I was recently gifted a Dell Inspiron 7720 laptop. From what I understand, it has hybrid graphics (Intel 3rd gen integrated graphics + Nvidia GeForce GT 650M), which might be causing my issues.

My goal at this point is just run Steam and play basic/non-AAA games.

I first installed Linux Mint 22.3, but after hours of troubleshooting, I read that Mint 21.3 might have better compatibility, so I switched to that. Something about needing kernel 6.8 but not being able to get that working.

Linux is very new to me. I grew up on Windows and I’m using ChatGPT to help me, especially with terminsl commands. Unfortunately, I keep hitting different errors no matter what drivers or fixes I try.

Issues I’ve run into:

Mint 21.3:

• steamwebhelper won’t load • Steam gets stuck in a loop • vgui2\_s.so module fails to load

Mint 22.3:

• Steam launches, but games crash immediately

At this point I’m wondering:

• Is there a distro that works better with older hybrid Nvidia laptops like mine? • Is there a beginner-friendly guide I should follow instead of blindly trusting ChatGPTs suggestions? • A coworker suggested Bazzite — would that be a better choice? He certainly doesn’t have hardware as old as mine and I prefer the UI in mint.

Please keep in mind I’m basically a Linux beginner. I used to code a bit as a kid, but modern Linux feels overwhelming.

Any advice would really help. Thanks!

Obviously I used ChatGPT to clean this question up a bit, hope that doesn’t bug anyone but it’s damn sure better at formatting than I am.

submitted by /u/BallFlavin
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Hello everyone, I am fairly new to gaming on Linux and usually everything works fine but Arc Raiders specifically seems to not be playing nice.

For my specs I have:

• Core i7 12650H
• RTX 3050TI Mobile
• 32 GB of DDR5
• Linux Mint 22.3

In my experience there are multiple issues that I can come across, but the biggest ones are sometimes the game simply freezes before even loading into the menu, freezing in the menu, and freezing a few minutes into the game. When I am actually able to play performance is inconsistent as well. Sometimes DLSS seems to work fine and I get great FPS and other times I get stuck around 40-50 FPS with massive input delay for no reason that I can find and I'm unable to find what triggers the change. I have tried multiple versions of Proton and I am on the latest NVIDIA Driver but I am unable to find a solid fix. If anyone has any pointers I'd appreciate it.

submitted by /u/josiemaylinn
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Hey everyone,

While setting up my Arch Linux system for gaming, I got curious about how the standard Steam Runtime compares to Steam Native Runtime in real use, not benchmarks or theory.

I tested four games using Proton-GE via ProtonUp-Qt: Dota 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA V Enhanced, and Forza Horizon 5, switching between both runtimes and playing longer sessions instead of quick launches.

What really stood out is that there wasn't one clear 'winner.' The better runtime totally depended on the game. Forza ran smoother on standard, while Dota 2 felt better on native. It was often less about max FPS and more about those annoying micro-stutters or how stable it felt after an hour.

Honestly, the coolest part for me was just seeing Windows games run so well on Linux. I finally got to experience RDR2 at 60+ FPS on my older PC, which I never thought was possible on this hardware.

I documented my setup, Proton configuration, and the quirks I noticed per game here: Detailed breakdown with real gameplay notes.

Curious to hear how this lines up with your experience:

• Have you noticed runtime-specific behavior in certain games?
• Do you stick to one runtime, or switch per title?
• Any edge cases where Native clearly wins or loses?

Would love to compare notes.

submitted by /u/Moist_Aspect4955
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Lifelong Windows user here. Had some Linux experience before (Ubuntu Desktop and Server in IT school), so Linux wasn’t completely foreign to me but I never daily-drove it on my main PC.

I switched mainly because Windows 11 + NVIDIA drivers were giving me issues, I was never particularly worried about privacy on Windows either - realistically, sooner or later some corporation will find a way to collect data anyway, that’s just how things are now unfortunately.

I chosed Fedora KDE because:

- I feel comfortable enough to not need a fully beginner-focused distro like Linux Mint

- Cinnamon on Mint looks a bit outdated to me, and I was also worried about slower package updates compared to Fedora

- At the same time, I didn’t feel confident enough to daily-drive Arch

I expected a lot of troubleshooting, but… nothing major broke. NVIDIA issues seem way overblown tbh.

Some games even run better than on Windows. For example, Forza Horizon 5 gets same average FPS but much better 1% lows. I think it's due to Vulkan shader precompilation, on Windows I had heavy stuttering during race intro cutscenes (the rotating car scene), while on Linux everything is perfectly smooth.

I was also worried about FL Studio, but after installing it via Wine it just… works. Basically identical to Windows, and projects load noticeably faster. Only minor issue: screen won’t turn off during idle, usually after using Wine apps (but that’s a minor annoyance)

Overall: everything just works. I expected that sooner or later I’d have to go back to Windows, but at this point I have zero reasons to do so. Gaming works great, daily usage is smooth, and the system just feels good to use.

submitted by /u/siema_eniu_
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I'm looking for suggestions for a laptop to replace my rog ally X. Not the xbox one, the one before that. I don't need it to be super high end. At the moment I have my ally x for mobile gaming and a Lenovo - Yoga 7 2-in-1 with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 as my laptop for school and stuff. I'd like to reduce the amount of things to carry around, however, since I'm disabled and don't drive, so looking for a laptop now to combine gaming and such.

I have a desktop for heavier gaming (upgraded it for Monster Hunter Wilds lol), so I'm just looking for something about the same strength as the handheld. Any suggestions? I don't care if it has a dGPU or not, but an oled screen would be nice. I do photography as a hobby, and have some eye issues, so a non-oled screen isn't a dealbreaker, but, you know, nice bonus.

I primarily use Bazzite for gaming, while my current laptop is on Fedora Kinoite.

Also would like to keep it to less than 1500 if possible. I love sales and refurbished and open-box, so I'm happy to look for open box on higher priced laptops.

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With a fresh month here now it's February 2026, here's your most up to date look at what has been popular for players on the Steam Deck.

Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

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submitted by /u/Consistent_Pie6732
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I -Syyu ed my system yesterday in order to update my npm package which was needed by a IoT project I'm doing rn, so it updated the whole system.

Then Today I played Zenless Zone Zero and it gave me low fps, so I waited thinking the shaders might be recompiling after the update, but it remained constant, then after no improvement I rolled back the vulkan and mesa drivers and played for 20ish minutes again and saw no improvements again, finally I reverted my kernel back to what It was before the update, and guess what still no improvement.

I went from having constant 59-60 fps to 35-40 range and it's frustrating, please help, I'm a newbie in this whole under the hood gaming shenanigans

submitted by /u/DAISIES_BLOOM
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Recently picked up Hunt: Showdown because I was looking for a shooter that worked well on Linux. Great game, but I've been having some issues with frame pacing.

Simplest explanation is that whenever my GPU is at 100% usage, my input lag skyrockets and frame pacing ends up all over the place. That's not terribly abnormal, and I'm aware of workarounds for this problem like Nvidia Reflex and AMD Anti Lag 2, etc, but there doesn't seem to be anything like this for Linux, save for capping the FPS until I don't hit 100% usage anymore.

Just to note, I'm running on an AMD GPU (9070) on Wayland. I've also tried running in Gamescope, etc, to see if that helps with the frame pacing but no luck. I do have a VRR monitor, but that doesn't seem to make any difference.

Any advice?

Things I've tried that did not work:

Fiddling with V-sync both in-game and KDE's screen tearing options.

Running in Wayland and Gamescope.

VRR with varying configurations in Gamescope etc.

Forcing immediate presentation via environment variables

submitted by /u/Kazzei
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I know that something like CachyOS would be more appropriate for gaming, however i am using the desktop for more things and really like Mint. ​

Is there a way I can upgrade DLSS in my Steam games that use the standard Proton? It seems the PROTON_DLSS_UPGRADE=1 would not work in this case.

Thanks

submitted by /u/Plastic_Dinner_5455
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I personal pick Widelands. What do you like?

submitted by /u/Beer2401
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compatibility layer : proton-cachyos/ proton experimental

steam play is enabled, tried downloading the native version of Left 4 Dead 2 but that didn't even opened so tried playing this option...

the game runs only for the initial cutscene and then it shows that "steam should be running", altho steam is running.

submitted by /u/Logical_Parsley_9470
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Hi guys. I’m honestly really sad and pissed off right now, so I’m just going to say everything straight. I’m a Windows fan. Yes, I like Windows. I like Windows because I’ve been using it on my laptop and I genuinely enjoy it. It’s easy to use, the settings are simple, it’s customizable, my wallpaper and setup look cool, and I like watching videos about making Windows look clean and aesthetic. I like that kind of stuff. It feels simple and comfortable, and I don’t want to have to fight my OS just to do basic things. But recently I watched a video from a pretty famous PC/tech person, and he basically said that Windows is cooked. He talked about Microsoft forcing AI features, pushing accounts, adding things you don’t ask for, more tracking, and how it feels like you don’t really own Windows anymore — like you’re renting it. That honestly got me worried. I’m saving a lot of money to build my dream high-end PC, mainly to play games and enjoy my setup. And now I’m sitting here thinking: do I even own my system anymore? I don’t like the idea of my OS watching me, forcing stuff on me, or being able to turn things on or off whenever they want. I really want Windows to stay good without all that nonsense, but now I’m having second thoughts. Because of that, I started thinking maybe I should switch to Linux. The problem is… I kind of hate that idea. Not because Linux itself is bad, but because of the communities I always see online. Every time I see Linux videos, it’s always the loud, annoying people acting superior, turning everything into ideology, or just being weird and unbearable. That honestly made me dislike Linux over time. I even used to argue online saying Windows is better than Linux because I was fed up with it. Still, I tried to be open-minded. I asked ChatGPT what Linux distro is closest to Windows, easy to use, customizable, clean, and not complicated. He told me some names like Linux Mint and Zorin, which honestly sound fine. But then comes the biggest problem: gaming. I asked if I could play the games I actually want to play on Linux: PUBG Call of Duty Fortnite Battlefield (I’ve never played Battlefield before and really want to) And the answer was basically no. Either they don’t work, or anti-cheat blocks them, or you can even risk getting banned. That honestly pissed me off. These are the exact games I want to play. I haven’t played them in years. I used to have a PS4, but it died (RIP my PS4), and this PC is supposed to be my return to gaming. So now I’m stuck and angry. What’s the point of having a powerful high-end PC if I can’t play the games I care about? ChatGPT said I could still use Windows and just debloat it, remove all the nonsense, and keep control that way. But I’m still worried because Microsoft keeps forcing accounts, online sign-ins, AI stuff, and more restrictions. That really bothers me. At the same time, Linux feels like a dead end for the kind of gaming I want to do. And honestly, if people really want others to switch to Linux, then game developers and anti-cheat companies need to actually get off their asses and support it properly. You can’t expect gamers to give up half the games they want to play. So yeah — I’m confused, frustrated, and pissed off. Should I: Stick with Windows and debloat it as much as possible? Is Linux actually realistic for someone who wants modern online multiplayer games? Or is dual-booting the only real option?

submitted by /u/Ok_Cry_1222
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Problem: AMD 9070xt Red Devil.

Description: at random intervals, the screen cuts out and comes back without warning. Not sure what could be the cause but its bizarre and most definitely a hindrance. If any one has any fixes or troubleshooting ideas please let me know. Im new to running hardware more powerful than basic laptop specs on Linux but I have some familiarity with the OS beforehand. Any help is appreciated.

submitted by /u/Fun-Compote7349
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TL;DR:
Some mice with onboard debounce or firmware-side double-click behavior work fine on Windows but appear “blocked” on Linux due to libinput’s built-in button debouncing. This post explains why that happens and links to a script that disables the debounce plugin for advanced users who understand the risks.

What’s going on?

If you dual-boot Windows and Linux, you might notice that a mouse which behaves normally on Windows does not register rapid clicks or intentional double-clicks on Linux - not just in games, but system-wide.

This is usually caused by libinput’s button debounce plugin, which exists to suppress unintended double-clicks from failing hardware. Unfortunately, this also affects mice that already handle debouncing correctly in firmware.

This is not a Minecraft-only issue - it affects all applications. I personally noticed it while gaming, which is why I’m sharing this here.

What this does (important)

• Disables libinput’s button debounce plugin
• Does not modify games or bypass server-side checks
• Affects all mouse input system-wide
• Intended only for advanced users OR (in simpler words) users who understand the risks AND know how to use a tty

This involves rebuilding and installing libinput.
If that sounds scary, do not proceed. This modifies a core input library and is intended only for users who are comfortable recovering their system using a TTY or live USB if something goes wrong.

I will try to keep the repository updated with fixes, but this remains experimental.

The solution

I’ve documented and automated the process in a GitHub repo here:

https://github.com/sudo-master1/libinput-debounce-patcher-

The repo contains:

• Explanation of what is being patched
• A maintained script (instead of a giant command) (in progress)
• Recovery instructions if something goes wrong

Please read the README fully before trying it.

Requirements

You’ll need standard build tools, such as:

• git
• meson
• ninja

(Exact package names depend on your distro.)

Recovery / safety

If anything breaks:

• Reinstall libinput using your package manager (example: sudo pacman -S libinput)
• In rare cases, this can be done from a TTY or live USB

This is experimental and provided as-is.

Final notes

I’m sharing this because it solved a real issue for me and others using Linux with certain mice.
If you have suggestions, improvements, or concerns - feedback is welcome.

Btw this post has been translated and corrected by other tools that include llms as English is not my first language

submitted by /u/SeparatePin2828
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I'm looking to buy a new controller. G7 Pro really caught my eye, looks like really well built controller.

How well is it working on linux? I'm running Fedora.

submitted by /u/Vice_1337
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Hi, I'm trying to plan The Finals with RTX on an RX 9070-xt withMesa-git, and I receive this error whenever I start a game with RT on. I tried both proton experimental and proton GE and I tried launching with VID3D_CONFIG=dxr and RADV_PERFTEST=rt. The distro is Manjaro.

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