What GPU is the BEST for Linux Gaming?

Quick Overview

AMD emerges as the clear winner for Linux gaming performance across the tested GPUs, delivering overall better results than both NVIDIA and Intel, especially when considering the driver stability and feature set improvements in newer Linux distributions like Ubuntu 25.10.

Key Points: AMD's RX 9070 16GB showed the best overall performance on Linux, sometimes even outperforming Windows 11 in specific benchmarks like Strange Brigade (277 FPS on Ubuntu vs 281 FPS on Windows 11, indicating a near-tie or slight edge in that specific game). The Intel Arc B580 12GB suffered significant performance regressions on Linux (Ubuntu 25.10) compared to Windows 11, with native rasterization being up to 30.4% slower at 1080p, and failing outright (DNF) in Forza Horizon 5. NVIDIA's RTX 4060 Ti 16GB showed a substantial performance gap on Linux, with Windows 11 being significantly faster across most titles, although Ray Tracing performance on the 4060 Ti was slightly better on Ubuntu in Cyberpunk 2077. The setup process for NVIDIA required manual driver installation from the NVIDIA website, whereas AMD's drivers were baked into the newer Ubuntu 25.04 LTS kernel, making the setup easier for AMD users. The overall conclusion is that AMD currently offers the most mature and reliable GPU experience for Linux gaming, while Intel is showing promise but is not yet ready for mainstream adoption. The video highlights the importance of driver maturity, noting that while older Linux versions (Ubuntu 24.04) showed severe issues (like crashes or poor performance), newer versions (Ubuntu 25.10) resolved many of these problems.

Context: This video investigates the state of GPU performance for gaming on Linux by comparing recent high-end graphics cards from AMD (RX 7700 XT, RX 9070), NVIDIA (RTX 4060 Ti, RTX 5060 Ti), and Intel (Arc B580). The testing focuses on comparing performance between Windows 11 (24H2) and the latest Ubuntu LTS version (25.10), specifically looking at average frames per second (FPS) across five demanding games without Ray Tracing enabled, and then a secondary test with Ray Tracing enabled on the Intel card.