I've been using Linux Mint Cinnamon for a little over a year and generally really like it, especially the Cinnamon desktop. Recently, though, my graphics driver has been failing while the system starts, sometimes leaving me with a black screen. I'm using an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, and changing to an older kernel hasn't solved it. I mainly use the computer for gaming, work, and a bit of CAD, so I'd prefer something that works with minimal tweaking. I'd also like to keep a familiar desktop if possible. What distributions would be worth trying?
5 Answers
If keeping the Cinnamon interface matters, there are other distributions that offer it, but the desktop environment itself probably isn’t what determines whether the driver works. For gaming and general productivity, Fedora, a gaming-oriented distribution, or even Kubuntu are reasonable candidates. Try them from USB and check suspend, gaming performance, and your CAD workflow before committing.
There isn’t one universally best distribution without knowing the rest of the hardware and workflow. Since you want things to work out of the box, prioritize a distribution with current AMD graphics support and good gaming packages. Make a backup first, then test several options rather than judging one from its name alone.
Fedora is worth a try. It generally ships newer kernels and graphics components than Mint, which can help with newer AMD hardware. Fedora KDE or Cinnamon-based alternatives could also give you a different desktop experience without being too far from what you already know.
Before switching, it may be worth checking whether this is specifically a recent AMD kernel or Mesa regression. Since the problem appeared with a 6800 XT and older kernels didn’t help, comparing live images from a few distributions could quickly show whether newer graphics packages actually fix it or whether the issue is hardware or firmware related.
You might look at a gaming-focused option such as Bazzite, or another distribution that tracks newer drivers. Those can be a good fit for gaming and may require less manual setup, although it’s still worth testing from a live USB first to make sure the 6800 XT behaves properly.
The 6800 XT is definitely the system’s GPU, and I’ve already tried an older kernel without much improvement. I’ll test a few live environments before reinstalling anything.