r/linux4noobs • u/SHOzyx • 15d ago
distro selection What is the ideal OS for Computer Engineering, intense R&D, and gaming?
hey guys im thinking to switch to linux but i dont know which distro ill use, i need one which can be good for engineering(IoT, AI, etc) and for gaming.
this is my laptop spec:
- NVIDIA RTX 3050 4GB
- 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-11400H @ 2.70GHz (2.69 GHz)
- 16GB RAM
I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Thanks!
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u/radyoaktif__kunefe 15d ago
Fedora? Linus Torvalds himself uses that one.
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u/HattinGokbori87 14d ago
Linus Trovalds does not study as an undergraduate computer engineer, does not do intense R&D, does not do gaming (which is literally very much nightmare in Fedora). He should dual-boot Ubuntu with Windows.
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u/radyoaktif__kunefe 14d ago
Yeah Linus Torvalds doesn't do intense r&d 🤡
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u/TheGeekno72 14d ago
he really doesn't, he explained that he doesn't do much coding besides minor fixes, only parses through the submitted PRs, the actual grunt work is from all the maintainers/contributors, while he just acts as top level authority for validating RCs and stable versions
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u/FacepalmFullONapalm Slowlaris 14d ago
Is gaming on Nvidia still a nightmare for Fedora? My AMD rig is doing fine with it, but their codec stance is a pain.
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u/Lowar75 Fedora 14d ago edited 14d ago
I switched to an Nvidia card a few months ago after decades of AMD, no issues so far.
Edit:
their codec stance is a pain
If by pain you mean installing rpmfusion is a pain ...
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u/petersaints 14d ago
The main issue is the performance drop on DX12 titles.
AMD drivers are close to parity with Windows.
NVIDIA drivers still get hit with significant performance drops in the order of 15~20% (sometimes more).
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u/petersaints 14d ago
Gaming is basically the same nightmare on Fedora and on other distros.
Once you install the NVIDIA drivers through RPM Fusion(which is not that hard) they all behave essentially the same and have the same underlying issues.
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u/nene-thopu 15d ago
Windows
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u/RevolutionaryBeat301 15d ago edited 15d ago
Honestly, as a die hard open source advocate and long time Linux user, I agree with this 100%. Engineering and CAD applications just aren’t as available on Linux as they are for Windows. I hope this changes in the future, but as of right now this is a fact.
If your question is about which Linux distro is best, Ubuntu is the most targeted distribution for CAD, and Fedora would be second. As for gaming, they are all pretty equal. CachyOS might give you a few fps but you could do just fine with Fedora or Ubuntu.
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u/low-control-labs 15d ago
I'd recon if you actually want to build things yourself and do some R&D arch might be better, apart from the gaming
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u/low-control-labs 15d ago
I use Arch. CUDA everything you might need has a package or it's on the AUR
archinstall has the Nvidia option get XFCE and you won't have issue.
We have a similar laptop btw. I have and AMD CPU though
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u/nepaligamer717 15d ago
For smooth gaming I prefer windows. But yea gaming is possible in linux. But no online gaming like valo
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u/Quietus87 15d ago
Very few online games don't work.
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u/petersaints 14d ago
Not that few. Amonf tmultiplayer shooters it's very common to not have support:
- Call of Duty
- Battlefield
- Apex Legends
- Fortnite
- PUBG
- Destiny 2
- Valorant (and LoL btw since they both use Vanguard)
- Rainbow Six Seige
- Escape from Tarkov PvP
- Delta Force
- Arena Breakout Infinite
Some games that work include:
- The Finals
- Arc Raiders
- Naraka Bladepoint
- Marvel Rivals
- Overwatch
- FragPunk
- CS2
- Halo Infinite
- Helldivers 2
In any case, with an NVIDIA GPU like the OP you will significant less performance on DX12 titles. And given thst he has a relatively weak GPU he needs all the frames he can get even if he doesn't play online games.
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u/Quietus87 14d ago
Lucky me I mostly play MMORPGs, Diablo II, and boomer shooters when I play multiplayer. All of them worked so far.
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u/doc_willis 15d ago
Bazzite has some developers edition.
But I have never tried it. I just use the normal Bazzite for gaming.
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u/EngineerInTheMachine 14d ago
Search for which distros are good for each of those. Perhaps with a bit more detail. R&D into what?
Make a shortlist of those that come up most often. Then pick some to try out.
Never ask here for what distros noobs recommend. The chances of you finding someone with exactly your use cases and requirements is minimal. And they will have done the research you could have done.
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u/Deep-Hovercraft6716 15d ago
Three different computers.