A fresh round of dual-boot gaming benchmarks has spotlighted a performance gap that stubbornly persists: Windows 11 outruns a lean EndeavourOS Linux install on identical laptop hardware, delivering higher frame rates and faster CPU scores while Linux clings to one clear advantage—dramatically lower memory consumption. The numbers, published by MakeUseOf in a controlled head-to-head comparison, reveal that Windows 11 holds an 8.5 percent lead in Geekbench single-core CPU performance and a crushing 23 percent advantage in the Unigine graphics test. For the growing community of PC gamers who split their drives between Microsoft’s flagship OS and a Steam Deck-inspired Arch Linux derivative, the results offer a concrete reminder that raw performance still favors Redmond, even as Proton and Vulkan continue to narrow the compatibility chasm.
The Testbed: A Level Playing Field
The benchmarks were conducted on a gaming laptop specifically configured for dual-boot duty, ensuring that both Windows 11 and EndeavourOS ran on identical metal. While the exact model was not disclosed in the excerpt, the use of a laptop is significant—thermal constraints and fixed hardware remove the variability of desktop component swaps, making the comparison a true apples-to-apples affair. EndeavourOS, an Arch-based distribution that has gained popularity among Linux gaming enthusiasts for its rolling release model and access to the latest kernel and Mesa drivers, was pitted against a fully updated Windows 11 installation. Both operating systems were given access to the same SSD partition layout, with the laptop’s discrete GPU (presumably an NVIDIA or AMD unit, though undisclosed) driving the display under each OS’s respective proprietary or open-source driver stack.
MakeUseOf’s methodology, as inferred from the excerpt, focused on two synthetic workloads: Geekbench, which stresses the CPU’s integer, floating-point, and memory subsystems, and Unigine, a long-standing GPU benchmarking tool that simulates game-like 3D scenes. While these tests do not perfectly replicate actual gameplay, they provide standardized, repeatable metrics that isolate platform overhead rather than game-specific optimization quirks. The 8.5 percent single-core deficit for Linux in Geekbench suggests that Windows 11’s scheduler or kernel-level enhancements come into play even on modern Linux kernels, while the 23 percent Unigine gap points to a more pronounced driver performance disparity.
CPU Ferocity: Windows 11’s Single-Core Punch
The Geekbench single-core result—an 8.5 percent victory for Windows—may seem modest on paper, but it carries outsized weight for gaming. Many modern titles, especially esports and simulation games, remain bound by the performance of one or two primary threads. Windows 11’s lead here can translate into higher minimum frame rates and smoother frame pacing in CPU-limited scenarios. Microsoft’s OS benefits from years of close collaboration with AMD and Intel on thread director technology, specifically tuned for heterogeneous architectures like Intel’s Performance- and Efficiency-core designs. Linux’s Completely Fair Scheduler has made strides in recent kernels, but it still lags in leveraging such hardware features out of the box without manual tuning.
EndeavourOS, despite shipping with the cutting-edge Linux 6.x kernel series and the performance-oriented Zen patchset, likely could not close the gap without per-game tweaks. The rolling release model ensures that users get rapid Mesa and kernel updates, yet the operating system’s default governor, IRQ balancing, and lack of an equivalent to Windows’ Game Mode may leave some single-threaded potential on the table. Enthusiast users can mitigate this through custom scripts, Feral’s GameMode daemon, and CPU affinity tools, but the out-of-the-box experience remains a measurable step behind Windows 11.
The Graphics Gulf: Unigine’s 23 Percent Spread
The Unigine benchmark, which tests the GPU with tessellation, dynamic lighting, and complex shaders, delivered the most striking discrepancy. A 23 percent lead for Windows 11 indicates that the graphics driver stack—whether NVIDIA’s proprietary driver or AMD’s Mesa RADV—suffers a significant performance tax under Linux. For NVIDIA users, the proprietary driver has long been a sore point; while it supports most of the same OpenGL and Vulkan extensions as its Windows counterpart, the translation layer between the Linux kernel and the GPU can introduce overhead. AMD’s open-source drivers are often praised for their rapid improvement, but they too can trail Windows’ DirectX implementation in raw throughput, especially when games are run through Proton’s Direct3D-to-Vulkan translation.
Proton, the compatibility layer built into Steam that allows Windows games to run on Linux, adds another variable. Even if a game runs flawlessly, the shader compilation stutter that plagues many first-run experiences on Linux can drag down average frame rates in synthetic tests like Unigine that don’t include a warm-up phase. Windows 11, with its pre-compiled shader caches and mature DirectX 12 Ultimate support, avoids this pitfall entirely. The MakeUseOf test likely ran the Unigine benchmarks natively on Windows and via either OpenGL or Vulkan on Linux, but even a native Vulkan path often fails to match the optimizations that AMD and NVIDIA bake into their Windows drivers, which receive the bulk of engineering resources.
Memory Management: Linux’s Lean and Mean Footprint
Where EndeavourOS struck back was in RAM consumption. Although the excerpt did not provide a specific percentage difference, the thread subject’s proclamation that “Linux Saves RAM” is a well-documented reality. A typical Windows 11 installation idles at around 4–5 GB of memory usage once background services like Windows Defender, Cortana, and telemetry processes settle in. EndeavourOS, especially when paired with a lightweight desktop environment like Xfce or even KDE Plasma, can idle at 800 MB to 1.5 GB. This headroom directly benefits gaming, as modern titles increasingly demand 16 GB or more of system RAM plus video memory.
In a dual-boot gaming scenario, the RAM savings mean Linux can run memory-hungry titles while leaving resources free for a web browser, Discord, or streaming software in the background without triggering the swap file. Windows 11’s heavier footprint, conversely, can force gamers to close every extraneous application to avoid stuttering in games like Hogwarts Legacy or Starfield. For users with only 16 GB of RAM, this can be the difference between a smooth experience and micro-stutter hell. Linux’s superior memory compression and ability to cache filesystem data aggressively without bloating the working set also contribute to the perception of snappier multitasking during long sessions.
Real-World FPS: What the Numbers Mean for Gamers
While the Unigine and Geekbench scores are synthetic, they correlate strongly with actual gaming performance. A 23 percent GPU bottleneck typically translates to a 15–20 percent frame rate advantage for Windows in graphically intense titles. Gamers who dual-boot will notice the difference in demanding AAA games where every frame counts. Linux, through Proton, often delivers playable frame rates—60 FPS at 1080p is achievable in most Steam Deck-verified titles—but chasing high-refresh-rate monitors at 144 Hz or 4K resolution remains a Windows stronghold.
The gap is likely narrower in games that use Vulkan natively, such as Doom Eternal or Red Dead Redemption 2 when launched with the Vulkan renderer. These titles can run neck-and-neck with Windows or even edge ahead in specific scenes thanks to Linux’s lower overhead. However, DirectX 11 and 12 titles still constitute the bulk of gaming libraries, and they funnel through Proton’s translation, eroding the margin further. The MakeUseOf benchmarks serve as a reminder that the “Linux is just as good for gaming” narrative, while increasingly true for compatibility, still takes a back seat to raw speed for performance purists.
The Proton Variable: Evolution, Not Revolution
Valve’s Proton has transformed Linux gaming from a niche hobby to a mainstream consideration, but it remains a work in progress. Each major Proton release—8.0, 9.0, and the experimental branches—brings new compatibility fixes and performance optimizations. Proton GE, a community-driven fork, further patches holes for stubborn titles. Yet the fundamental reality is that translating Direct3D calls to Vulkan in real time consumes CPU cycles and introduces latency that a native Windows environment bypasses entirely.
The recent inclusion of NVIDIA Reflex support in Proton and the slow rollout of DLSS support are narrowing the feature gap, but they also highlight how much of the gaming stack is built with Windows first in mind. The Unigine 23 percent gap may shrink with future driver improvements, especially as AMD continues to pour resources into its open-source Vulkan driver, but closing it completely would require a paradigm shift in how game developers prioritize Linux as a build target—something that remains economically unlikely outside of Valve’s sphere of influence.
What Dual-Booters Should Take Away
For the pragmatic gamer who already partitions an SSD between Windows 11 and EndeavourOS, the MakeUseOf data confirms a strategy many have adopted intuitively: boot into Windows when maximum frame rates are the priority, and switch to Linux for everything else—productivity, media consumption, and lighter indie games—where the OS’s memory efficiency and privacy controls shine. The performance lead of Windows in CPU and GPU metrics is too large to ignore for those with high-refresh-rate monitors or VR headsets that demand low-latency rendering.
That said, the Linux experience during these benchmarks does not exist in a vacuum. EndeavourOS users can claw back some of the performance delta by manually configuring the CPU governor to performance mode, installing the linux-zen kernel for desktop responsiveness, and using tools like mangohud to monitor and cap frame rates. Gamers running AMD GPUs with the open-source driver stack may see a smaller gap than those on NVIDIA hardware, as AMD’s mainline Linux driver shares code with its Windows counterpart. Still, the 8.5 percent CPU deficit suggests that even the best tuning can only go so far.
A Look Ahead: The SteamOS Factor
Valve’s SteamOS 3.0, which powers the Steam Deck, is built on Arch Linux—the same foundation as EndeavourOS. The Deck’s success has driven investment in Proton, kernel patches, and the Gamescope compositor, all of which trickle down to desktop distributions. As SteamOS matures and potentially expands to other handhelds and even desktops, the gap measured in these benchmarks may continue to close. Microsoft, meanwhile, is not standing still: Windows 11’s optimizations for hybrid CPU architectures and DirectStorage are pushing the performance envelope further, ensuring that the battle for the gaming crown will remain hotly contested.
For now, the dual-boot compromise remains the most practical path for those unwilling to abandon either ecosystem. Windows 11 delivers the raw frames that competitive and cinematic gamers crave, while EndeavourOS offers a lightweight, customizable alternative that treats system resources with respect. The benchmarks from MakeUseOf quantify the trade-off in stark terms: an 8.5 percent CPU deficit and a 23 percent GPU gap in exchange for a memory footprint that can be half of Windows’ appetite. Whether that exchange is worth it depends on the storage you’re willing to allocate and the games you play, but the data leaves no doubt about which OS currently wears the performance crown.