I’ve been using a Linux distro called PikaOS on my PC with a new RX 7800 XT GPU, and ever since I got the card, I’ve been experiencing hard crashes related to GPU drivers. Sometimes it crashes just from a slight undervolt, sometimes without even touching the GPU. Meanwhile, switching back to Windows, everything runs completely stable with zero crashes or driver timeouts. I really love Linux, but this has been super frustrating and I’ve tried almost every fix I could find. If anyone has ideas on what might be causing this or suggestions on how to fix it, please share!
5 Answers
If you want the best balance between gaming and tinkering with Linux, I’d say stick to distros that get quick access to the newest kernels and Mesa updates—Arch, Fedora, or even Debian with backports enabled. PikaOS sounds like it might have some quirks or possibly outdated components for a new GPU like yours. The fact that Windows runs fine indicates it’s likely a Linux software/driver issue rather than hardware. Also, keep an eye on kernel and Mesa bug trackers in case your issue is already reported and getting attention.
I use an RX 7800 XT as well with Fedora 41 KDE and have had zero issues. The crashes you describe—black screen then reboot sounds like a driver timeout or kernel panic related to the GPU. One common workaround I’ve read about is disabling adaptive sync/VRR in your BIOS or monitor settings, as the AMD drivers sometimes struggle with it. Might be worth trying if you haven’t done so already.
From what I’ve seen, PikaOS isn’t very mainstream and might have niche bugs, especially with bleeding-edge GPUs like the RX 7800 XT. I’d recommend trying a well-supported distro such as Fedora or Arch (or an Arch-based one) with the latest kernel (6.3+) and Mesa drivers (24.3+). Those versions have had a lot of fixes for Radeon stuff. Some users report no crashes on those setups. Could be worth testing alongside PikaOS to isolate if the distro is the cause.
Yeah, I’m already installing Fedora to see if that smooths things out. Fingers crossed!
Honestly, if Windows works without crashes and Linux is giving you trouble, it might just be simpler to switch back to Windows. GPU driver stability is crucial, and if your main goal is gaming and smooth performance, sometimes convenience beats tinkering endlessly. That said, maybe try using a more mainstream distro like Fedora or Debian with newer kernels and Mesa drivers, which tend to have better support for newer GPUs.
Yeah, I get that. It’s just annoying having to ditch Linux because of this, especially since I like tinkering with it.
I’ve dealt with similar issues on RX 7000 series cards and discovered a few things: some kernel versions introduced nasty bugs causing GPU hangs, and undervolting can sometimes trigger instability if the power limits or clocks aren’t stable on your hardware combo. I suggest trying this: use a fresh install of a popular distro like Linux Mint or Fedora with an up-to-date kernel, avoid undervolting for now, and see if crashes persist. If they do, it might be defective hardware or a deeper kernel bug still unresolved.
Good point! I had similar crashes and turning off VRR in Windows surprisingly fixed it. Try it out!