I just installed Linux Mint and want to play some lightweight games, but I've been having issues with performance. While I was able to get stable 144fps+ with vsync on Windows, on Linux the performance drops significantly. For instance, DDNet barely hits 144fps without vsync sometimes, and even switching to low detail modes gives me high numbers, yet the display feels capped at 60fps. I'm also noticing choppy mouse movements, which seems related to refresh rates. From my research, I understand that X11 might be causing these gaming issues, but I see many people gaming on Linux Mint successfully. I'd like to explore using KDE Plasma with Wayland for better performance, but I'm not sure if I should just install KDE Wayland on Mint or switch to a different distro that fully supports it. If I do switch, I'm looking for something similar to Linux Mint. My hardware includes an NVIDIA GeForce GT710 GPU, Intel Core i3-3220 CPU, and 8GB DDR3 RAM. What should I do?
3 Answers
If you're aiming for KDE Plasma and Wayland, switching to a distro that supports it would be your best bet. Try options like OpenSUSE, Fedora, or even just stick with Kubuntu. I found that switching to OpenSUSE worked wonders for my gaming setup. However, keep in mind that your GPU might hold you back, as NVIDIA drivers can be tricky on Linux. You might want to upgrade your graphics card for better results in the future.
Your issues might not be about the desktop environment itself but rather your GPU. NVIDIA sometimes has compatibility problems with Linux. If you can, switching to an AMD GPU could provide a more seamless experience. Also, while KDE can work with Mint, depending on your hardware, you might still face performance issues.
I wouldn't recommend installing KDE on Linux Mint since it's not officially supported. If you want the best experience with KDE Plasma and Wayland, consider switching to a distro like Kubuntu. That's designed for KDE and will likely give you better performance for gaming. Also, launching your games from Steam or Lutris can sometimes help with performance since they provide the necessary runtimes that might be lacking in your Mint setup.
I am launching my games via Steam, but I'm still facing low fps. It seems like it's mainly due to the game window's refresh rate locking at 60fps.
I plan to upgrade my PC soon, but until then, I'm stuck using Linux while I figure out my Windows installation issues. I've noticed Windows generally handles games better for me, which is frustrating!