My GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER has served me well, but I've been running into recurring NVIDIA-related issues on Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS with COSMIC, Wayland, and a recent 7.0.11-76070011-generic kernel. I'm considering switching to a different GPU manufacturer for better Linux compatibility and would prefer an AMD card with at least a modest performance improvement for newer games.
My system has an Intel Core i9-10900F, about 32 GiB of RAM, a 2 TB Samsung NVMe SSD, and the RTX 2070 SUPER. I'm hoping to spend around $50–$100, and I'm open to older, used, open-box, or aftermarket hardware. If that budget is unrealistic for a worthwhile upgrade, I'm willing to wait for prices to drop. Which AMD GPUs would be good choices for Linux, and are there any compatibility or performance issues I should know about?
4 Answers
For Linux, AMD’s RX 5000 and RX 6000 cards with at least 8 GB of VRAM are generally sensible choices. At the very low end, used RX 470, RX 480, RX 570, RX 580, or RX 590 8 GB models may fit your budget, although they would be more of a cheap replacement than an upgrade over the 2070 SUPER. Stick with a reputable board partner and avoid questionable imports. Tools such as LACT can help with undervolting and tuning.
A meaningful upgrade from a 2070 SUPER probably won’t fit within a $100 budget. For a noticeable step up, look for a used RX 6700 XT or something faster, but those are more commonly around $150–$200 or higher depending on the market.
Intel Arc cards are another alternative, but their Linux support can still be inconsistent and game-specific. When they work, they can be fine, but troubleshooting tends to be less predictable than with AMD. Also, it may be worth identifying the exact NVIDIA problem first, since some issues could be caused by the desktop environment, Wayland session, kernel, or driver configuration rather than the GPU itself.
For a newer AMD option, consider an RX 6700 XT or better from the 6000 series, an RX 7600 XT or better from the 7000 series, or a 16 GB RX 9060 XT if your budget allows. AMD is usually the simplest choice for an open Linux graphics stack, but check current game support and pricing before buying.
The main issue is that NVIDIA and my preferred Linux setup keep having compatibility problems. I’d rather keep the operating system and replace the hardware if AMD offers a smoother experience.