I’ve been working on converting my gaming PC to Linux for a few weeks, but everything is running, but it all is just a little jankier than I would like.
I have an 8th gen Intel i7 and an Rtx 2070, running Arch linux.
Sometimes I boot up and my mouse doesn’t work and I have to restart. Sometimes I launch games and they just don’t launch right.
It feels like I’m doing a lot of work for no benefit. In fact, Elden ring runs way worse on my Linux partition than my Windows partition.
I’ve tried GE proton, gamemode, steam compatibility, everything… I’m sorry but I’m going to have to stick with Windows for gaming.
As someone who recommends Arch to new users that have some familiarity with CLI AND also likes to tinker, I will always advise to check their wiki and forum. Check for the very specific problem you’re having. Even the model sometimes helps. From other comments, I see you’re mentioning logitech, maybe this wiki entry will help, but maybe it won’t. In which case, search for more information. Check their wiki entry for other logitech mice, for wireless mice, for general mice.
Now, onto the next issue, what do you mean by not launch right? From there, maybe I can help with the issue.
This is also why I recommend this to someone that would like to tinker with their system. Arch requires a lot of reading. But once you understand it, it becomes “yours” and you obtain a lot of knowledge about the system that you’re using.
Now, for everyone who doesn’t like to tinker, use bazzite. I heard that it just works™.
That’s exactly the reason you shouldn’t recommend Arch for new users. New users, even those who like to tinker, don’t want to read pages upon pages of wikis to get basic shit working. They want something that works that they can tinker with.
90% sure OP installed the wrong drivers, probably because he missed some note on which to install or a configuration to switch them. Also very likely the mouse issue is related to some random udev rule or package he installed trying to solve something, Logitech mouses just work out of the box.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Arch, have been using it as my main distro for over 15 years, but it’s definitely NOT for new users, even those who like to tinker with their system, Ubuntu is just as tinkerable, but Arch you need to build up. Imagine someone saying they are interested in decorating their home and you recommend them to build their house from scratch while having nowhere to live. This is why it’s important that new users have a comfortable place they can go back if things don’t work, and if you don’t give it to them they’ll obviously return to Windows.
Yeah, I may need to rethink my recommendation for the future. Especially their willingness to read and patience. I am happy to guide anyone if they asked and hence why I usually recommend it.
Regarding the random udev rule, I doubt it was that. Cooler Master mouse has known issue in Linux in which they don’t wake up from sleep when using the dongle. So it could just be the mouse regardless of the distro.
As for the wrong driver, the OP stated that he experiences stutter for certain games but not for others. As I said, I am not an expert for troubleshooting stutter as it could be from a lot of factors. But I doubt OP installed the wrong driver. Wrong drivers usually lead to more uniform glitches across the board.
The mouse is Logitech, which afaik doesn’t have any issues (at least all of my Logitech mice have always just worked).
The drivers can impact performance worse on some games and cause glitches in others. I remember a while back getting some texture issues on Nvidia but not on nouveau (even though the performance was worse).
Well, “just works” depends on how you define it too. But yeah, most of the “basic” stuff just works. But I will not rule out the possibility of unsupported HW just because I have my fair share of it too. For example, I’d say a keyboard is working if they are able to be used as an input device. Even without the customization or sleep, or wake from sleep. Granted, the issue being unrecognized or not working at all is very much borked tho. Hence why I request the details of the mouse itself.
Now you mention degraded performance and glitches. Yes, I do know that. But as I said, my statement regarding the wrong driver usually entails a lot more dramatic bug than a stutter on only known 2 games. Further investigations are needed to correctly decide if it is the driver or not since we know that a compatibility layer is also playing a part here. It is also why I suggest searching the protondb to check the current support for the game. Linux gaming, as good as it is now, is not perfect yet.
Thanks for the reply.
My main issue is stuttering with baldur’s gate 3 and elden ring, both performing worse than their windows equivalent installations. Also I got HDR working in the desktop with KDE plasma, but the option just isn’t available in games.
Finally, the brightness on my monitor seems to be all over the place.
For now I plan on keeping Linux on one of my drives (maybe try another distro, or just stick to less demanding games) and using Windows for AAA games.
Alright, the stuttering is not my forte for troubleshooting. It could be from the driver but it could also be just the compatibility layer or myriad of other factors. I don’t play those games myself too. However, you can try searching for protondb to see the state of the game support on linux. Here is for Elden Ring for example. And be sure to actually check the review as it really reflects the state of games. You can also try looking for those with the same hardware and see if they comment on any issue. That can at least help weed out some potential problems.
And regarding HDR in KDE, have you also read the wiki regarding HDR in game? more info also available on the HDR monitor support page. HDR is still experimental so you still need to install packages from AUR for games.
Lastly, the brightness issue. Can you describe it in more detail? Like, does it happen when you are turning HDR on or is it happening regardless of HDR? And what does it mean the brightness is all over the place? Is it happening when you are consuming video content? I have an OLED for example, and the black is always the same regardless of the brightness. So are you sure it isn’t from the content itself?
The stuttering is probably the compatibility layer, it doesn’t do it in helldivers, for instance. So I think it’s game specific
Thanks for the Hdr link. I have enabled it for desktop but didn’t realize steam was different.
For the brightness, HDR is enabled, but it seems like it “forgets” what brightness is supposed to be until I wiggle the slider. And every time I boot the pc the brightness needs to be at a different number to match my non HDR monitor. Probably just growing pains with a beta feature, I would guess.
Yep, the problem with the compatibility layer is that a game can be very particular about the version too.
You’re very welcome. This is after all, the essence of Arch. Now you know what is happening and why HDR is not yet widespread on other linux. On the other hand, you get to experience HDR gaming when other distros may not yet support it.
I can confirm that I do have the same issue regarding brightness. However, I never tried to investigate further as my mechanical keyboard has a fn keys to adjust brightness (fn + f1/f2) so I don’t need to open settings to wiggle the slider. I can understand that it can be an issue for others. I suggest reading more regarding display and monitor. If all else fails, try asking the forum. I think it is DE specific (because wayland).