I’m really excited about the new 9070 XT and I’m planning to get it on release day. However, I’m wondering what kind of experience to expect if I run it on Debian. Will it have enough driver support, or should I anticipate running into issues like a black screen or being stuck in safe mode? Should I consider switching to Ubuntu for a smoother out-of-the-box experience instead? I usually stick to my command line, but I’m not an expert on the latest GPUs. My last upgrade was from a 1660 Ti, and it’s been about seven years since then, so I’m keen to get things right this time around. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
From what I’ve seen, using brand new hardware with outdated distros like Debian is a recipe for trouble. Debian stable probably won’t have the drivers ready for your 9070 XT on launch day, especially since it relies on older kernels and Mesa support. You might not get any better than an 800×600 resolution with software rendering, which is far from ideal!
The good news is that the 9070 XT is expected to have solid support for Linux right from launch, especially in Ubuntu 24.04, which is designed for these new GPUs. Of course, some small features might not be ready at launch, and you might need to wait for follow-up updates to smooth out any bumps—so prepare for that! But there’s a good chance it should work fairly well!
Honestly, you’d want to be using at least Kernel 6.13 for the 9070 XT to work well, and it seems like the latest Mesa version (25.0) is crucial for unlocking features. Debian’s current stable version is stuck on an older kernel which might not support your new GPU at all. If you can, try a rolling release distro or even Ubuntu, as they usually have quicker updates for new hardware.
Yeah, I hear you. Debian’s stable version is just a bit too outdated for new GPUs, and it’s probably better to use a more current distro like a rolling release for the best support.
I’m not so sure, though. Mesa before version 25.0 won’t even load on RDNA4 GPUs like the 9070 XT, and I noticed Ubuntu 24.04 might not have Mesa 25.0 ready either. I think you’re gonna face some challenges.