seem to get it done. (what about matrox support btw, god how i wish they would make higher end cards, or even sell to non business...)