The newly released Ryzen 9000 series desktop CPUs from AMD are now on the market, and recent performance comparisons indicate that these processors deliver better performance on Linux than on Windows 11, especially in gaming scenarios.
A detailed analysis by PC Games Hardware reveals that Linux outperforms Windows 11 on Ryzen 9000 series CPUs when it comes to gaming. Tests conducted on popular Linux distributions optimized for gaming, like Nobara, demonstrate higher frame rates and smoother gameplay compared to the same setups running Windows 11.
While the performance gains for Linux are not groundbreaking, they are noticeable, typically ranging from 5% to 10%. Even in games like World of Warcraft where the performance difference is minimal at only 2%, Linux consistently delivers better average frame rates and reduced frame time variances, resulting in a more stable gaming experience, especially in demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077.
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Linux’s superior performance can be attributed to its efficient resource management. Its lightweight and customizable nature allows it to make better use of the advanced architecture of Ryzen 9000 series processors, particularly in managing CPU threads and memory, resulting in improved multitasking and reduced latency during gaming.
On the other hand, Windows 11, while a popular choice among gamers, seems to lag in optimizing performance for the Ryzen 9000 series. While it still provides a good gaming experience, Windows 11 falls short of Linux’s performance on the same hardware in direct comparisons.
There could be several reasons for this, including Windows 11’s complexity with numerous background processes, security features, and resource management, which may impact its performance on these newer Ryzen CPUs.
Recent testing by Hardware Unboxed also suggested that Windows 10 outperformed Windows 11 in newer games, although the latest Ryzen 9000 series CPUs and Linux were not part of that comparison.
In our testing of the Ryzen 9 9950X and Ryzen 9 9900X, we found that while these processors excel in multi-threaded workloads, the gaming performance improvements are less significant compared to previous generations.
