Intel Arc B580 good pairing for Steam build?

[lettuce]

So am considering build a Steam Machine like system, will be built on a AM4 mobo, from parts I have lying around and buying only 2nd hand where I can.

Was looking at AMD GPUs as I will used SteamOS so something like a rx 6700 xt (want to keep the system below £600 if possible) but then got to thinking about using Bazzite OS and then wouldn't be stuck to using just AMD GPUs.

So was looking at maybe a Intel Arc B580, these seem to come up a bit cheaper on the 2nd market than something like a rx 7600 xt or GTX 3060 and would suggest better performance?.....but how would a Intel GPU perform on Linux based OS like Bazzite or SteamOS compared to AMD or Nvidia?

P.S - Is there any downside to using Bazzite over SteamOS?

 

[HarryBizzle]

I think even on Bazzite you’re going to have trouble with drivers.

I would probably go with Bazzite even if going AMD. SteamOS is really built for their stuff and I think you will likely get more timely kernel and driver updates with Bazzite.

I recently put Bazzite on a 9070 XT system and have been very pleased with it.

You might also want to consider something with RDNA3 for better FSR4 support. Bazzite now has a global toggle for this via the terminal.

 

[lettuce]

Thanks for the reply. I was under the impression Bazzite was 'plug and play' with all GPUs

 

[randal]

I'm running Bazzite with a 9060XT for the lounge machine and it's been tremendous, few pesos more than a B580 but it's been effortless. Works out of the box, no issues.

Highly recommend AMD over Intel for Linux support. I also run Debian as my main OS with a 9070XT and that's been great too.

 

[HarryBizzle]

Thanks for the reply. I was under the impression Bazzite was 'plug and play' with all GPUs

Hardware Compatibility for Gaming - Bazzite Documentation

Bazzite is a custom image built upon Fedora Atomic Desktops that brings the best of Linux gaming to all of your devices.

docs.bazzite.gg

With the "deck" image - the one that boots straight into gaming mode, they say "minor caveats."

Ultimately, I would want as little hardware friction as possible which is why I went AMD, but it looks like there's a good bit of info out there re: Intel and Linux so might be worth looking into further.

In the PC in my study I managed to get a Pulse 9060 XT and sold my 6700XT so it only cost me about £100 to upgrade and I would say whilst in terms of rasterisation it's a sidestep, FSR4 (or similar quality upscaler, dunno what XESS support is like on Linux) is a must for me. Has made that PC actually usable in games that just looked incredibly ugly with FSR3. Sadly the price has rocketed from the £299.99 Black Friday deals.

It's also lovely and quiet if that's a factor for you.