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Gaming with Arch Linux

I have a fascination with Linux. Using it is not good for me, because I usually spend more time troubleshooting problems than I do 'using' my computer normally, but every now and then I get the itch and I try to set it up on a computer.

Because I never learn, I got the itch and decided to set it up on my desktop gaming PC. I didn't get rid of the Windows partition, because my friends play games with Windows-only anticheat, and what is the point of gaming if I cannot connect with my friends? But, compatibility layers have come a long way, and Linux should suit my needs just fine when it comes to playing single player or noncompetitive games.

I started by installing Arch Linux. In the past, I usually ran Ubuntu, Debian or Pop!_OS, but when I built my PC I chose Arch Linux because that appeared to be the easiest way to get support for my at-the-time cutting-edge hardware (an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and an RX 7800 XT). I actually started with Arch Linux exclusively on this PC, but eventually I started playing Helldivers 2 (which works on Linux but with graphical issues) and Call of Duty (which doesn't work at all on Linux), so I added a Windows partition. After 6 months of neglect, I finally removed the Arch Linux partition, and now after another 6 months I feel the urge to try it again.

Installing Arch went off without a hitch. I chose to use KDE, and started with a Wayland session. I installed Prism Launcher via Flatpak, and then set up the Minecraft modpack I play and connected to the server.

Unfortunately, I noticed that performance was substantially worse than on Windows. What the heck? It's hard to quantify, but if I look at both the minimum and average framerates that I experienced on both Windows and Linux, it appeared that Windows was generally 20-40 fps higher.

I installed and enabled MangoHud to see if that revealed any insights about the framerate. I unlocked the framerate and observed that the framerate was not as fast as I would like, but also that the CPU and GPU were not reaching 100% usage (or anything close to it.) My current thought is that perhaps there is a 'power profile' that is impacting this. Maybe Windows recognizes 'this is a game, throw everything we have at it' and my Linux system is not making that same connection? I plan to try using CoreCtrl or Feral GameMode to see if I can squeeze more frames out of my computer.

See what I mean? That's a lot of time spent trying to figure out how to get my games to work perfectly rather than just playing them. The problems I face aren't necessarily all that bad, but it's hard to justify even using Linux when my play setup on Windows is comparatively flawless.

JAN 24 UPDATE: I tried running CoreCtrl to ensure that my maximum clock speed was correct, and that an appropriate power profile was in use. That didn't seem to solve the problem. I also tried re-installing Arch Linux using the Arch Linux Archive to use the 'snapshot' of 2024-09-01 which used kernel 6.10.7 which allegedly predates some of these GPU problems, and that also didn't seem to fix it. I am quite frustrated! I keep saying to myself "wow, I guess I'm just TOO STUPID to use Linux!", which doesn't help anything, but I just can't stop myself.

JAN 25 UPDATE: I found and solved the issue. On a whim, I followed a link in the modpack's menu and found a performance guide which suggested that I should use Eclipse's JRE. That couldn't be it... could it? And it was. The only 3D applications I tried on Windows and Linux for comparison were Minecraft and the Unigine Superposition benchmark, and both performed worse on Linux which made me think the issue was not game specific. However, the difference for Minecraft was substantially larger, so it probably warranted game-specific investigation. Oh well! I'm satisfied for now. I'm going to try and play my desktop PC games on Linux unless Windows is specifically required.