Linux Gaming - GNOME vs. KDE Wayland vs. X.Org

Radeon gaming performance on Linux across desktops. Benchmarks by Michael Larabel for a future article.

Compare your own system(s) to this result file with the Phoronix Test Suite by running the command: phoronix-test-suite benchmark 2112278-PTS-TESTRUN718
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Date
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  Test
  Duration
GNOME Wayland
December 26 2021
  2 Hours, 55 Minutes
GNOME X.Org
December 26 2021
  3 Hours, 6 Minutes
KDE Plasma Wayland
December 27 2021
  2 Hours, 42 Minutes
KDE Plasma X.Org
December 27 2021
  3 Hours, 53 Minutes
Xfce X.Org
December 27 2021
  2 Hours, 20 Minutes
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  2 Hours, 59 Minutes

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Linux Gaming - GNOME vs. KDE Wayland vs. X.OrgProcessorMotherboardChipsetMemoryDiskGraphicsAudioMonitorNetworkOSKernelDesktopDisplay ServerOpenGLVulkanCompilerFile-SystemScreen ResolutionGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.OrgAMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16-Core @ 3.40GHz (16 Cores / 32 Threads)ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR VIII HERO (WI-FI) (3801 BIOS)AMD Starship/Matisse32GB1000GB Sabrent Rocket 4.0 Plus + 2000GBGigabyte AMD Radeon RX 6800/6800 XT / 6900 16GB (2475/1000MHz)AMD Navi 21 HDMI AudioASUS MG28URealtek RTL8125 2.5GbE + Intel I211 + Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200Ubuntu 21.105.16.0-051600rc5daily20211214-generic (x86_64)GNOME Shell 40.5X Server 1.20.13 + Wayland4.6 Mesa 22.0.0-devel (git-222487f 2021-12-25 impish-oibaf-ppa) (LLVM 13.0.0 DRM 3.44 5.16.0-051600rc5daily20211214-generic)1.2.199GCC 11.2.0 + Clang 13.0.0-2ext43840x2160X Server 1.20.13KDE Plasma 5.22.5X Server 1.20.13 + WaylandX Server 1.20.13Xfce 4.16OpenBenchmarking.orgKernel Details- Transparent Huge Pages: madviseProcessor Details- Scaling Governor: acpi-cpufreq performance (Boost: Enabled) - CPU Microcode: 0xa201016Graphics Details- BAR1 / Visible vRAM Size: 16368 MBSecurity Details- itlb_multihit: Not affected + l1tf: Not affected + mds: Not affected + meltdown: Not affected + spec_store_bypass: Mitigation of SSB disabled via prctl + spectre_v1: Mitigation of usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer sanitization + spectre_v2: Mitigation of Full AMD retpoline IBPB: conditional IBRS_FW STIBP: always-on RSB filling + srbds: Not affected + tsx_async_abort: Not affected

GNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.OrgResult OverviewPhoronix Test Suite100%128%155%183%210%HITMAN 2TesseractDiRT Rally 2.0Batman: Arkham KnightStrange BrigadeXonoticCounter-Strike: Global OffensiveF1 2020Left 4 Dead 2Half-Life 2: Episode Two

Linux Gaming - GNOME vs. KDE Wayland vs. X.Orgtesseract: 3840 x 2160xonotic: 3840 x 2160 - Ultimatebatman-knight: 1920 x 1080 - Highbatman-knight: 3840 x 2160 - Highcsgo: 3840 x 2160 - OpenGLcsgo: 3840 x 2160 - Vulkandirt-rally2: 3840 x 1600 - Ultraf12020: 1920 x 1080 - Ultraf12020: 3840 x 2160 - Ultrahl2-ep2: 3840 x 2160 - OpenGLhitman2: 1920 x 1080 - Ultrahitman2: 3840 x 2160 - Ultral4d2: 3840 x 2160 - OpenGLl4d2: 3840 x 2160 - Vulkanshadowofthetombraider: 1920 x 1080 - Highest - Offshadowofthetombraider: 3840 x 2160 - Highest - Offstrange-brigade: 1920 x 1080 - Highstrange-brigade: 3840 x 2160 - Highstrange-brigade: 1920 x 1080 - Ultrastrange-brigade: 3840 x 2160 - Ultratwtk: 1920 x 1080 - High - Battle Benchmarktwtk: 3840 x 2160 - High - Battle Benchmarktwtk: 1920 x 1080 - Ultra - Battle BenchmarkGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org822.9257429.7962051255.11109.10316.84364.81414.351247196148501.95130.9792.43286.67374.59208.676.9152.6144.7156.6136.7180.852.4123.3803.3394412.8912594241.22106.65307.92350.77376.803197194144494.10122.4890.58284.49364.92201.174.7154.3140.5157.4133.2173.251.4121.0438.2910423.8598167245.48106.82311.60358.17362.026021195146495.1336.7174.49286.77369.47157.3143.3165.6136.4797.9983415.5563259240.07106.48310.19355.56382.921382197144497.3350.5570.93283.22365.88201.574.7154.8140.0163.0133.0177.251.5119.9791.7818414.1264436239.48104.61305.96350.81359.136169194142491.81122.1189.06281.41362.91195.873.1172.5139.4171.7131.4170.750.7118.9OpenBenchmarking.org

Tesseract

Tesseract is a fork of Cube 2 Sauerbraten with numerous graphics and game-play improvements. Tesseract has been in development since 2012 while its first release happened in May of 2014. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterTesseract 2014-05-12Resolution: 3840 x 2160GNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org2004006008001000SE +/- 3.28, N = 3SE +/- 2.89, N = 3SE +/- 83.68, N = 15SE +/- 2.88, N = 3SE +/- 2.86, N = 3822.93803.34438.29798.00791.78

Xonotic

This is a benchmark of Xonotic, which is a fork of the DarkPlaces-based Nexuiz game. Development began in March of 2010 on the Xonotic game. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterXonotic 0.8.2Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - Effects Quality: UltimateGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org90180270360450SE +/- 5.28, N = 3SE +/- 3.24, N = 3SE +/- 3.63, N = 3SE +/- 4.91, N = 3SE +/- 4.19, N = 3429.80412.89423.86415.56414.13MIN: 56 / MAX: 1009MIN: 51 / MAX: 982MIN: 55 / MAX: 1000MIN: 52 / MAX: 985MIN: 51 / MAX: 990

Batman: Arkham Knight

This is a benchmark of >Batman: Arkham Knight running under Steam Play (Proton) on Linux. The test profile assumes you have a Steam account, have Steam installed for the system, and that Batman: Arkham Knight is already purchased/installed. This automates the process of executing the game and using a standardized time demo. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterBatman: Arkham KnightResolution: 1920 x 1080 - Quality: HighGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org60120180240300SE +/- 2.92, N = 4SE +/- 1.32, N = 3SE +/- 3.17, N = 3SE +/- 2.03, N = 3SE +/- 2.85, N = 4255.11241.22245.48240.07239.48MIN: 123.68 / MAX: 416.87MIN: 118.17 / MAX: 417MIN: 123.51 / MAX: 398.95MIN: 116.27 / MAX: 399.65MIN: 115.15 / MAX: 402.09

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterBatman: Arkham KnightResolution: 3840 x 2160 - Quality: HighGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org20406080100SE +/- 0.41, N = 3SE +/- 0.58, N = 3SE +/- 0.34, N = 3SE +/- 0.48, N = 3SE +/- 0.11, N = 3109.10106.65106.82106.48104.61MIN: 78.74 / MAX: 173.96MIN: 76.99 / MAX: 169.23MIN: 77.79 / MAX: 170.93MIN: 76.87 / MAX: 169.99MIN: 75.41 / MAX: 164.38

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

This is a benchmark of Valve's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive game. The test profile assumes you have a Steam account, have Steam installed for the system, and that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is already installed. This automates the process of executing the game and using a standardized time demo. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterCounter-Strike: Global OffensiveResolution: 3840 x 2160 - Renderer: OpenGLGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org70140210280350SE +/- 1.40, N = 3SE +/- 0.21, N = 3SE +/- 0.24, N = 3SE +/- 1.14, N = 3SE +/- 1.29, N = 3316.84307.92311.60310.19305.96

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterCounter-Strike: Global OffensiveResolution: 3840 x 2160 - Renderer: VulkanGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org80160240320400SE +/- 2.42, N = 3SE +/- 1.70, N = 3SE +/- 2.94, N = 3SE +/- 0.06, N = 3SE +/- 0.32, N = 3364.81350.77358.17355.56350.81

DiRT Rally 2.0

This is a benchmark of DiRT Rally 2.0 running under Steam Play (Proton) on Linux. The test profile assumes you have a Steam account, have Steam installed for the system, and that the game is already purchased/installed. This automates the process of executing the game and using a standardized scene. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterDiRT Rally 2.0Resolution: 3840 x 1600 - Graphics Preset: UltraGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org90180270360450SE +/- 0.90, N = 3SE +/- 6.35, N = 12SE +/- 1.76, N = 3SE +/- 6.57, N = 12SE +/- 1.12, N = 3414.35376.80362.03382.92359.14MIN: 311.78 / MAX: 488.58MIN: 288.52 / MAX: 476.34MIN: 297.95 / MAX: 475.09MIN: 292.48 / MAX: 477.43MIN: 294.53 / MAX: 457.79

F1 2020

This is a benchmark of F1 2020 running under Steam Play (Proton) on Linux. The test profile assumes you have a Steam account, have Steam installed for the system, and that the game is already purchased/installed. This automates the process of executing the game and using a standardized time demo. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterF1 2020Resolution: 1920 x 1080 - Graphics Preset: UltraGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org4080120160200SE +/- 2.33, N = 3SE +/- 2.00, N = 3SE +/- 0.88, N = 3SE +/- 0.58, N = 3SE +/- 0.88, N = 3196194195197194MIN: 134 / MAX: 257MIN: 133 / MAX: 262MIN: 140 / MAX: 261MIN: 139 / MAX: 259MIN: 134 / MAX: 263

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterF1 2020Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - Graphics Preset: UltraGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org306090120150SE +/- 0.00, N = 3SE +/- 0.33, N = 3SE +/- 0.00, N = 3SE +/- 0.33, N = 3SE +/- 0.00, N = 3148144146144142MIN: 110 / MAX: 184MIN: 107 / MAX: 180MIN: 109 / MAX: 182MIN: 107 / MAX: 180MIN: 105 / MAX: 177

Half-Life 2: Episode Two

This is a benchmark of Valve's Half-Life 2: Episode 2 game. The test profile assumes you have a Steam account and have Steam installed for the system. This automates the process of executing the game and using a standardized time demo. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterHalf-Life 2: Episode TwoResolution: 3840 x 2160 - Renderer: OpenGLGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org110220330440550SE +/- 2.02, N = 3SE +/- 1.77, N = 3SE +/- 2.28, N = 3SE +/- 1.15, N = 3SE +/- 0.50, N = 3501.95494.10495.13497.33491.81

HITMAN 2

This is a benchmark of HITMAN 2 on Steam running on Linux under Steam Play. The test profile assumes you have a Steam account, have Steam installed for the system, and that you own a copy of this game. This automates the process of executing the game and using its built-in benchmark mode. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterHITMAN 2Resolution: 1920 x 1080 - Quality Level: UltraGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org306090120150SE +/- 0.73, N = 3SE +/- 1.22, N = 6SE +/- 8.17, N = 12SE +/- 9.59, N = 12SE +/- 0.69, N = 3130.97122.4836.7150.55122.11MIN: 129.52 / MAX: 131.71MIN: 116.76 / MAX: 124.55MIN: 28.2 / MAX: 126.63MIN: 32.8 / MAX: 123.32MIN: 120.86 / MAX: 123.26

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterHITMAN 2Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - Quality Level: UltraGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org20406080100SE +/- 0.06, N = 3SE +/- 0.09, N = 3SE +/- 4.01, N = 12SE +/- 3.93, N = 12SE +/- 0.09, N = 392.4390.5874.4970.9389.06MIN: 92.31 / MAX: 92.5MIN: 90.49 / MAX: 90.76MIN: 61.85 / MAX: 92.04MIN: 60.91 / MAX: 89.61MIN: 88.95 / MAX: 89.23

Left 4 Dead 2

This is a benchmark of Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 game. The test profile assumes you have a Steam account and have Steam installed for the system. This automates the process of executing the game and using a standardized time demo. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterLeft 4 Dead 2Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - Renderer: OpenGLGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org60120180240300SE +/- 2.94, N = 13SE +/- 3.37, N = 3SE +/- 3.40, N = 4SE +/- 4.03, N = 3SE +/- 2.21, N = 3286.67284.49286.77283.22281.41

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterLeft 4 Dead 2Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - Renderer: VulkanGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org80160240320400SE +/- 1.56, N = 3SE +/- 1.80, N = 3SE +/- 3.61, N = 3SE +/- 1.23, N = 3SE +/- 2.55, N = 3374.59364.92369.47365.88362.91

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Shadow of the Tomb Raider on Steam. The test profile assumes you have a Steam account, have Steam installed for the system, and that you own a copy of this game. This automates the process of executing the game and using its built-in benchmark mode. Backs up old preferences (in ~/.local/share/feral-interactive/) for the run. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterShadow of the Tomb RaiderResolution: 1920 x 1080 - Graphics Preset: Highest - Anti Aliasing: OffGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org50100150200250SE +/- 0.23, N = 3SE +/- 0.12, N = 3SE +/- 0.40, N = 3SE +/- 0.19, N = 3208.6201.1201.5195.8MAX: 389.5MAX: 397.6MAX: 398.7MAX: 382.3

Resolution: 1920 x 1080 - Graphics Preset: Highest - Anti Aliasing: Off

KDE Plasma Wayland: The test run did not produce a result. The test run did not produce a result.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterShadow of the Tomb RaiderResolution: 3840 x 2160 - Graphics Preset: Highest - Anti Aliasing: OffGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org20406080100SE +/- 0.03, N = 3SE +/- 0.03, N = 3SE +/- 0.00, N = 3SE +/- 0.03, N = 376.974.774.773.1MAX: 124.5MAX: 124.5MAX: 123.6MAX: 146.2

Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - Graphics Preset: Highest - Anti Aliasing: Off

KDE Plasma Wayland: The test run did not produce a result. The test run did not produce a result.

Strange Brigade

This is a benchmark of Strange Brigade running under Steam Play (Proton) on Linux. The test profile assumes you have a Steam account, have Steam installed for the system, and that the game is already purchased/installed. This automates the process of executing the game and using a standardized scene. Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterStrange BrigadeResolution: 1920 x 1080 - Graphics Setting: HighGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org4080120160200SE +/- 1.37, N = 3SE +/- 0.35, N = 3SE +/- 0.35, N = 3SE +/- 1.45, N = 3SE +/- 1.34, N = 3152.6154.3157.3154.8172.5MIN: 16.8 / MAX: 202.2MIN: 5.9 / MAX: 208.3MIN: 11.8 / MAX: 212.7MIN: 30 / MAX: 209.8MIN: 21.1 / MAX: 220.7

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterStrange BrigadeResolution: 3840 x 2160 - Graphics Setting: HighGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org306090120150SE +/- 0.38, N = 3SE +/- 0.12, N = 3SE +/- 0.12, N = 3SE +/- 0.35, N = 3SE +/- 0.43, N = 3144.7140.5143.3140.0139.4MIN: 56.9 / MAX: 213.5MIN: 28.9 / MAX: 205.7MIN: 33.6 / MAX: 204.3MIN: 24.2 / MAX: 204.7MIN: 28.3 / MAX: 216.1

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterStrange BrigadeResolution: 1920 x 1080 - Graphics Setting: UltraGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org4080120160200SE +/- 1.15, N = 3SE +/- 1.88, N = 4SE +/- 0.72, N = 3SE +/- 1.35, N = 3SE +/- 0.64, N = 3156.6157.4165.6163.0171.7MIN: 34.2 / MAX: 206.4MIN: 27.1 / MAX: 214.2MIN: 33.7 / MAX: 215.4MIN: 24.3 / MAX: 219.4MIN: 27.2 / MAX: 219

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterStrange BrigadeResolution: 3840 x 2160 - Graphics Setting: UltraGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma WaylandKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org306090120150SE +/- 0.40, N = 3SE +/- 0.49, N = 3SE +/- 0.12, N = 3SE +/- 0.25, N = 3SE +/- 0.33, N = 3136.7133.2136.4133.0131.4MIN: 34 / MAX: 205.5MIN: 29.5 / MAX: 197.1MIN: 33.1 / MAX: 207.9MIN: 24.5 / MAX: 208.5MIN: 29.2 / MAX: 207.4

Total War: Three Kingdoms

Total War: Three Kingdoms on Steam. The test profile assumes you have a Steam account, have Steam installed for the system, and that you own a copy of this game. This automates the process of executing the game and using its built-in benchmark mode. Backs up old preferences (in ~/.local/share/feral-interactive/) for the run. NOTES for cross-platform comparisons: TODO Learn more via the OpenBenchmarking.org test page.

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterTotal War: Three Kingdoms 1.0.1Resolution: 1920 x 1080 - Graphics Preset: High - Scenario: Battle BenchmarkGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org4080120160200SE +/- 0.85, N = 3SE +/- 1.13, N = 3SE +/- 0.55, N = 3SE +/- 1.48, N = 3180.8173.2177.2170.7MIN: 4.3 / MAX: 438.6MIN: 6.5 / MAX: 392.5MIN: 4.1 / MAX: 354.1MIN: 5 / MAX: 448

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterTotal War: Three Kingdoms 1.0.1Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - Graphics Preset: High - Scenario: Battle BenchmarkGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org1224364860SE +/- 0.03, N = 3SE +/- 0.22, N = 3SE +/- 0.03, N = 3SE +/- 0.03, N = 352.451.451.550.7MIN: 17.8 / MAX: 67.7MIN: 5.8 / MAX: 177.1MIN: 5.6 / MAX: 270.8MIN: 38 / MAX: 106.8

OpenBenchmarking.orgFrames Per Second, More Is BetterTotal War: Three Kingdoms 1.0.1Resolution: 1920 x 1080 - Graphics Preset: Ultra - Scenario: Battle BenchmarkGNOME WaylandGNOME X.OrgKDE Plasma X.OrgXfce X.Org306090120150SE +/- 0.38, N = 3SE +/- 0.23, N = 3SE +/- 0.59, N = 3SE +/- 0.26, N = 3123.3121.0119.9118.9MIN: 35.8 / MAX: 288.8MIN: 8.1 / MAX: 261.1MIN: 4.3 / MAX: 277.5MIN: 32.1 / MAX: 248.2