this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2024
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Linux doesn't have several programs I use to control my peripherals, the mobo RGB profile, and GPU fan control from Sapphire. It also doesn't have a proper AMD adrenalin as far as I've checked, nor firmware updater for SSD/NVME, and the list goes on and on. I also heard controlling high refresh rate displays on linux is a nightmare.
If I want to use the gaming PC I built to its full potential then I need windows...
The article is still dumb though, anyone left behind using old hardware should not go through the pain of forcing win11 to run. They all should switch to linux
You usually don't need proprietary software and drivers on Linux because of the great general purpose open source alternatives. Even on Windows, a ton of the drivers are actually useless and only bloat your system or perform invasive telemetry.
Personally I don't even use the RGB features on my gaming PC, but OpenRGB is open source and lightweight. I would probably use it over proprietary RGB profiles even on Windows. You should give it a try.
GPU fan control is already available by default in most Linux distributions and should require no additional drivers.
AMD always have Linux drivers. The Linux adrenaline driver is here: https://www.amd.com/en/support/download/linux-drivers.html
SSD/NVME firmware updates should also already be supported by default in linux. With for example fwupdmgr.
High refresh rate displays should also work out the box on the modern distributions. On Linux Mint and Ubuntu they have a GUI for it, but changing resolution and refresh rate with Xrandr also only takes one or two terminal commands. There likely is software to do it, but if anything I could write you a script that does it if your distribution doesn't already have GUI for it. I had to write a script to adjust some of my monitors' drawing area because I mirror, but my displays don't have the same aspect ratio.
I have already looked up most of what you recommended, and I arrived at the same initial conclusion...
Unfortunately, this is still relatively common on Linux, but it's not really a Linux issue, but a manufacturer issue. The manufacturers should be the ones supporting Linux, not the other way around.
The situation is getting better, so when it comes time to upgrade, you can find something more open so you're not beholden to some random software and have more choice.
Honestly, I don't see the point of adrenalin on Linux. For framerate locking, use libstrangle or mangohud. Don't bother with OC, it's honestly not worth it (if you really want to, it is totally possible).
I don't know what else Adrenaline provides, but I'm sure there's a way to get what you want on Linux.
This is absolutely hit-or-miss, and IMO a bigger issue if you really need something that's not properly supported on Linux. If it's not in the repositories or in flathub, IMO, don't bother if it's going to be a dealbreaker (esp. Adobe products).
But if you're fine using an alternative (e.g. LibreOffice for office software, likewise for any other apps), then give WINE a shot, maybe you can keep your same workflow. Or if it's really only for an occasional thing either run a VM (if it's not performance sensitive) or dual boot. I have a drive w/ Windows installed just in case I need it for something, but I haven't booted into it for something like 2 years now. But it's there if I ever actually need it (will need a ton of updates though).
When people create programs/drivers "See, it exists for Linux, no need for manufacturers, it's much better!"
When programs/drivers are missing for Linux "It's the manufacturers you should blame!"
So, which is it now?
We should always blame manufacturers. Either it's manufacturers helping out development by creating decent drivers, or it's manufacturers hiding their documentation so developers have to reverse engineer their chips, which takes way longer. But the focus should always be on the manufacturers, whether for good or bad.