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Copper Boltwire Oct 17 @ 5:51pm
Bazzite vs Fedora? (Since SteamOS Desktop is not yet out...)
I'm already on a Linux distro: Nobara -- Thanks everyone for your help and advise!

So i see a lot of 'buzz' around Bazzite and my duckduckgo searches pointed me at Fedora as replacement for Win11 (which i currently suffer from).

My question is this: Which should i pick? And why?
I'm doing a total replacement come January.

I just like to know which OS would be a better choice. I have a bit of experience with Linux beyond SteamOS on the Deck, did some work in Mint some years back, and i recently 'salvaged' an old laptop, installing Lubuntu on it just so my mother can use it for Discord and Youtube and Netflix. Works fine, software wise, but the hardware is OLD. 17 years to be precise, hehe.
Anyways. Enough rambles. I want to replace my current Win11 OS with a Linux OS, and since SteamOS is not yet available for Desktops, the only 2 options i can see is Bazzite and Fedora.
I'm soooo sick and tired of Microsoft trying to screw over their customers, and the more i gotta deal with this tension headache inducing OS, the worse. So Time to start fresh. Come what may.

For those of you who might ask for the specs of my PC:
**__Computer__:** Shark Series 'Ultimator' gaming computer From SharkGaming.dk (08/2025)
**Value:** 15.378,- DKK ($2,393.76 USD)
**Motherboard:** ASUS B850 PLUS TUF Gaming WIFI
**CPU:** AMD Ryzen 7 9700X
**GPU:** GIGABYTE Radeon RX 9070 XT GAMING 16GB
**RAM:** 1x Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 6000MHz 2x16GB RAM
**Storage 1:** 1 x Kingston NV3 2000GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
**Storage 2:** 1 x Kingston NV3 2000GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD
**CPU cooler:** 1 x SharkGaming Bloodfreezer 240 water cooler
**Pump Cap:** 1 x SharkGaming Pump Cap ARGB
**Power Supply:** 1 x FSP Vita BD 850W

One other question, 2nd storage drive is formatted for Win11, but has nothing but files from the internet on it (a few pictures and mods for various games). Can Bazzite/Fedora see them still if i leave the drive alone while the main drive has it's data replaced with the new OS?
If yes, then i could use it as a backup. Else i need to use a USB drive.

I'm already on a Linux distro: Nobara -- Thanks everyone for your help and advise!
Last edited by Copper Boltwire; Oct 21 @ 9:11am
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Originally posted by @R+5:
nobara os is also based in fedora, but unlike normal fedora, it comes with gaming extras similar to bazzite. also, includes a script to easily install davinci resolve, and you can more easily modify it, which isnt the case with bazzite.

bazzite was made to be harder to break, so new users wont be able to change settings or install as many things directly, in a way that creates issues for them. in nobara os, that can happen more easily, since nothing is locked.

like bazzite, theres a version of nobara os (htpc version) which includes "steam deck mode", which allows to change the same settings available in steam deck "gaming mode".

if you want to use your pc for more things than gaming, imo nobara os (htpc version) is a good option; if you want to only do gaming, and an "immutable system", bazzite is a better option. also, nobara os is made by the same dev ("glorious eggroll") that frequently improves the code of proton, so i will guess nobara os should offer a closer relation to reduce bugs or unexpected issues.

fedora "vanilla", for gaming, is not a good option: you will need to manually install everything, including useful tools that are already available in both bazzite or nobara os

"Why You Should Game on Linux (feat. GloriousEggroll of Nobara)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwpTAk_IiyU
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Showing 1-11 of 11 comments
Shugo Oct 17 @ 6:09pm 
Bazzite is a gaming oriented Fedora, so......... technically the same

just what is easier for you to use
#1
Gengear Oct 17 @ 6:38pm 
Bazzite if youre focused on gaming, Fedora if you're not so gaming focused.

Bazzite and fedora are from the same tree, bazzite has more integrated or newer gaming features
#2
PoorPocketsMcNewHold Oct 17 @ 6:57pm 
For the second question, yes. There is native support for the natively support the diverse FAT32 and exFAT partitions as well as ntfs windows partitions in the Linux kernel. However, there is a lot of issues with playing games on such partitions. You are fine using it as a pure backup or just some data drive. But if you want to use your game files, either reformat it, or copy the game files onto a freshly formatted drive in ext4, xfs or btrfs for example.
#3
The author of this thread has indicated that this post answers the original topic.
@R+5 Oct 17 @ 7:40pm 
nobara os is also based in fedora, but unlike normal fedora, it comes with gaming extras similar to bazzite. also, includes a script to easily install davinci resolve, and you can more easily modify it, which isnt the case with bazzite.

bazzite was made to be harder to break, so new users wont be able to change settings or install as many things directly, in a way that creates issues for them. in nobara os, that can happen more easily, since nothing is locked.

like bazzite, theres a version of nobara os (htpc version) which includes "steam deck mode", which allows to change the same settings available in steam deck "gaming mode".

if you want to use your pc for more things than gaming, imo nobara os (htpc version) is a good option; if you want to only do gaming, and an "immutable system", bazzite is a better option. also, nobara os is made by the same dev ("glorious eggroll") that frequently improves the code of proton, so i will guess nobara os should offer a closer relation to reduce bugs or unexpected issues.

fedora "vanilla", for gaming, is not a good option: you will need to manually install everything, including useful tools that are already available in both bazzite or nobara os

"Why You Should Game on Linux (feat. GloriousEggroll of Nobara)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwpTAk_IiyU
Last edited by @R+5; Oct 17 @ 7:49pm
#4
Wamp-Bier Oct 18 @ 11:43pm 
As @R+5 suggests, I would also say Nobara. It's really a great Fedora variant, if you're a gamer. It comes with all the stuff you need for gaming and is always very up to date in terms of the kernel, the DE (KDE or GNOME) and drivers. It's easy to use and a lot of fun. Just use the standart download, if you have an AMD GPU. It will use KDE as the desktop and is perfect, if you are used to Windows. Download the GNOME Version, if you like MacOS or Android, since it's is somewhat of a mixture of both in terms of the desktop-experience. If you have a NVIDIA GPU, then scroll down on the Nobara download page and download the NVIDIA iso.
#5
Copper Boltwire Oct 19 @ 4:59am 
I got Ventoy loaded with Nobara now. and when i'm ready, i'll replace my OS.

Thanks a lot for the input everyone. several other people from various discords also gave me input and while i saw bazzit mentioned a few times, Nobara was a clear winner.
So it clearly is going to be my new default OS.

Thanks everyone for your input!
#6
theshadow Oct 19 @ 8:15am 
I had thought Steam OS was forked off, or took inspiration from, Manjaro linux (which is an arch variant); Manjaro might be another alternative to Bazzite.
#7
Wamp-Bier Oct 21 @ 5:45am 
Originally posted by Copper Boltwire:
I got Ventoy loaded with Nobara now. and when i'm ready, i'll replace my OS.

Thanks a lot for the input everyone. several other people from various discords also gave me input and while i saw bazzit mentioned a few times, Nobara was a clear winner.
So it clearly is going to be my new default OS.

Thanks everyone for your input!

There is also one very importend little advise for gaming on Linux, no matter which distro you use:

There is a little app with the name ProtonPlus. Nobara has it already preinstalled...
After you logged yourself into Steam, open that app while Steam isn't running. If Steam is running, just close it or restart it, after you used ProtonPlus. And what you have to do is:

In ProtonPlus, click on Proton-GE or on Proton-CachyOS, it doesn't Matter which one you choose. There you have to download the latest version. So if you choose Proton-GE, download Proton-GE Latest and if you choose Proton-CachyOS, download cachyos-10.0-20251017-slsr-v3, which would be the latest one atm. It could be a different one, when you are going to download it, because these custom Proton variants get updated frequently.

To set ProtonGE for a game on Steam after installing the latest ProtonGE version, follow these steps:

Restart Steam after installing ProtonGE or Proton-CachyOS so that the new Proton version appears in Steam's compatibility tools list.

-Go to your Steam Library and right-click the game you want to run with your new Proton version.

-Select "Properties" from the context menu.

-In the Properties window, go to the "Compatibility" tab.

-Check "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool."

-From the dropdown menu that appears, select the installed ProtonGE or Proton-CachyOS version.

Close the Properties window and launch the game as usual. It will now use ProtonGE instead of the default Proton version.

This enables running the game with the custom ProtonGE that might offer better compatibility or performance for certain games. You have to do this only once for each game. But you have to do it again, after updating to a newer Custom-Proton Version with ProtonPlus, which you should do ca. twice a month.

There are some games, which won't start, if you don't use one of these Custom-Protons.
Last edited by Wamp-Bier; Oct 21 @ 5:46am
#8
Copper Boltwire Oct 21 @ 9:18am 
Wamp-bier; Three things i gotta tell you.
  1. Thanks a lot for that little guide. I had forgotten about that feature, i didn't use it much on Steam Deck, but i think it'll be used a lot more in the future.
    Abiotic Factor however seems to 'just work' out of the box, and i doubt i need to mess with the custom ProtonGE when it works just fine. but other games might need the custom one.
  2. Gawd dang your name makes me think of a music player i had nearly forgotten about.
    WinAmp ("It really whips the llamas azz")
  3. I have already migrated to Nobara, and so far i love it. Still lots to learn. but it has grown on me fast. (Plus those widgets are just phenomenal!)
#9
Wamp-Bier Oct 21 @ 1:00pm 
Originally posted by Copper Boltwire:
Wamp-bier; Three things i gotta tell you.
  1. Thanks a lot for that little guide. I had forgotten about that feature, i didn't use it much on Steam Deck, but i think it'll be used a lot more in the future.
    Abiotic Factor however seems to 'just work' out of the box, and i doubt i need to mess with the custom ProtonGE when it works just fine. but other games might need the custom one.
  2. Gawd dang your name makes me think of a music player i had nearly forgotten about.
    WinAmp ("It really whips the llamas azz")
  3. I have already migrated to Nobara, and so far i love it. Still lots to learn. but it has grown on me fast. (Plus those widgets are just phenomenal!)

You already migrated to Nobara? Nice! And of course you are right: You don't need to use a custom Proton solution if you don't have any problems starting or playing a game. But if you try to start a game and nothing happens or videos are not being played properly, which will occur sooner or later, then you should use Proton-GE or Proton-CachyOS.

Funny that my name reminds you of Winamp. I still remember using Winamp in the 90s, on a very, very slow PC to play mp3s. The MP3 codec was still very "fresh" these days and it was an absolute game changer, since there were no other usable compression formats. I only had a 420 mb harddrive and when I ripped a music cd, it often wouldn't even fit on my harddrive. Winamp was the first player I used to play mp3s, but I had to compress them with a very low bitrate to play them, because my PC was to slow :steamfacepalm: These were funny days...

My name Wamp-Bier is a pun where the name sounds like 'vampire,' but actually means 'beer belly' in German. It's a fun play on words combining the sound of 'vampire' with the idea of enjoying beer. Wamp is the short-form of Wampe (belly) and Bier is just the german word for beer. Even Germans don't always get the joke right away when they read it. You have to say it out loud for it to sound exactly like “Vampir.” But once they get it, they often laugh their heads off. I've seen this happen a lot, especially in PVP matches. Unfortunately, of course, it's only funny to German speakers. Maybe I'll go back to using a more international name soon. Like Wholy-Cheezus, for example. :lunar2019grinningpig:
Last edited by Wamp-Bier; Oct 21 @ 1:00pm
#10
Copper Boltwire Oct 21 @ 5:45pm 
hehehe.
My own name is "Copper" like the main protag from Lands of Lore 3.
Boltwire is a play on barbed/spiked wire. But unlike the sharp/pointy wire, Bolt wire is just annoying because it'll still snag on clothing like Spiked wire would, but not ruin the clothing.
I don't know... Just a random idea i had a long time ago.

Going to replace "Copper Boltwire" with a new name. Wait. Might actually be able to do that now, now that i think about it.

EDIT: There, done that, will take a little bit for it to update, as far as i know.
New profile will also be made soon.
Last edited by Copper Boltwire; Oct 21 @ 5:48pm
#11
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Date Posted: Oct 17 @ 5:51pm
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