I'm considering moving from Windows to Linux, but I'm concerned about GPU performance and software compatibility. My system has an ASUS ProArt RTX 4080 and an Intel Core i9-13900K. I mainly use Lightroom, Photoshop, Fusion 360, Blender, DaVinci Resolve, and a little gaming. I've tried Ubuntu and Arch in the past but never fully switched. I've read that NVIDIA cards can perform worse on Linux, and that Pop!_OS is a common recommendation. How good are the NVIDIA drivers these days, and would Linux realistically support this kind of photo, video, CAD, and gaming workflow?
4 Answers
A dual-boot setup is probably the safest approach. Keep Windows for Adobe, Fusion 360, and any CAD tools that don’t behave properly under compatibility layers, then install Linux for Blender, Resolve, general use, and gaming. That lets you test the drivers and reproduce your workflow without immediately giving up the software you depend on.
You can experiment with a Linux distribution that has convenient NVIDIA support, but the desktop environment matters less than whether your applications work. Pop!_OS is one option, while a KDE-based distribution may provide a more polished desktop experience. I’d test everything from a separate drive or dual-boot installation before committing.
The biggest issue probably isn’t the NVIDIA driver. Blender and DaVinci Resolve have Linux support, and browser-based CAD tools such as Onshape work too, but modern Photoshop, Lightroom, and many Autodesk or mechanical-CAD applications don’t have native Linux versions. Running them through Wine or similar compatibility tools can be hit-or-miss, so you’d likely need to change parts of your workflow.
For NVIDIA hardware, the situation is generally much better than it used to be. Linux performance varies by game and API, but the old claim of a consistent 20% loss is outdated; with newer drivers, some games are close to Windows while others still perform worse, sometimes by up to around 10%. Compatibility and codecs may matter more than raw GPU speed for your editing work.
DaVinci Resolve does run on Linux, but certain proprietary codecs and export options can be limited, so check whether the media formats in your current projects are supported before switching completely.