Valve’s Steam Deck runs Linux, time the Asus ROG Best friend is a Home windows device. However each are computer systems, so you’ll set up what you wish to have on them. Phoronix when put next Valve’s Steam Deck and the unused Asus ROG Best friend on Linux explicitly to peer which hand held console is healthier at gaming below alike running programs. With the OS swapped from Home windows 11 to Arch Linux at the ROG Best friend, the functionality margin between the 2 consoles didn’t exchange a lot. The ROG Best friend exhibited superb gaming functionality to the Steam Deck, however the Steam Deck used to be in a position to outperform the ROG Best friend in ability potency and battery occasion.
Trying out the ROG Best friend on Linux is for sure a captivating proposition, since many Linux distros arguably detail much less bloatware than Microsoft’s actual Home windows 11 running gadget, which might enhance functionality and battery occasion. Linux variations additionally include other AMD-based drivers that may exchange the functionality habits (scheduling) of AMD’s Ryzen CPUs in Linux in comparison to Home windows, which will doubtlessly enhance functionality in some circumstances.
However in line with Phoronix’s trying out, putting in Linux at the ROG Best friend didn’t truly exchange its habits in comparison to operating video games on Home windows 11. The hand-held used to be nonetheless quicker than the Steam Deck in the suitable functionality profiles, however nonetheless misplaced the race in potency, with the Steam Deck eating some distance much less ability than the ROG Best friend.
Even if the ROG Best friend used to be operating in its extra power-efficient forms, the hand held may just most effective fit the functionality of the Steam Deck generally and used to be not able to greatly outperform it.
As an example, in Cyberpunk 2077, the ROG Best friend ran a median of 61 FPS with Arch Linux’s ACPI functionality profile however dropped right down to 45 FPS when operating within the OS’s same old ability profile. The Steam Deck (which remains to be operating SteamOS) used to be in a position to just about fit the ROG Best friend’s in its non-performance ability surroundings, outputting 44.66 FPS reasonable.
In the case of ability intake, the Steam Deck used to be hugely higher, eating a median of simply 10.76 watts in Cyberpunk 2077, time the ROG Best friend in its functionality preset fed on 30W of ability – 3x extra ability than the Steam Deck. Unfortunately, the ROG Best friend’s extra power-efficient profile doesn’t reserve it right here, and nonetheless fed on extra ability than the Steam Deck, coming in at 14.77 watts reasonable.
Cyberpunk 2077 used to be one of the vital worst-case situations for the ROG Best friend, on the other hand, maximum of Phoronix’s trying out swimsuit nonetheless exhibited alike habits. The one benchmarks that didn’t see this habits had been the CPU exams, which unsurprisingly confirmed considerably higher functionality with the ROG Best friend in all cases in comparison to the Steam Deck — due to the some distance more moderen Zen 4 structure and 4 supplementary CPU cores.
Coming again to Linux in particular, Phoronix’s effects align intently with our personal evaluate of the ROG Best friend (operating Home windows 11), in that the Steam Deck used to be in a position to very much outperform the ROG Best friend in battery occasion and tool potency within the console’s functionality profile. Certain it is advisable backpedal to a extra power-efficient form, however you’d be getting the similar functionality because the Steam Deck, with {hardware} this is two generations more moderen.
Phoronix’s effects proved that the ROG Best friend’s potency variations are perhaps alike to the {hardware} and can’t be rectified with an OS switch.