I'm looking for a Linux distribution that provides the best support for Nvidia GPUs, specifically for game development purposes. I've previously used Linux Mint, which came with pre-installed drivers, but I still experienced sluggish performance during GPU-intensive tasks, and I couldn't get HDMI output to work properly. Any recommendations?
3 Answers
Most Linux distributions have similar Nvidia driver support now. If you're having trouble, it might be due to improper installation. Generally, for smooth onboarding, I recommend going with a Debian-based distro since they make it really simple to install the Nvidia drivers. Mint’s Driver Manager is especially user-friendly for this.
Did you ensure you used the latest Nvidia driver on Mint and not just the open-source version? That can make a big difference in performance. Switching to the proprietary driver might help you with the performance issues you're experiencing.
You should consider distros like Manjaro or EndeavourOS, which are Arch-based but still friendly for newcomers. They usually come with more up-to-date drivers. Also, I'd suggest sticking to X11 for gaming instead of Wayland since it's still more reliable for that purpose.
I just used Mint’s Driver Manager to get my drivers, so I might need to check if I got the latest version.